Today’s Focus is on Butterscotch Pudding.

Butterscotch pudding is a creamy, rich dessert that tastes like toffee or caramel. It’s made by combining butter, caramelized brown sugar, vanilla, and bourbon in a pot. The butter gives the pudding a smooth texture and rich flavor, while the brown sugar adds depth of flavor. You can top the pudding with salted caramel, whipped cream, and toffee bits.

Butterscotch is a type of confectionery made from brown sugar and butter. The name may come from the candy’s origin in Scotland. The “scotch” in butterscotch could refer to the idea that the pudding comes from Scotland, or that the butter was originally “scotched” or scorched butter.

Butterscotch is usually made by boiling brown sugar and butter together in water. Heavy cream, vanilla, and salt can also be added. The brown sugar gives the candy a more complex flavor due to the molasses it contains.

 

History

Butterscotch pudding is believed to have been invented by Samuel Parkinson in Doncaster, England in 1817. Parkinson was a confectioner who originally called the candy “buttery brittle toffee”. The Royal Family of England ate butterscotch candy as a dessert. His company became famous for the product and supplied the British royal family with the confectionery. The candy was advertised as “Royal Doncaster Butterscotch”, or “The Queen’s Sweetmeat”.

A recipe for the candy that inspired Butterscotch was published in a newspaper in 1848. The recipe called for one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, and a quarter of a pound of treacle, boiled together.

Butterscotch pudding is believed to have been first made in the United States. The recipe may have originally included butter, milk, and eggs, along with brown sugar. Butterscotch is similar to toffee, but the sugar is boiled to the soft crack stage.

 

Butterscotch may be disappearing for a few reasons:

• It takes a lot of effort to make butterscotch, and people may not have the time.
• Butterscotch never made it into the top 10 Jell-O pudding flavors. Kraft Heinz, the parent company of Jell-O, may have removed butterscotch to make room for new flavors.
• Food chemists have become better at replicating more exotic flavors, and Americans have become more adventurous. Butterscotch has to compete with flavors like mango and passion fruit.
• Some marketing focus groups may have thought that “butterscotch” sounded too high in fat, so they switched to calling it “salted caramel”.

 

Here is a Butterscotch Pudding Recipe for You to Try:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup salted butter
• 1½ cups dark brown sugar firmly packed
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Scotch whiskey (optional)
• ½ teaspoon flaky salt
• additional flaky sea salt such as Maldon, for serving.

 

Directions:

1. In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and lemon juice and stir to combine. The mixture will look like wet sand.
2. Bring to a boil then reduce to a slow steady boil and continue cooking, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture looks smooth rather than grainy. (At first the butter and brown sugar may seem to be separated but it will come together as it cooks.)
3. Stand back a little (as the mixture will sputter a bit) and add the heavy cream. Stir to combine then return to a low steady boil. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the vanilla, Scotch (if using) and sea salt. Sir to combine.
4. Transfer to glass jars and allow to cool completely. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Store in the refrigerator when not in use. The sauce will keep well for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.
5. Rewarm gently before serving in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Do not bring to a boil when rewarming. Serve the sauce drizzled over ice cream, pies, tarts, apple and pear desserts, pumpkin desserts, etc. Sprinkle with a pinch of extra flaky sea salt when serving.
6. Enjoy!

 

Here are some fun facts about butterscotch:

• The largest butterscotch candy on record weighed 1.6 tonnes (3,527 lb) and was made in Trondheim, Norway in 1997.
• Butterscotch became famous in England after Queen Victoria was presented with it in 1951.
• Tins of butterscotch had the royal seal of approval.
• National Butterscotch Pudding Day is September 19th.

 

Consumption

• Social conversations about Butterscotch have increased by 4.61% over the past year.
• 52% of restaurants offer Butterscotch on their menus.
• The fastest rising consumer need for Butterscotch is Snack
• The dominating diet for Butterscotch is Gluten Free

 

Most popular prepared food pairings for butterscotch

1. Cake – 27.11%
2. Cookie – 25.33%
3. Ice Cream – 11.45%
4. Pudding – 7.83%
5. Brownie – 6.03%

 

Celebrating Butterscotch Pudding

National Butterscotch Pudding Day is celebrated on September 19th each year. This day is a great opportunity to enjoy a bowl of homemade butterscotch pudding. Let us know in the comments how you plan to celebrate.