Don't Toss That Leftover Pie Crust! Turn It Into Another Simple Dessert Instead

With so many fall and winter holidays around the corner, most home chefs are gearing up to prepare an epic assortment of seasonal snack dips, main meals, and sweet-tasting desserts. Speaking of dessert, besides whipping up a batch of three-ingredient fall cookies made with boxed cake mix, pumpkin puree, and chocolate chips; there's a solid chance you'll also prepare one or two homemade pies during the season. Though, preparing these classic confections often leaves you with excess filling or pie crust. 

This begs the question: Is there a simple way to repurpose leftover pie dough? Fortunately, you no longer have to discard the extras. Especially if you're down to make another dessert, there's an easy way to turn pie crust leftovers into visually-appealing, easy-to-make cookies. Better yet, to make these alternative treats, you only need a few ingredients. To make this basic recipe, simply press together your pie crust scraps to form a ball. Then, once chilled, roll the dough out flat and use seasonal cookie cutters to cut out whimsical shapes. Lastly, before baking, cover your pie crust cut-outs with egg wash and cinnamon sugar for a sparkly-sweet finishing touch.

Pie crust cookies can be made with either homemade or store-bought pie crust. Sure enough, one way to make the most out of store-bought pie crust is to sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on it. Though, if you're looking to get more creative with your pie crust cookie recipe, consider incorporating more ingredients for an extra-special bite.

Since these simple treats are among the easiest cookies to bake for beginners, you have extra time and energy to take your next batch of pie crust cookies to a whole new level. For starters, to give your cookies a signature filling, use jam or Nutella. Simply roll out your dough into one large rectangle and apply a decent layer of your favorite spread before rolling and cutting your dough into cinnamon-roll-shaped segments. Alternatively, cut your dough with a round biscuit cutter and add jam or chocolate spread to each cookie before baking. Or, for a more straightforward process, bake simple cut-out shapes and use a variety of toppings for added flair. 

For example, next to adding cinnamon sugar, drizzle your fully-baked cookies with a simple glaze made of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. From here, depending on the occasion, feel free to add seasonal sprinkles or chocolate shavings before the glaze dries. If you plan on serving pie crust cookies for a crowd of friends or family, you can also create a DIY cookie platter with plain pie crust cookies and small bowls of chocolate sauce, caramel, whipped cream, and sprinkles.

Whichever way you decide to spruce up your next batch of pie crust cookies, always make sure your dough is extra-cold during preparation. Forming cookies with over-handled or room temperature pie dough may result in stiff, dense cookies that don't have that flaky, quintessential pie crust texture.