These pie crust cookie twists are one of the best pie crust cookies recipes for the holiday season or any time of year! Make these famous pie crust cookies with leftover pie crust, or with my Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe! And for more easy cookies, try my Coffee Cookies, my Cookie Monster Cookies, or my Almond Lemon Cookies!
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What can I do with my extra pie crust?
Maybe you're like me, and the crust is your favorite part of the pie. And when you finally pop a pie into the oven, it breaks your heart to waste all those pie crust scraps! I mean, you put in the work to make a truly delicious all-butter pie crust, and you hate to see any of that goodness go to waste. If that's you, then these simple pie crust cookies twists are here to save the day. These are my favorite cookies when I'm making a lot of pie recipes during pie season!
How do I use store bought pie crust?
In fact, even if you don't have leftover pie dough and you just want to grab a store-bought pie crust for an incredibly easy and unique cookie idea, this pie crust cinnamon twists recipe is for you too! These are the easiest cookies ever!
This pie crust cookies recipe reminds me a little of the cinnamon swirls from Taco Bell that I used to have as a kid -- fun little treats that are crisp, flaky, and delicious. But these are even better because they're made with pie crust, and they come with a sweet vanilla icing for dipping! Plus, you can throw these pie crust cookies together in just a few minutes!
Ingredients
- pie dough - you can use leftover homemade pie crust like my best pie crust recipe, or a store-bought pie crust! If you're making a lot of pies, you can make this delicious cookie recipe out of the leftovers with only a little effort!
- raw sugar - also called turbinado sugar, this coarse sugar will help create the sweet crunch we want in these pie crust cinnamon twists!
- butter - I use salted butter for these twists, but if you use unsalted butter just add in a pinch of salt with your cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- cinnamon - that delicious cinnamon flavor is perfect with flaky pie crust!
- sugar - I use granulated sugar for these, but you can also use brown sugar according to your preference!
How to make pie crust cookies
If you can stir together some cinnamon and sugar, you can make these pie crust cookie twirls with simple ingredients. They come together in just a few steps:
- Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface
- Sprinkle with turbinado sugar
- Flip, and use a pastry brush to brush with melted butter
- Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar onto pie crust dough
- Cut, twirl, place on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown!
Once you've tried this super easy recipe for cookie twists, you'll never toss out leftover pie crust scraps again!
Famous Pie Crust Cookies Dipping Sauce
I honestly think I only make these pie crust cookies recipes for an excuse to have these two decadent dipping sauces. The cookies are delicious on their own, but these firm, flaky twists are just begging to be dipped into a creamy vanilla icing or a rich salted caramel sauce. And don't worry -- both sauces are incredibly easy to whip up while the cookies are cooling! You can also pick up your favorite dessert dip to dip these little cookies into!
You can dip the twists into the sauce, or you can drizzle them on top. Either way, you can't go wrong! The dipping sauces are a great way to make these simple cookies even better!
Whether you eat your pie crust cinnamon twists on their own or with the dipping sauces, these homemade pie crust cookie twists are my favorite way to enjoy those leftover pie crust scraps!
Equipment
You'll need a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cute your pie crust into strips, and a baking sheet pan and liner (or parchment paper) to bake them! You may also want a pastry brush to brush melted butter onto your pie dough. Otherwise, there's no special equipment you need for this easy pie crust cookie twists recipe!
Variations
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon - use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar for a richer sweet flavor!
- Pecan Pie Cookies - Use brown sugar instead of white sugar, and add finely chopped pecans to the cinnamon-sugar filling!
- Chocolate Drizzle - add a drizzle of melted chocolate all over these pie crust cinnamon twists!
- Savory Twist Option: Substitute the cinnamon-sugar filling for freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese, garlic powder, and finely chopped basil or parsley!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're using refrigerated pie crust for these cinnamon twists, it'll be even easier! You'll just need to roll them out gently to flatten any creases, and then use it as you would homemade pie crust or scraps!
You will need to let your frozen pie crust sit out at room temperature long enough to be pliable, about 20-30 minutes.
