Pie Crust Valentine Cookies

Day Seven: Be Sweet — Pie Crust Cookies

Hello friends. We’re still snowed in here and we’ve been joying watching the Olympics and keeping the fire going in the fireplace. So cozy! After stocking up on provisions yesterday (we’re waiting for the 3rd part of this storm to hit later today), I decided to bake some lovely hand pies for us to enjoy during the Opening Ceremony.  I’ll post those later, but I thought I’d share what I did with scrap pie dough.

When IZ was a child, his mother used to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on pie dough scraps when she made pie. He remembers those bits fondly and usually asks, “What are you going to do with the scraps?” (hint hint) so, I love experimenting and making these little cookies for him.  And they’re so versatile! I rarely make them same way twice. This time, I used dried dates and semisweet chocolate, but you can use any dried fruit/nut/or chocolate combination. The trick is to finely chop up your fillings –especially if you’re using smaller cookie cutters. The finer the ingredients, the better they incorporate into the dough and the easier it is to cut your cookies. 

I had left over apricot jam glaze, so I used it on these cookies. But you can also glaze them with an egg white and sprinkle sugar on top. Or, leave them plain. 

Use heart cookie cutters or, if you’re in a rush, you can block the pie dough and cut little squares or rectangles. These make cute dunking cookies for tea!

Pie Crust Valentine Cookies

Ingredients:

• Pie dough (you can use store bought or your favorite pie dough)
• Finely chopped dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate. You’ll need about 1/4 cup. But you can use more. If using nuts, toast them first.
• 2 TB Apricot jam (heat with a wee bit of water to thin) OR Egg white wash and sugar to taste. 

Directions:

• Finely chop your fillings. 
• Roll out your pie dough  into two circles (1/4″ thick)
• Sprinkle the ingredients over one circle and place the second circle on top. Using your rolling pin, roll the double circle until it’s 1/4″ thick. 
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Cut out your cookies from dough. Re-roll the scraps until you have used up all your dough. 
• Transfer to a paper lined baking sheet. Glaze your cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes. 

These wee valentine cookies would look fabulous tucked into a parchment paper envelope — and would make a lovely gift. Assuming, of course, you can resist eating them first!  Enjoy!