Mix all shortbread crust ingredients by hand in a small mixing bowl until they just begin to stick together.
Grease a 9" pie pan and press shortbread crust into the bottom of the pan.
Sugar Cream Pie Filling Instructions
In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter on medium heat.
Once butter is melted, whisk in cornstarch and sugar.
Slowly whisk in the half and half.
Stir constantly until the mixture begins to boil and becomes thick and creamy. This should take about five minutes. You'll know it's ready as there will be a dramatic shift from a soupy liquid to something porridge-like.
Remove from heat and mix in vanilla. (If there are any lumps, you can push the filling through a sieve to remove them.)
Assembly and Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place prepared pie pan on a cookie sheet (in case of any overflow during baking). Distribute filling evenly over shortbread in the prepared pan. Because pie pan depths may vary, keep in mind that this filling is supposed to come almost up to the top of the pie.
Sprinkle nutmeg over the filling.
Bake for 70 minutes or until the top of the pie is set and the top is somewhat browned. The filling will still be a little jiggly, but it won't move very much if you wiggle the pie. If it doesn't seem set yet, continue to cook a little longer. It's better to over-bake this pie than to under-bake it.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate overnight and serve cold.
Notes
You can easily vary this recipe by using cast iron skillets or a square baking dish. If you change the size of your baking vessel, check on the pie regularly as baking times will vary. You can also replace the nutmeg with cinnamon or a mix of the two. Lastly, you may choose to use a more traditional pie crust or leave the pie crust off entirely. If you use a traditional pie crust, there is no need to pre-bake the crust, just pour the filling over the crust as you with the shortbread crust.