Serves a Crowd

Pie Crust Cookies with sugar & cinnamon

by:
July 18, 2014
3
1 Ratings
Pie Crust Cookies with sugar & cinnamon
  • Makes 50+ cookies (I recommend freezing half for later)
Author Notes

Pie is the best dessert – it’s just a plain fact. I turn up my nose at cupcakes, cakes, cookies, brownies and all other things sweet in favor of pie, with its buttery, flaky crust and gooey filling, inevitably oozing out of whatever holes and cracks the crust allows. Every time I make a pie, though, I throw out the scraps and then think, “Dammit! I should have made cookies!” I do this every single time. I suppose it’s just muscle memory to open the trash can lid and throw the scraps of dough away before I even think about it. This time though, I won out over my stupid brain and thought about pie crust cookies before I even made the pie. Go figure. I’ll share the pie I made eventually, but for now, let me count the ways I love these cookies.

These cookies are golden and crisp, flaky and buttery. I added a dusting of cinnamon sugar on top for crunch, and I couldn’t resist making a batch of Homemade Marshmallow Fluff to go with them – pie crust fluff sandwiches, anyone? When you bite into one of these cookies, there are little air bubbles of deliciousness on the inside, showing you each layer and reminding you that yes, these are pie crust cookies. I personally always reach for the thickest piece of pie crust on my plate when I’m enjoying a slice of pie, saving it for last to be used as a scoop to insert any remaining filling into my face, but there never seems to be enough of these treasured thick pieces of crust. Well, problem solved. I don’t have children and I am unfamiliar with their ways, but I would imagine that this would be a fun way to get kids involved in the kitchen, too. The pie crust is super forgiving and easy to cut out, so you can make any shapes you want, and hell, if you want to throw some sprinkles on top of these before you bake them, who am I to judge? I bet they’d be even more adorable that way. —CrepesofWrath

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For your Pie Dough
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/3 cups COLD unsalted butter (cube the butter and re-chill, you want this stuff ice cold)
  • 2/3 cup ice water
  • 3 teaspoons distilled white vinegar or vodka
  • For the Pie Crust Cookies
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
  1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add in the chopped pieces of cold butter (cold is essential for a flaky pie crust). Blend together with your hands (or, alternatively, a food processor) until you have coarse crumbs (it doesn’t have to be perfect). You can use a pastry cutter, too, if you like.
  2. Place the dough back into the fridge for 15 minutes or so, so it stays cold. I don't always do this if I'm short on time, but if you can spare the minutes, it helps the dough a lot. Mix together the water and vinegar or vodka in a small bowl. When ready, slowly drizzle it over the dough, a tablespoon or so at a time, gently stirring the mixture with a fork or pulsing with your processor, until fully incorporated and the dough forms into a nice ball. You may not need all of the water. It might seem a bit too wet at this point, but it will dry up while it sits in the fridge. Form the dough gently into 2 loose balls, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours or as long as overnight (obviously, overnight is best - I sometimes let this dough sit for 36 hours).
  3. At this point, you can use this pie crust to make whatever pie you like, or you can use all of the dough to make cookies, or even freeze half of the dough and use the other half to make cookies.
  4. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F to make the cookies, let the dough sit out on the counter for a few minutes so you can roll it out more easily. Roll the dough out to about ¾-inch thick, then cut out into your favorite shapes. Place the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets - you can place them pretty close together because they won't rise or spread much. Brush the cookies with your egg wash, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle all of the cookies with this mixture.
  5. Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes, until golden and flaky. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from the pans. Enjoy these warm alongside some ice cream or cooled, all on their own. These will keep well at room temperature in an air-tight container or sealed bag for up to 3 days.
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