Making a traditional pie crust "like Grandma used to make" is often a daunting task for some cooks. Using crumbs made from your favorite flavored cookie, you can make a simple, fool-proof crust for a pie, ice cream dessert or fruit tart. Grab a pie pan, cookie crumbs and one or two other ingredients and you're on your way to an easy, tasty, no-cook crust for your desserts.
Basic Sweet Crumb Crusts
Plain graham crackers are the basis of many homemade dessert crusts. For a standard 8- or 9-inch pie plate, mix 1 1/2 cups of finely crushed graham cracker crumbs in a bowl with 2 tbsp. of sugar and 5 to 6 tbsp. of melted, unsalted butter. Press the mixture into the pie plate with your hands, spreading it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake the prepared crust in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 5 to 10 minutes; be careful not to overbake it. Let the crust cool before adding your favorite filling. You can substitute crushed vanilla wafers or sugar cookies; you may want to leave out the added sugar if you are using sugar-cookie crumbs.
Chocolate-Crumb Crusts
For a richer, darker dessert crust, use crumbs from crushed chocolate wafers or chocolate-sandwich cookies. Follow the same procedure and use the same amounts and ingredients as outlined in Step 1. Fill the cooled chocolate-crumb crust with mint chocolate-chip ice cream or vanilla ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauces topped with nuts. The chocolate crusts are also the perfect choice for peanut butter, mocha-flavored or mousse-like fillings.
Specialty Crusts
Add a few extra ingredients to the basic crumb-crust recipes for a special dessert. Crushed pecans or walnuts and a little cinnamon give extra flavor to custard pies or cheesecake-type desserts. Add crushed chocolate candies or flavored chips -- white, chocolate or peanut butter, for example -- for special chocolate pies. Crushed mints add a special twist to holiday ice cream pies; add a little maple flavoring and crushed nuts to a pumpkin pie crust.
Cracker Options
If you need a less sweet crust for a fruit pie or a dessert with rich, sweet whipped filling, try using cracker crumbs instead of cookie crumbs. Select a low-salt, plain cracker that won't add too much of a salty flavor to the crust; seal the crackers in a zipper-closure bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Add the sugar and melted butter and press the crust into the pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow the crust to cool, then fill with your favorite fruit preserves or flavored whipped filling.
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