This Sugar Cookie Pie Crust will make your pies look and taste amazing! One batch of this recipe will give you a sugar cookie crust for the base, plus delicious sugar cookies for the top. You can customize the flavor, too!
I've been making this recipe since 2014. I wanted a homemade cookie crust to go with our beloved blueberry pie.
That dessert is legendary in my family, but always seemed too sweet with store-bought sugar cookie dough. So, I experimented until I had a cookie crust recipe that knocked my family's socks off.
And over the years, I perfected it even more. I needed to make it fool-proof, so the buttery dough is easy to work with, and it won't slide down the sides of the pan while baking.
Now, as your resident fool, I can attest this works! And, just wait until you taste it!
Ingredients
I use almond extract in the dough for my base recipe, but you can substitute another flavor, if you prefer. (More on that later.)
Note, you'll need to sift your flour for this recipe. I use my fine-mesh strainer (affiliate link).
How to make sugar cookie dough
1. Start with butter softened just enough to mix. I leave mine at room temperature for an hour, but if your home is very hot, you'll need less time. Add the butter to your bowl with sugar.
2. Beat the butter and sugar just until you have fluffy pieces. It's important not to overbeat the dough, or it will be too soft to work with and will cause problems later.
3. Add in the egg, milk and extract.
4. Beat until blended.
5. Add the baking powder and sifted flour.
6. Beat on low, then medium, until the dough is smooth and combined.
7. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic and freeze it for 25 minutes. You need the dough chilled so it's easy to roll.
How to make the crust
1. You'll use ¾ of the dough for the bottom.
2. Roll it into an 11-inch circle.
3. Transfer it to your pie plate. If you mess up, just press the dough into place! Poke holes to keep it from puffing up too much. Freeze it for 10 minutes before baking. This will prevent the dough from sliding down the sides of the pan during baking.
4. Let the baked crust cool before filling it. It will look puffy.
5. Roll out the remaining ¼ section of dough and cut out fun shapes with a large cookie cutter. (Large cookies work better than small ones. You want the pie to be easy to slice.)
6. Bake the cookies on a half-sheet pan and let them cool on a wire rack (affiliate link). You'll just need 4-5 large cookies for the top, so feel free to eat any extras!
7. Assemble! Transfer your chilled filling into the cooled crust and top with the cooled sugar cookies in a decorative pattern.
Flavor variations
I use almond extract in the crust for my blueberry pie but use orange extract for my cranberry pie.
You also could try crust flavors such as:
- Lemon, for lemon meringue pie
- Coconut, for coconut cream pie
- Vanilla, for chocolate pudding pie filling
- Cinnamon and/or ginger to go with stovetop apple pie filling.
Can you bake the crust with filling?
I have only experimented with baking it without filling. If you want to try baking the raw crust together with filling, such as for a pumpkin pie, I would choose a recipe that doesn't bake for more than 30-40 minutes.
Still, you'll need to make sure the crust edges don't get too browned. You may need to cover them with foil or a pie crust shield (affiliate link).
I still recommend baking the cookies separately on a sheet pan as directed, then adding them atop your baked, cooled pie.
Friends, this is a fabulous pie crust alternative. Use your imagination and have fun with it!
More recipes to enjoy
(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C)
Sugar Cookie Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons salted butter (softened a bit)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg (beaten)
- ¼ cup milk (low fat is fine)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (or orange, lemon, coconut, vanilla, etc.)
- 2 ⅓ cups flour (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
Sugar Cookie Pie Crust
- Set out the butter at room temperature to soften just enough to mix. (I set mine out for an hour, but if your home is hot, you'll need less time.)
- Beat the butter and sugar until blended into fluffy pieces. (Do not overbeat, or it will make the dough too soft.)
- Add the egg, milk and flavored extract and mix. Add the sifted flour and baking powder, and beat on low, then medium.
- When the dough is smooth and combined, shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze it for 25 minutes.
- When the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie plate and a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Unwrap the chilled dough and cut away about ¼ of it to set aside for the cookie topping. If you have a kitchen scale, use it to weigh the larger portion of dough. You will need 16 ounces of dough for the bottom crust.
