Forget the Freezer: 5 Practical Uses For Leftover Pie Dough
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Everyone always pays attention to Thanksgiving leftovers, but what about the pie dough? I know I have at least two buttery mounds lying in my fridge awaiting my next move. Rather than letting the dough go to waste (or sending it to freezer purgatory), there are several ways you can make use of the dough this week.
- Try pie for dinner: Usually pie crust isn't sweetened, so why reserve it for desserts only? Try using leftover pie crust in savory dishes like chicken pot pie. The creamy interior, filled with shredded chicken, peas, carrots, and corn, will warm you up on chilly Winter nights.
- Shape into a galette: Galettes are one of the first pastries that culinary school students learn, because they're fairly easy to master. Roll the dough out, stuff it with pear or apples, and fold the edges of the dough on top of the fruit. It bakes like a pie yet requires no pan. Try a savory rendition too by stuffing the galette with hearty greens and crumbly feta or goat cheese.
- Make morning Pop Tarts: We're all guilty of feeling nostalgic about the toaster treats, but they're really so simple to make homemade. Roll and cut the dough in rectangular shapes. Spread jam, Nutella, or cinnamon sugar on one side of the rectangle, leaving 1/2 inch of space around the border. Place another rectangle of dough on top, and "glue" the two pieces together by pressing the edges closed with a fork. Prick the top a few times to allow steam to escape while baking. Brush the tops with egg wash. Then, bake at 350°F on a lined cookie sheet for 30 minutes, or until the tarts are golden and crispy. Alternatively, make a personal-sized pie, filled with leftover cranberry sauce and apple slices.
- Bake a cobbler: While we're apt to think a cobbler isn't typically made with pie crust, Michelle Obama's apple cobbler is the exception to the rule. Feel free to swap out apples for pears, figs, or persimmons, and slow cook the cobbler to melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
- Cut out "crusty" cookies: Some people will even admit to loving the crust more than the pie itself. To get all of the pie dough flaky goodness, make basic sugar cookies. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Cut it into shapes using holiday cookie cutters, brush with egg wash, then give the cookies a hefty sprinkle of colored demerara sugar. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.