we love pie! {the crust}

Late last night we decided to bake pie. Okay… we decided to bake three pies! Ben wanted pumpkin, his dad wanted cherry and I had to have pecan. Have you ever tasted pecan pie followed by a sip of coffee? Only the most orgasmic of flavors ever! Thanks to Ben's mom {because moms are great} we were able to whip these babies up in no time. It all started with the crust...

:: The Crust ::

2 2/3 c. un-bleached flour
1 tsp. salt
1 c. crisco
8 Tbsp. ice water

In a small bowl combine flour, salt and crisco. Use a fork to mash in the crisco but make sure to leave chunks to create a lighter, flakier crust. Add the ice water and work between your hands to create the dough. Separate half of the dough and mold into a ball. {note: the other half of the dough could be used as a pie top if needed. Otherwise, why not just make a second pie with it?!}

Flour a dry surface and begin rolling crust with a rolling pin. Flip and re-flour surface and crust continually until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Fold crust in half and place on one side of a 9 inch pie dish. Fold over covering the entire dish making sure there's no air between the crust and the sides of the dish. Using your thumbs, press the top edge of the crust into the top edge of the dish. Trim excess using a paring knife. {*Don't throw those scraps away! They'll make for some good pie crust yummies! See below.}

Now it's ready to fill with whatever your heart desires! The crust bakes at whatever temperature and time the pie recipe calls for. Oh! I didn't forget about those yummies I mentioned…

:: *Pie Crust Yummies ::

pie crust dough scraps
melted butter
cinnamon and sugar

Re-flour your surface and roll out your crust scraps. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters and place on an un-greased cookie sheet. Brush yummies with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. {Hey Mom! Remember the cinnamon and sugar pig?} I recommend a higher sugar to cinnamon ratio as there's no sweetening in the crust mixture. 

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Be careful not to set the excess sugar in the pan on fire like I did! Dunk your yummies in coffee or whip cream for added yumminess.

Enjoy!
Sécia

P.S. Cooper loves pie too!