- On a clean work surface dusted with powdered sugar or flour, use a rolling pin to roll out the 16 ounces of dough into an 11-inch circle about ½ inch thick. Transfer the dough into the pie plate by wrapping one half of the dough around the rolling pin, and carrying the rolling pin with the dough over to the plate. Gently set the dough into the pie plate and use two fingers to flute the edges along the inside rim. If you mess up, just use your fingers to press the dough into place evenly.
- Use a fork to poke tiny holes in the bottom of the crust and where it meets the sides of the pan. Freeze the crust for 10 minutes before baking.
- Bake the crust for 13-15 minutes, or until it is golden around the edges, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.
Sugar Cookie Topping
- While the bottom crust is baking, prepare the cookie topping. Roll out the small portion of dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick. Use a large cookie cutter to cut out shapes. (You'll need 4 or 5 large cookies for the top of the pie. You may end up with one or two extra cookies.
- Bake the cookies on the greased baking sheet for 9 minutes, or until just barely turning golden at the edges. (You can bake them in the same oven with the crust.) Cool the baked cookies on a wire rack.
Assemble & Serve
- Spoon chilled pie filling into the cooled pie crust. Place the cookies on top in a decorative pattern.
Storage
- The unfilled sugar cookie crust and cookies can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to five days. A pie with filling will need to be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Video
Notes
- I've improved the crust technique over the years so it will be easy to work with and holds its shape in the oven. Start with butter softened just enough to mix. Don't overbeat the butter and sugar, and be sure to freeze the dough for 25 minutes before rolling. Freeze the shaped, unbaked crust for 10 minutes before baking.
- If you're not good at rolling dough, no worries! Just press the pie dough into place.
Jean
Can you use Betty cocker sugar cookie mix and do the same thing.
Mamma C
Hi Jean - I haven’t tried it. I’m wondering if you’d need to add some flour to it. Let me know if you try it.
Lisa
Do you recommend custard or curd fillings?
Mamma C
Hi Lisa - You can use either one. You can make Lemon Meringue Pie or double the filling from these Coconut Cream Pie Cups to use with this crust.
Sue
my crust fell down the sides of my dish. what a mess
Mamma C
Hi Sue - Freezing the dough when it's in a ball, then again when it's shaped into a crust helps prevent this. A total freezing time of 35 minutes usually works, but perhaps you have more humidity and would need longer. How long did you freeze it?
Faye
Freezing the dough in the dish, won’t the dish crack when you put it in the oven?
Mamma C
Hi Faye - Placing the pie dish in the freezer for 10 minutes has not been an issue for me. I've made this many times with a glass or ceramic pie dish. You also could use a metal one.
Tammy
Can this crust be made frozen then baked at a later time?
Mamma C
Hi Tammy - That should work. You'd have to thaw it but not all the way. It needs to be cold and firm before going in the oven.
Jackie
Do you think this would work to make hand pies? If so, any suggestions?
Mamma C
Hi Jackie - I've never made hand pies, so I'm not sure. I don't want to give advice without testing it.
Michelle
This crust came out amazing. After freezing I rolled the dough out like I would have for a normal pie, put in the pie pan what I was going to use cut the excess off the side and set it aside. After the crust was done baking it came out really good and the smell was amazing. With the rest of the dough I didn't use, instead of making decorations for the pie I made it into a cinnamon roll type cookie. I flattened the dough out put some butter and cinnamon sugar rolled it up and froze it until it was firm cut it into pieces about an inch thick and baked it at the same temperature the pie crust was baked at for around 13-15 minutes. They came out just as good. Would recommend for a cookie type crust that isn't too sweet.
Mamma C
Hi Michelle - I'm so glad you enjoyed this! I'm drooling over the idea of making cinnamon roll cookies with this dough!
Toni
The flavor of this crust is so good. I don't know what I did wrong, but I had a mess. The outer corners got brown, but the inside was still mushy cookie dough. I took the 1/4 piece out for decorations. I pricked it with a fork. Any suggestions on what I may have done wrong?
Mamma C
Hi Toni - Was the dough in the center thicker than the edges? That would be my guess. That could happen if the dough is not rolled/pressed evenly. If that happens, you could cover the edges with foil and bake the crust longer so the center cooks through. Also, it helps to weigh the dough for the bottom crust so it is the right amount.