Add Amaretto To Your Cream Pie For A Boozy Twist
A cream pie craving is a very specific kind of desire. The contrast of the crisp, flaky crust with the luscious, light-as-air, cloudlike filling, sweet and fluffy and smooth, is so satisfying as a proper dessert, midday snack, or even breakfast treat.
Chocolate cream pies and coconut cream pies may get the bulk of the attention, but the blank-slate version of this style of pie makes a great platform for so many flavors. And while you can always pair your pie with a good cup of spiked coffee or an after-dinner drink, it never hurts to add the booze directly into your dessert — as in the case of an amaretto Boston cream pie.
This elevated option is easy as pie to execute. For a single pie, simply add anywhere from a few tablespoons to a quarter cup of amaretto (depending on how boozy you like your baked goods) at the time you would typically incorporate vanilla extract or other flavorings. You can also swap in amaretto extract for a nonalcoholic version, but either way, this easy addition just may change the way you consume cream pie creations forever.
What is amaretto?
This Italian liqueur is the product of a distilled spirit sweetened with caramelized brown sugar and is known for its unique almond flavor. In addition to almonds, which producers steep to develop the liquid's signature flavor, some producers include peach or apricot pits.
People commonly enjoy amaretto as an after-dinner cordial, either mixed with a little cream or on the rocks, but it's also a classic addition to a cup of coffee for a little extra oomph. In fact, a splash makes an excellent, nutty addition to the Italian caffeinated ice cream treat known as an affogato.
On the cocktail side of things, an amaretto sour with whiskey, lemon juice, and egg white is probably the most well-known drink that puts this liqueur to use, but it also makes a great component in a margarita for an Italian-Mexican mashup. And it's right at home alongside a brown sugar simple syrup for an almond-inflected bourbon old-fashioned. Amaretto has a reputation as an ingredient beyond the glass, too. Use it in your next tiramisu or biscotti recipe, or surprise guests by incorporating amaretto into a savory dish, like roasted chicken or baked fish.
Other ways to amp up your amaretto cream pie
The beauty of amaretto liqueur is that almond's nuttiness naturally goes well with so many flavors. An obvious option would be to reach for the cocoa and create an almond-chocolate cream pie situation, or add coffee or espresso powder for a tiramisu-style spin. Drizzle salted caramel over the top, or pair the whole thing with a salty pretzel crust.
For a bit of brightness, stir in simmered or fresh fruits like cherries, apricots, figs, pears, or apples, or layer them on top with a bit of mint. It may be surprising to learn that cooks often pair amaretti cookies — which share a similar flavor profile to the liqueur, thanks to the use of almond flour and extract — with pumpkin in Italian pasta dishes (sometimes mixing them right into a ravioli filling or grating or crumbling them on top like cheese). You can apply this same flavor profile to your slices by making an amaretto pumpkin cream pie and applying your preferred pumpkin spice blend.
And if amaretto isn't exactly your thing, you can find plenty of ways to put a satisfying spin on this recipe with different liqueurs. Try Luxardo Maraschino, Bailey's Irish Cream, or even Guinness with chocolate and a torched meringue top. No matter how you spin it, you and your guests will go nuts for this luscious, nutty specialty on any occasion.