Cookie Crumb Crust Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grind the cookies and sugar in a food processor. Add the melted butter and pulse until moist. Press into a 9-inch pie plate and bake until firm, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool before filling.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Pulverize the ginger snap cookies in a food processor if you have one, if not, you can crush them with a rolling pin.
• Combine the first three ingredients and mix well.
• Using your fingers, press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie pan.
• To smooth and pack the crust, place another 9-inch pie pan down into the crust (as if you are stacking the pans) and press firmly.
• Brush the crust with egg white. (optional).
• Bake about 10 minutes at 375° or less. Watch closely as you do NOT want to overcook this crust.
• Remove from the oven and cool before filling.
• Goes great with my Super Easy Pumpkin Spice Dip recipe, or any pumpkin, sweet potato, or key lime pie that does not require baking.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Crumble the cookies into the work bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. Alternatively, you can put them in a bag and whack them with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Pour the butter into the crumbs and mix (hands are best for this) until the butter is fully incorporated and the texture is that of wet sand. Firmly press the crumbs against the sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan, then against the bottom of the pan (the underside of a measuring cup works well for smoothing the bottom crust). Chill the crust for at least 15 minutes to help prevent it from crumbling when serving.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Remove it and allow it to cool before filling.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir the crumbs, sugar, if using, and salt together to combine. Stir in the melted butter and mix to combine. The crust should easily hold together in clumps when you press it together between your fingers (if it doesn't, add a little more melted butter, 14 g / 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does).
• Press the crust evenly into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch / 23-cm pie plate: First make an even layer in the bottom of the pan, then press the rest of the crumbs up the sides. Sometimes I use the bottom of a small dry measuring cup to help press the crust in evenly; this is especially helpful in the corners of the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C (don't use a Baking Steel/stone when baking a crumb crust). To parbake the crust, bake (no docking or pie weights required) for 10 to 12 minutes, until it begins to lightly brown at the edges (or, for darker crumbs, smells lightly toasty). To blind-bake the crust, bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until it is deeply golden brown and/or smells toasty.
• Do Ahead: This crust is best used the day it's made but can be parbaked or blind-baked up to 1 day ahead and stored at room temperature.
• Variations:
• Mini (Two-Bite) Crumb Crusts: Grease the cavities of a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. Crumble or spoon 15 g / 1 tablespoon of the prepared crust mixture into each of the cavities. Press each portion with your fingers to be flush against the base and up the sides, taking care to press evenly all the way around. Chill the pan in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, before baking at 350°F / 175°C for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely, then use a small offset spatula to unmold the shells before filling. Alternatively, the mini crusts can be frozen for 2 hours after assembling before using a small offset spatula to unmold the pie shells. Keep frozen until ready to fill.
• Unbaked Crumb Crust: For cream, chiffon, and cold-set pies, the crust doesn't need to be baked at all! After lining the pan with the crust, freeze it for at least 15 minutes before adding the filling.
• Pie Pep Talk
• What to do when a crumb crust shrinks: One of the most common problems I've seen with crumb crusts is that they can shrink or slump down the side of the pie plate when the crust is parbaked. Luckily, this is easily corrected. If you notice that your crust is starting to shrink, remove it from the oven and use a crust tamper or a small metal measuring cup to press the crust that slumped down back up the sides of the pie plate. If this happens consistently when you make crumb crusts, try tamping them down more aggressively and/or refrigerating for 30 minutes before baking.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, butter or margarine and cinnamon; mix until well blended. Press into a 9 inch pie plate.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes. Cool.

Steps:

• Place cookies in large resealable plastic bag; press bag to remove excess air, then seal bag. Use rolling pin to crush cookies to form fine crumbs.
• Add butter; squeeze bag to evenly moisten crumbs.
• Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to fill.

Steps:

• Preheat oven, 350 degrees.
• Process cookies in food processor until crumbed. (Can use blender or rolling pin filled with cookies in Ziploc bag.).
• Mix crumbs, sugar, vanilla, and butter.
• If desired, reserve 2 tablespoons of crumb mixture for garnish.
• Press mixture firmly and evenly against bottom and side of 9-inch pie pan.
• Bake 10 minutes. Cool.