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Last Updated on December 7, 2020 by Chenée Lewis
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 pie crust cookie twists are here to save the day.
In fact, even if you don’t have leftover pie crust and you just want to grab a store-bought pie crust for an incredibly easy and unique cookie idea, this recipe is for you too!
These pie crust cookies remind me a little of the cinnamon swirls from Taco Bell that I used to have as a kid — fun little finger food sweet 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!
Pie crust makes the easiest cookie ever!
If you can stir together some cinnamon and sugar, you can make these pie crust cookie twirls. They come together in just a few steps:
- Roll out the pie crust
- Sprinkle with turbinado sugar
- Flip, and brush with melted butter
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
- Cut, twirl and bake!
Once you’ve tried this super easy recipe for cookie twists, you’ll never toss out leftover pie crust scraps again!
The best part… the dipping sauces
I honestly think I only make these pie crust cookies for an excuse to have these two decadent dipping sauces. The cookies are delicious on their own, but thehe 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 dip the twists into the sauce, or you can drizzle them on top. Either way, you can’t go wrong!
Whether you eat your pie crust cookies on their own or with the dipping sauces, these pie crust cookie twists area genius 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 sheet pan and liner (or parchment paper) to bake them! Otherwise, there’s no special equipment you need for this easy pie crust cookie twists recipe!
Related Recipes
If you’re looking for pie crust cookies, then I assume you’ve already tried my Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe! If not, you should definitely check it out! It’s the only pie crust recipe I use — it’s so easy, and it comes out flaky and perfect every time!
But if you’re looking for more cookie ideas, I’ve got you covered! Check out my Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies for a delicious PB&J-themed treat that your whole family will love! Or try my Stout Gingerbread Cookies with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. They bring the classic holiday flavors of gingerbread together with full-bodied stout beer, and brown butter cream cheese frosting!
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust - leftover scraps or freshly made, homemade or store-bought
- ½ cup turbinado sugar
- 2 tbsp salted butter - melted
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
Vanilla Icing (Optional)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar - 115g
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Salted Caramel (Optional)
- ½ cup Kraft Caramel Bits
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- Flaky sea salt - to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine cinnamon and granulated sugar in a small bowl.
- Roll pie dough into a rough rectangle and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Flip rectangle and press slightly with hands rolling pin to press into sugar.
- Brush dough with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon 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.
Salted Caramel Dipping Sauce (Optional)
- Combine heavy cream and caramel bits in a small microwave-safe bowl.
- 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I always look forward to the holiday season, a.k.a. cookie season! Grab your next favorite Christmas cookies recipe here:
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Please tell me the approximate size of the rolled out rectangle so that I can judge the thickness of the dough.
Sure — you’ll want to roll out your dough to about an 8×10-inch rectangle. Hope that helps! 🙂
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?
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! 🙂
Where have these been all my life? I cannot wait to be eating these this weekend. What a great recipe!
Thanks so much! They’re so easy and a great way to use up that extra pie dough!
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!
They’re SO easy! I’m so glad you all enjoyed! 🙂
These are so divine. I made them and literally couldn’t stop eating them! So addictive!
They are addictive!! And so easy!
This is a great idea for the leftover pie crust! I am going to do this for the holidays!
Thanks! I make them every time I have pie crust scraps!
What a brilliant idea using pie crusts! I can’t wait to try this out, my kids will love it!
They definitely will! They’re sweet and flaky and cinnamony — what’s not to love?
Absolutely delicious! Perfect recipe to use my pie crust scraps with !
Absolutely! It’s like a bonus dessert!
Oh gooosh I need to try these !!!
I definitely recommend!!