So - I buy a decent store-brand pie crust and have much more fun finding new ways to fill them. Or I make a nice graham-cracker crust. (Even I can't screw that one up.)
A couple of things to keep in mind when baking - if you tend to get very crispy crusts, try wrapping the edges with foil. Most pies I bake on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan so I won't have a real mess on my hands if it boils over.
And if you like graham-cracker crusts - don't forget that almost any cookie can work as well. Animal cookies for example work fantastic. Oh, and ginger snaps are a terrific change of pace.
*Easy Cookie and Pudding Cake* Perfect for teaching little ones how to measure, mix, and prepare food
2 c. whipped topping 1 ¾ c. milk 2 packages of instant pudding (your favorite flavor) 1 ½ c. crushed cookies (your favorite, again) 1/3 c. melted butter 3 T. sugar
Mix together the cookies, butter, and sugar. Press onto the sides of your pie plate. Bake at 350 deg for 10 minutes. Blend the pudding and milk together. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Spoon the filling into the cooled pie crust. Chill for at least 4 hours.
The best consistent cookie crusts have been made from graham cracker, vanilla wafers, ginger snaps, and chocolate wafers. Chocolate chip and chocolate sandwich cookies have made delicious but crumbly crusts.
*Deep South Pie* A little unusual for the Southwest - this came from my mother's side of the family
1 single crust pie ¼ c. raisins ¼ c. golden raisins ½ c. softened butter ½. c. sugar ½ c. brown sugar 3 eggs 1 t. vanilla extract 1 T. cinnamon ½ t. nutmeg ½ t. salt ½ c. chopped walnuts or pecans ½ c. flaked coconut
Line a pie plate with the pastry and cover with heavy foil. Bake at 450 deg. for 10 minutes. (If your crusts bubble up, try weighting the foil down with fishing weights.) Cool. In a saucepan, place raisins and cover with water. Bring to a boil then drain and set aside. In a large bowl cream butter, sugars and mix in eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in raisins, nuts, and coconut. Pour into crusts and bake at 350 deg for 30 minutes.
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