Salted Honey Pie (Creamy Golden Custard Filling)

Most custard pies keep honey in the background, a spoonful stirred in next to the vanilla and the spice. This one turns that around. A full 3/4 cup of honey is the main flavor, the filling is barely spiced, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top keeps all that sweetness from tipping over.

The result is a single-crust pie with a dense, creamy, deep-gold filling under a thin caramelized top that crackles slightly at the edges. It slices cleanly once cooled, and it uses ingredients most kitchens already have: butter, sugar, eggs, cream, honey, a spoonful of cornmeal and a splash of vinegar.

Ingredients

For the single all-butter crust

• 1 1/4 cups (150 g) all-purpose flour.
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp salt.
• 1/2 cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed – the cold pieces make a flaky crust that stands up to a wet filling.
• 4 to 6 tbsp ice water.

For the honey filling

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled – gives the custard its rich, almost buttery-caramel taste.
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar – sweetens alongside the honey and helps the top caramelize.
• 1 tbsp fine white or yellow cornmeal – a small amount that helps the filling set and gives a slightly firmer texture.
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt – in the filling, not just on top.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract.
• 3/4 cup (255 g) runny honey – the star; use one you like the taste of on its own.
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature – they set the custard.
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream.
• 2 tsp white vinegar – cuts the sweetness; you will not taste it in the baked pie.

To finish

• 1 to 2 tsp flaky sea salt – sprinkled on the cooled pie.

How to Make It

1. Make the dough – then chill at least 1 hour

Whisk the flour, sugar and salt. Work in the cold butter until most pieces are the size of peas, then sprinkle in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough holds together when squeezed. Flatten it into a disk, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Streaks of butter should still be visible. This is half of the dough we use for our perfect apple pie.

2. Line the plate and chill the shell

Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle, ease it into a 9-inch glass pie plate, fold the overhang under and crimp the edge. Put the shell in the freezer while you heat the oven and make the filling. The crust should feel firm and cold when the filling goes in; a cold crust holds its crimp in the oven.

3. Heat the oven – 375°F (190°C)

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 375°F. Have a rimmed baking sheet ready to hold the pie.

4. Whisk the filling

In a bowl, stir the melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt and vanilla into a thick paste. Whisk in the honey, then the eggs one at a time, then the cream and vinegar. Whisk gently so you do not beat in air. The filling should be smooth, glossy and pourable, with no streaks of honey at the bottom of the bowl.

5. Bake – 45 to 50 minutes at 375°F

Set the frozen shell on the baking sheet, pour in the filling and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, turning the pie around about 30 minutes in, once the edges start to set. It is done when the top is deep golden brown, the edges are puffed and set, and the center no longer looks liquid but jiggles slightly, like set gelatin, when you nudge the pan.

6. Cool, then salt – at least 3 hours

Let the pie cool on a wire rack until it is completely at room temperature, at least 3 hours. Sprinkle the flaky salt over the top just before serving. The puffed center sinks back level as it cools, and the filling firms up enough to cut neat slices.

What the Cornmeal and Vinegar Do

They look like odd additions to a dessert, but both are standard in this style of pie and each has a job.

The cornmeal is only a tablespoon, so it does not make the filling gritty. It works with the eggs to help the custard set, and it gives the slices a slightly denser body, closer to a chess pie than a soft pudding.

The vinegar is there for balance. Honey, sugar and butter together are very sweet, and two teaspoons of acid take the edge off without adding a sour taste. The flaky salt on top does the same from the other side; it is not a garnish, and the pie tastes flat without it.

The other key point is the bake. Like any custard pie, this one is done before it looks fully firm. If you wait until the center is completely still, the eggs overcook and the filling can turn grainy or crack across the top. Pull it while the middle still jiggles; carry-over heat and cooling finish the job. Our banana cream pie and French silk pie both rely on the same idea of letting the filling set as it cools.

If your honey has crystallized, warm the jar gently in a pan of hot water until it is runny again, as the Oregon State University Extension suggests. Crystallized honey is safe to eat, but grainy honey will not blend smoothly into the filling.

Serving, Storing and Variations

Serve the pie at room temperature or slightly chilled, with a few extra flakes of salt or a spoonful of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Because the filling is an egg custard, refrigerate the pie once it has cooled if you are not serving it the same day. Keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The pie is a good make-ahead dessert, since it needs no last-minute work beyond the salt. The dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept wrapped in the refrigerator.

A few simple ways to change it:

• Choose the honey for the flavor you want. A light, mild honey gives a gentle, buttery pie; a darker honey makes it deeper and more robust.
• Use a vanilla bean instead of extract: scrape the seeds from one bean into the butter and sugar paste.
• Swap the vinegar for the same amount of apple cider vinegar.
• White or yellow cornmeal both work, as long as it is finely ground.

For a pie with a bright, sharp edge instead, try our lemon meringue pie, and browse more ideas among our dessert recipes.

Salted Honey Pie

A single-crust honey pie with a dense, creamy custard of honey, butter, eggs and cream, balanced with a little vinegar and finished with flaky sea salt.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Chill and Cool Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 8 slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 530

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Single all-butter crust

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 150 g
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter 113 g, cubed
• 4 to 6 tbsp ice water

Honey filling

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113 g, melted and slightly cooled
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 g
• 1 tbsp fine white or yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup runny honey 255 g
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 120 ml
• 2 tsp white vinegar

To finish

• 1 to 2 tsp flaky sea salt

Method

 

1. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt, work in the cold butter until pea-sized, then add ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together. Shape a disk, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle, fit it into a 9-inch glass pie plate, fold the overhang under and crimp. Put the shell in the freezer.
3. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the middle. Have a rimmed baking sheet ready.
4. Stir the melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt and vanilla into a paste. Whisk in the honey, then the eggs one at a time, then the cream and vinegar, without beating in air.
5. Set the frozen shell on the baking sheet, pour in the filling and bake 45 to 50 minutes, turning the pie around about 30 minutes in. It is done when the top is deep golden, the edges are puffed and set, and the center jiggles slightly like set gelatin.
6. Cool completely on a wire rack, at least 3 hours. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt just before serving.

Notes

Storage: once cooled, keep the pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Make ahead: the dough keeps wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The whole pie can be baked a day ahead; add the salt just before serving.

Substitutions: apple cider vinegar can replace the white vinegar; the seeds of one vanilla bean can replace the extract; white or yellow cornmeal both work if finely ground.

Crystallized honey: warm the jar in a pan of hot water until runny before measuring.

Nutrition is an estimate calculated from standard ingredient values, not a laboratory analysis.