Pie Crust: From Store Bought to Home Made

Fun to create & fun to eat, pie is one of the staple fall time desserts. Frankly, I think it's great all of the time :).

When you're making a pie, you have to decide how much time you want to invest & answer two questions:

1.) What type of crust do I want?

2.) Do I have the time/desire to make the pie crust from scratch?

In this post, I'm going to examine 3 of the options for pie crust: Home Made, Pillsbury Store Bought & pre-made in the pan (like graham cracker crust).

#1 for Taste & Technique: Home Made

Nothing beats home made pie crust. You can adjust the pieces and parts of the recipe to your taste as well as add spices to add that personal touch to your pie. For example, a pumpkin or apple pie would be absolutely amazing with cinnamon & nutmeg infused in the pie crust. Ground cloves would also be excellent! Or, imagine a chocolate mousse pie with flecks of dark chocolate mixed into the crust...mmmmm good!

I have tried substituting both Blue Bonnet & I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, as well as have made the crust with regular butter. Normally I'm a huge proponent of substitution for a healthier dish, but when it comes to pie crust, real butter is the best way to go. The substitutes don't create the correct consistency, often making the crust gummy & not as pliable.

Here is my recipe:

For two pie crusts:

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 stick Butter

3 TBSP cold water
1 TBSP Sugar

Mix flour and sugar together. Dice up butter into 1/2 inch cubes & pinch into flour-sugar mixture. Add water, one TBSP at a time until dough is mold-able & will roll out into a usable pie crust between two sheets of waxed paper. You can add 1 TBSP sugar if you want a sweeter crust, though this one comes out really well!

For Easy of Use while maintaining a Home-made feel:

If you don't have the time/ingredients to make your own crust, I recommend buying a tube of store bought & shaping it yourself into your pie dish. These crust do come out delicious and are incredibly easy to bake with. However, there is a certain amount of satisfaction in making every piece of your pie "from scratch". You also have complete control of all of the ingredients involved, which is nice for someone who needs to worry about allergies or prefers organic.

Other types of crust: store bought Graham Cracker

When making something like a cheesecake or even a pumpkin pie, a graham cracker crust may be the way to go. You can even get them in a low fat variety. While I still prefer to make all of my crusts from scratch, I do use these every so often.

If you're looking for an awesome, healthier alternative to the normal pumpkin pie recipe, you have to check this one out. It's quite impressive & much better for you! It's great with a spoonful of light/sugar free Cool Whip!