Step 1

Make and chill the pie crust dough through step 5 in either recipe. It needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out (next step). The recipe makes 2 crusts, and you only need 1 for this pie, so save the other for another pie. (Pie dough freezes well!)

Step 2

On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth. To make a lovely thick edge, I do not trim excess dough around the edges. Instead, fold the excess dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a rim around the pie. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. (Review this how to crimp and flute pie crust page if you need extra help with this step.) If dough is too warm, fluting/crimping will be difficult, so you can always chill it in the refrigerator for 5–10 minutes first. After fluting/crimping the edges, chill the shaped pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and up to 5 days. Cover the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than 30 minutes. Chilling the shaped dough helps prevent the crust from shrinking.

Step 3

While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Step 4

Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. (It helps to scrunch up the parchment paper first so that you can easily fit it into the crust.) Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights for this.) I like to push the weights up against the sides of the pie crust to help ensure the sides don’t shrink down. Bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, about 15–16 minutes. Remove pie crust from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes all over the bottom crust with a fork. If desired for a shiny golden crust, brush egg wash on edges. Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 14–15 minutes, or until the bottom has browned. Remove from the oven, and place on a cooling rack to cool before filling. You can blind bake the crust up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover cooled crust tightly and refrigerate until ready to fill. (Review this how to par-bake pie crust page if you need extra help with this blind-baking step.)

Step 5

In a medium bowl (preferably with a pour spout), whisk together dark brown sugar and cornstarch. Add in whole milk and egg yolks, and whisk until combined; try to rid any large brown sugar clumps. Don’t worry if the egg yolks separate a bit. It will all come together on the stove. Set mixture aside.

Step 6

Place granulated sugar and water in a medium or large stainless steel saucepan (do not use nonstick) and cook over medium heat. Whisk or stir until the sugar and water are combined, and then stop stirring. Use a water-moistened pastry brush to brush down any sugar on the sides of the pan, to prevent it from crystallizing. Cook, picking up and swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar mixture turns amber-brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat down to low. Pouring very slowly, whisk in a little of the heavy cream. The mixture will rapidly bubble and steam, so use caution. Continue slowly pouring in the remaining heavy cream a little at a time, whisking constantly. The cooked sugar syrup may clump up or stick to the bottom of the pot. That is completely normal, just keep cooking and whisking. Don’t give up! I promise it will come together.

Step 7

Once all of the heavy cream has been added and there are no more cooked sugar clumps, increase the heat back up to medium and whisk and cook the mixture for 2 minutes.

Step 8

In a slow and steady stream, pour the brown sugar-egg yolk mixture into the saucepan, whisking the entire time. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and large bubbles begin to burst on the surface, about 5 minutes, give or take. All stoves are different, so use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. The cooked mixture is done when it reaches 195–200°F (91–93°C).

Step 9

Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, salt, vanilla, and alcohol (or more vanilla). Let the filling cool for 5 minutes, give it another whisk, and then spread it evenly into the baked pie shell. I use an offset spatula for this, but the back of a spoon works, too. (It’s not a super thick layer of filling, because it’s so intensely flavorful.) The baked pie shell can either be completely cooled, or it can still be a bit warm. Just make sure it’s not piping hot.

Step 10

Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 6 hours and up to 2 days. After 6 hours, cover it with plastic wrap with the plastic wrap touching the surface of the pie to help prevent condensation.

Step 11

Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts. Pipe or spread the whipped cream on top of the pie. If desired, top with a few drizzles of salted caramel sauce.

Step 12

Slice and serve. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.