Creative Ways to Use Store-Bought Pie Crust for Non-Pie Desserts

Baking can be a serious passion, but not every day calls for a long session in the kitchen. On weekdays, having a few shortcuts up your sleeve—whether it's a quick recipe using pantry staples or an easy ingredient swap—can make baking a breeze. For instance, while making a cake from scratch is wonderful, there's no harm in using a cake mix and elevating it with homemade fillings and frostings. And while you can certainly make puff pastry at home, store-bought frozen puff pastry does the trick just as well.

For me, the ultimate shortcut is store-bought pie crust. With a box of pre-rolled pie crusts on hand, the possibilities for quick and delicious desserts are endless. These versatile crusts are perfect for creating a variety of treats, and the best part is how easily they can be customized to suit different tastes in your household.

Tips for Working with Pre-Made Pie Crusts

Here are some helpful tips for working with refrigerated pie dough:

• If it is frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
• From the fridge, let it sit at room temp for 15 to 20 minutes before unrolling so that you limit cracking.
• Bake hot and fast, around 425 to 450 degrees F is a good temperature for desserts made with pie crust, and most will be done in between 8 to 18 minutes.
• Bake in the center rack of your oven and be sure to rotate pans as you bake.
• Line your baking sheets with either parchment or silicone mats to prevent sticking.
• Ready-made pie crust does not stand up well to re-rolling, so cut out your shapes as close to edges as you can and bake up any scraps by tossing in plain or cinnamon sugar for cook's treat snacks,
• Be sure to let your bakes cool completely before frosting, glazing or filling.

The number of treats you can make will vary depending on their size, but generally, you can expect to get about a dozen cookies from one round of dough, four small hand pies, or two larger pop tarts or hand pies.

Pie Crust Cookies

Yes, pie crust can easily be transformed into cookies. After all, a cookie is simply a sweet baked treat, and with a few adjustments, pie crust becomes a versatile base for all kinds of cookies. Whether you prefer a simple approach, like cutting out shapes and sprinkling with sugar, or a more elaborate one, such as making filled sandwich cookies or decorating with icing, the possibilities are endless.

• If you are planning to make cookies from pie crust, you can use any kind of sugar to add the initial sweet hit you want: powdered sugar, basic granulated, or crunchy raw. Just sprinkle over the top of the dough and give it a light roll with a rolling pin just to gently press the sugar into the surface.
• If you do not want your cookies to puff up, dock the crust (prick the surface lightly) with a fork before cutting your shapes and transferring to your baking sheets.
• You can keep them plain or top with icing, or add sprinkles or other decorations. I particularly love to make sandwich-style cookies, filling them with dollops of Nutella, cookie butter, lemon curd, caramel, or jam. You can also dip them in chocolate and then sprinkle with toasted coconut, nuts, or sprinkles. You can even roll up the dough with fillings for slice-and-bake spiral cookies or palmiers.

Delicious Sweet Breakfast and Brunch Pastries

Breakfast becomes extra delightful when you add a pastry to the mix, whether it's a luxurious filled pastry or a comforting homemade-style pop tart. You can keep it simple with just some jam tucked between two layers of crust, sealed and baked, or get creative with multiple fillings, frostings, and glazes for a more elaborate treat.

• If making pop tarts, dock the top crust with a fork.
• For filled pastries cut a small slit to allow steam to escape.
• Jams and preserves, nut butters, marzipan and chocolate are all good fillings.
• Seal any edges with a light egg wash and then press with a fork or the side of a spoon to prevent fillings from leaking out.
• Use a basic royal icing or lemon glaze to top if you like.
• If you prefer an open-faced style morning pastry, you can put on a thin layer of sliced fruits like apples, pears, peaches or plums, sprinkle with sugar, and crimp the edges before baking.
• For Danish pouches, cut circles of dough, place a small mound of your chosen filling, often a combination of a cheese filling and some sort of fruit, and fold over to enclose before sealing.

Decadent Stuffed Desserts

Filling pastry crusts with sweet, delicious fillings is arguably one of the most satisfying and effortless desserts you can make.

• You can make them rectangular, triangular or half-moons, and as small or large as you like. Simply cut out either squares or circles of dough, place a small mound of your chosen filling on one half of the dough, place a layer of egg wash the edges of that half, fold it over and seal the edges by crimping with a fork or twisting the dough around the edges. Cut a small slit to allow steam to escape.
• After baking, let cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar, drizzle with chocolate, or cover in glaze.

If you own an air fryer, you’ll love this recipe for individual Air Fryer Apple Pies.

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