I haven't tried this recipe with a gluten-free pie crust, but I would imagine that if you're using a roll-out gluten free pie crust it should work well!
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust - leftover scraps or freshly made, homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup (100 g) turbinado sugar
- 2 tablespoon (28 g) salted butter - melted
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon (36 g) granulated sugar
Vanilla Icing (Optional)
- ¾ cup (90 g) powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoon (44 ml) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
Salted Caramel (Optional)
- ½ cup (118 g) Kraft Caramel Bits
- 2 tablespoon (30 ml) heavy cream
- Flaky sea salt - to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine cinnamon and granulated sugar in a small bowl.1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Roll pie dough into a rough rectangle and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.½ cup turbinado sugar, 1 pie crust
- Flip rectangle and press slightly with hands rolling pin to press into sugar.
- Brush dough with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.2 tablespoon salted butter, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
- Fold rectangle in half and cut into 1-inch strips with a pizza cutter.
- Twist strips around themselves and place on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool fully before serving.
Vanilla Icing (Optional)
- Whisk together all icing ingredients until smooth.3 tablespoon heavy cream, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¾ cup powdered sugar
Salted Caramel Dipping Sauce (Optional)
- Combine heavy cream and caramel bits in a small microwave-safe bowl.½ cup Kraft Caramel Bits, 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- Heat for 30 seconds in microwave; stir.
- Heat again in 15-second intervals as needed, stirring after each, until smooth.
- Cool slightly. Add flaky sea salt to taste.Flaky sea salt
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Last Updated on October 9, 2022 by Chenée Lewis
A
Hi! What can I use a substitute for turbinado sugar as my grocery store doesn’t carry it?
Chenée Lewis
You can also use regular white sugar, or white sanding sugar
Deborah Jonesm
Took me back to my childhood, my mom would make cinnamon pinwheels out of the left over crust
Chenée Lewis
I love a nostalgic treat! 🙂
Pat Rath
Please tell me the approximate size of the rolled out rectangle so that I can judge the thickness of the dough.
Chenée Lewis
Sure -- you'll want to roll out your dough to about an 8x10-inch rectangle. Hope that helps! 🙂
Karen Jacobs
I would like to assemble them, freeze them and then take them out of the freezer to bake to serve warm. Have you tried that yet?
Chenée Lewis
I haven't tried that yet -- I imagine that if you're baking them from frozen you'd have to add a few minutes to the baking time. Let me know how it works for you! 🙂
Shay-Lynn
These were killer for my tea party with the boys :> the deal was if I cook for them then they’ll humour me, and it worked! Everyone loved these, and I was suggested to bring them our next movie night with some hot coco 😀 Never had that happen before. The only thing I changed was I took them out of the oven around 15 minutes in since they were getting crispy. Thanks for the recipe!
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! So glad they were a hit!
Danielle Wolter
Where have these been all my life? I cannot wait to be eating these this weekend. What a great recipe!
Chenée Lewis
Thanks so much! They're so easy and a great way to use up that extra pie dough!
Anjali
This is the perfect super easy dessert (that looks much fancier than it is!) My kids and I had a ton of fun making these, and everyone gobbled them up!
Chenée Lewis
They're SO easy! I'm so glad you all enjoyed! 🙂
Nart at Cooking with Nart
These are so divine. I made them and literally couldn't stop eating them! So addictive!
Chenée Lewis
They are addictive!! And so easy!
Jessie
This is a great idea for the leftover pie crust! I am going to do this for the holidays!
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! I make them every time I have pie crust scraps!
Whitney
What a brilliant idea using pie crusts! I can't wait to try this out, my kids will love it!
Chenée Lewis
They definitely will! They're sweet and flaky and cinnamony -- what's not to love?
Danielle
Absolutely delicious! Perfect recipe to use my pie crust scraps with !
Chenée Lewis
Absolutely! It's like a bonus dessert!
Roxanne
Oh gooosh I need to try these !!!
Chenée Today
I definitely recommend!!