Buttermilk Pie Topping Recipe (Also known as why I can never make my own pies)

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All opinions are mine alone. #ShareTheJoyOfPie #CollectiveBias

Two years ago I was assigned to bring pies to our big family Thanksgiving dinner.  Pies?  I thought.  No problemo.  

I was a fool.  I had no idea.  No. Idea.  The amount of skill it takes to make a pie.  I woke up early Thanksgiving morning and set to work rolling out my pie crust.  It fell apart.  I tried again.  It fell apart again.  I called my mom for help.  She's been mastering pies for so long that she couldn't figure out why in the world my pies weren't doing what they were supposed to.

I had found out a week earlier that I was pregnant with June.  No one knew yet and, ecstatic as we were, the morning sickness and hormones were getting to me.  I broke down into tears and declared to Greg, "I'm never going to be able to make a pie!"  

"Bon, just buy a pie from the store.  It doesn't matter."

"You don't understand, Greg!  You can't just buy a pie from the store in my family!  Everyone is such great cooks.  I'll be the only one with gross food!"

Greg didn't get it.  But he supported me when I said I had to go back to the grocery store for more flour.

Sadly, the pies never turned out.  The crust caved in and the filling was so thin you could have eaten it like a soup.  Everyone tried to be nice, "Your pie is great even though I have to drink it with a straw!" my family said with nice smiles.  I saw right through it, though.  I had failed the task of pies.  The next year my food assignment was butter.  (I kid you not!)

 Two years later, I have now been introduced to Marie Callender's® Dessert Pies.  A little Marie Callender's and a little Reddi-Wip® and we're in pie business!   No dough falling apart on you.  No soupy feeling.  And best of all, NO STORE BOUGHT PIE TASTE!  These bad boys are good enough to fool that world into thinking that you made them.

And if you want just a little touch of homemade flavor, I have the best sauce to put on top of your pie.  I always think pies are just a touch on the dry side for me; this buttermilk sauce moistens it right up and is absolutely delicious.  You will fool the world into thinking the entire pie is homemade, not just the super easy yummy sauce you put on top of it. MAWAHAHAHA.

Buttermilk syrup/pie topping 

Ingredients:
+ 1 1/2 cups white sugar
+ 3/4 cup buttermilk
+ 1/2 cup butter
+ 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
+ 1 teaspoon baking soda
+ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:
In a saucepan, stir together sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda.  Bring to a boil and cook for seven minutes over low heat.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Notes:  The longer you boil, the thicker and, later, chewier, the recipe gets.  The mixture turns colors on your from white to a caramel-y brown as you are cooking it.  The recipe hardens when you store or refrigerate it, to use it again just reheat!  Don't walk away from the syrup as it is cooking.  Keep stirring as it can burn and boil over in a second.

Recipe source here.

This sauce takes 15 minutes to make, as opposed to the HOURS I spent (unsuccessfully) slaving over pies.  And the syrup is pretty hard to botch, unless you just abandon it on the stove.  I used the buttermilk sauce with Marie Callender's Razzleberry Pie.  The tartness of the berries + the sweetness of the syrup = the best combination ever.

Of course we all love to eat the pie ourselves, but do you know what's even better?  Sharing it with neighbors!  We have four houses on our street (including ours) so this Thanksgiving week I am dropping off a little pie gift for each of them.  You need to know how to make your neighbors love you?  I gotcha covered!
 

NEIGHBOR PIE PACKAGE TUTORIAL

1.  You will need the following:  Marie Callender's® Dessert Pie +  Reddi-Wip® + jar of homemade buttermilk syrup + plastic wrap + twine (or any of string or ribbon) + printable.
2.  Make syrup according to recipe above.  When giving the syrup, make sure to tell neighbors to HEAT IT UP before they put it on the pie.  This is crucial, otherwise it just looks like delicious hardened caramel in a jar.  Awesome, but confusing.  And not fitting.
3.  Wrap Marie Callender's® Dessert Pies +  Reddi-Wip® + jar of homemade buttermilk syrup in plastic wrap and use the twine to wrap around the middle.
4.  Include the following note with your package!

You can download and print this printable here.

6.  Don't forget to tell them to #sharethejoyofpie!  Nothing makes us feel quite as good as being the one to do the kind service, so make sure you invite them to participate in that same kindness!

You can find Marie Callender's® Dessert Pies in the frozen desserts section at Walmart.  I found mine right on the end/ in the aisle.  Easy peasy!

For more pie recipes for Thanksgiving AND money saving coupons check out here.   Thank you so much for supporting the companies that support my blog.