Christmas Eve Custard Pie (Printable)

Velvety cinnamon-vanilla custard in a flaky 9-inch crust, chilled before slicing for a silky, festive dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pie Crust

01 - 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

→ Custard Filling

02 - 1 cup whole milk
03 - 1 cup heavy cream
04 - 3 large eggs
05 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
07 - 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Topping

10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange the unbaked pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan and crimp or trim the edges as desired.
02 - In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk and heavy cream. Heat gently over medium setting until steaming, ensuring the mixture does not come to a boil. Remove from heat.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt until mixture is smooth.
04 - Slowly stream the warm milk and cream into the egg mixture, whisking continuously to prevent curdling and achieve a homogenous custard.
05 - Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to ensure a silky-smooth consistency.
06 - Gently pour the strained custard filling into the prepared pie crust.
07 - Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the custard is set but slightly wobbly in the center. If the edges of the crust brown too quickly, shield with foil.
08 - Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack. The custard will continue firming as it cools.
09 - Sprinkle ground cinnamon over the cooled pie and dust with powdered sugar if desired. For optimal texture, chill the pie in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The texture is so impossibly silky it feels like a little secret between you and your fork.
  • The cinnamon and vanilla warm the whole kitchen just as the sun drops on a chilly Christmas Eve.
02 -
  • Once, I ruined a perfectly good crust by ignoring the edges—they need a foil shield halfway through baking so they don't scorch.
  • Straining the custard changed my pie from lumpy to restaurant-smooth in one go and I'll never skip that step again.
03 -
  • Let your eggs and dairy sit out to come close to room temp before mixing—cold ingredients risk curdling or a split custard.
  • If making ahead, bake the pie the night before and chill overnight; it tastes even richer on day two.

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