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Open Cream | Professional Baker

Brown Butter & Toasted Cinnamon Life® Cream Pie

Recipe By: David Eaheart
Year Submitted: 2026
Winner Second Place
Sponsor:

Ingredients

PIE CRUST

4 cups AP flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 ¾ cups Crisco, chilled

1/2 cup water

1 egg

1 tablespoon white vinegar

MALTED LIFE® CEREAL CREAM FILLING

2 cups Cinnamon Life® Cereal (for steeping)

12 ounces heavy cream

8 ounces milk

¾ cup granulated sugar (divided)

2 tablespoons Malted Milk Powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon Fresh Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla

9 egg yolks

5 tablespoons wheat starch

½ stick butter

1 sheet gelatin, bloomed

4 ounces heavy cream

BROWN BUTTER LIFE® PRALINE CRUNCH

2 cups Cinnamon Life® Cereal

½ teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons Butter, browned

¼ teaspoon Flaky Sea Salt

SWISS MERINGUE

¼ sugar

6 egg whites

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

CARAMEL

½ cup glucose

¼ cup sugar

3/4 cups whipping cream

1/8 cup water, 4 tbsp butter

1/8 tsp salt

1 tbsp gelatin

2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

CRUST

  1. Mix water, egg and vinegar. Chill.
  2. Mix flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.
  3. With pastry blender, cut in Crisco into the flour.
  4. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix until all ingredients are mixed to form dough.
  5. Separate dough into two equal parts and wrap in plastic wrap.
  6. Chill for at least 2 hours but overnight preferably.
  7. Roll out pie dough to fit a 9 inch pie pan. Chill.

MALTED CREAM FILLING

  1. Bring 8 oz milk, 12 oz cream, and half the sugar to a simmer.
  2. Add 2 cups cereal and steep for 10 minutes.
  3. Strain through a chinois, pressing solids to extract “cereal milk”. Whisk in malt powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.
  4. Make a paste with remaining sugar, starch, salt, and yolks.
  5. Temper with hot milk, then return to a boil for one minute .
  6. Whisk in bloomed gelatin, butter, and vanilla.
  7. Cool on a plastic-lined sheet.

BROWN BUTTER PRALINE CRUNCH

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. Brown the butter in a pan until nutty. Gently hand-break cereal into large shards (avoid crushing into dust).
  3. Toss cereal with brown butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and sea salt.
  4. Spread on a sheet pan and toast for 10-12 minutes.
  5. Cool completely to set the crunch.

CARAMEL & MERINGUE

  1. Prepare caramel by heating sugar/glucose to 250°F, deglazing with hot cream, and finishing with condensed milk, butter, and gelatin .
  2. Chill for 12 hours.
  3. For meringue, whisk whites, sugar, and cream of tartar over a bain marie to 165°F, then whip to stiff peaks .

ASSEMBLY

  1. Whip the chilled cereal custard until smooth. Fold in 4 oz of whipped cream .
  2. Fill with Malted Cream Filling.
  3. Pour a smooth layer of Caramel over the filling.
  4. Spread a thin layer of Praline Crunch top of the caramel of the crust.
  5. Drizzle more caramel over the top of the crunch.
  6. Top with Swiss Meringue and torch until golden.
  7. Garnish with remaining large, whole cereal shards to identify the “Life®” brand clearly.
  8.