![]() To avoid this, pay extra attention as you press the cookie crumbs up the sides of the plate and make sure to build up a hearty layer of crumbs there. Do: Keep the sides thickĪ common problem with graham cracker and other cookie crusts: The bottom is nice and thick, but the sides are so thin that they crumble and break when you try to wrangle a slice out of the pie plate. Make sure your sides are thick enough that cutting and serving the pie won't be a challenge. But it’s there for more than just sweetness - the sugar helps the crust bind together, and if the recipe calls for baking the crust, it melts in the oven to help it solidify and hold together when cut. You might be tempted to leave out the sugar in a graham cracker crust, especially if your pie filling is super-sweet. Its nutty flavor shines when paired with graham crackers or mildly flavored cookies like crunchy sugar cookies. (How about a little espresso powder in the chocolate-cookie crust of this Irish Whiskey Cheesecake for an Irish coffee-mocha mashup?) Do: Brown your butterĪmp up the flavor even more by browning your melted butter before you use it to mix your cookie crust. Think about the entire flavor profile of your pie, from crust to filling, and how spices can accentuate it. Try adding a dash of spice, like cinnamon, cardamom, or ginger to bring extra depth of flavor to your graham cracker crust. Throw a dash of espresso powder into the chocolate-cookie crust of Irish Whiskey Cheesecake. Photography by Mark Weinberg food styling by Erin McDowell If you have large, unbroken chunks of cookie when you go to make your pie crust, it won’t hold together well. Regardless of whether you’re using a food processor or old-fashioned elbow grease to break down your graham crackers or cookies, make sure they’re finely ground - they should look like sand. Do: Make sure your graham crackers are finely ground Simply put your graham crackers or other cookies of choice into an airtight bag and pulverize into crumbs using a heavy-bottomed skillet or a rolling pin. You can transform your cookies into crumbs with a rolling pin and some arm strength, as outlined in the recipe tips for our Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie. While a food processor is helpful for blitzing graham crackers and other cookies into fine crumbs for a crust, it’s not essential. ![]() (Did you know Oreos are vegan? They’re a great choice to make a vegan Oreo crust!) Don’t: Be deterred if you don’t have a food processor Similarly, you can easily go vegan with your cookie crust, as demonstrated in this Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Cream Pie recipe, which calls for vegan chocolate sandwich cookies and melted coconut oil in place of the butter. Vegan No-Bake Chocolate Cream Pie has a dairy-free crust made with vegan chocolate sandwich cookies and melted coconut oil. Simply swap in gluten-free graham crackers or another crisp gluten-free cookie - some of our favorites include: Gluten-Free Gingerbread, Gluten-Free Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (just skip the filling), and Gluten-Free Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies. One benefit of graham cracker and other cookie crusts is that they’re incredibly easy to make gluten-free. So if you want to make your own cookies, go for it! If you want to use a box of cookies from the store, that totally works too - your crust will still be tasty. But sometimes, it’s a lot of time and effort (and extra ingredients!) to make an entire batch of graham crackers or cookies just to grind them up into crumbs for pie crust. Listen, we’re typically advocates for homemade over store-bought. (This Extra Creamy Key Lime Pie even uses a surprising combination of vanilla sugar cookies and breadcrumbs in its crust.) Do: Feel free to use store-bought graham crackers and cookies ![]() Wafer cookies, chocolate graham crackers, gingerbread, digestives, crunchy sugar cookies, and speculaas are all good choices. They should be snappy all the way through - no soft and bendy centers. ![]() Don’t: Use soft or chewy cookiesįor a crisp and crunchy crust, you need to start with crisp and crunchy cookies. ![]() Photography and food styling by Liz NeilyĬhocolate Wafers are crisp and thin, making them perfect for pie crust. ![]()
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