How to use left-over pie dough

Homemade pie can be a delicious treat, but it can pose the problem of deciding what to do with leftover dough.

Once you've popped a homemade pie into the oven, you may think your work in the kitchen is done, but then you notice the amount of pie dough trimmings remaining on the counter top. Don't throw those trimmings away. While you can mash them together and store them in the freezer to bring out for future pies, the leftover pie dough can be put to an equally valid use right at that moment. Whether you want a sweet treat or have something more savory in mind, there's always a use for pie dough in the kitchen.

Things You'll Need

• Leftover pie dough
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Butter
• Fruit
• Ground meat
• Diced onion
• Raisins
• Sliced green olives
• Fork

Instructions

Tart

1. Roll a piece of pie dough so that it fits comfortably in either a small ramekin or in a muffin tin. The dough should overlap the edge.

2. Scoop fruit into the middle of the dough. Ideas include apple chunks, peach slices or some type of berry. You can either leave it like this, or fold the overlapping dough on top of the fruit so that it encloses it.

3. Brush the top of the dough with melted butter, and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. This step can be skipped if you don't fold the dough over the fruit.

4. 

   These triangular-shaped tarts are dusted with confectioner's sugar.

   Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. Remove it from the oven once the tarts are golden brown.

Empanadas

1. Roll the dough until it is thin. Cut circles out of the dough using a cookie cutter.

2. Sautee ground beef with onion and taco seasoning until cooked. Let the mixture cool slightly, and then toss with chopped green olives and raisins.

3. Scoop the ground beef mixture into the middle of each pie dough circle. There should be enough room to fold the dough in half without the mixture spilling out of the sides.

4. Fold each dough circle in half, encapsulating the meat mixture. Dip a fork in water, and crimp the edges of each empanada.

5. 

   Serve empanadas with plenty of fresh salsa and sour cream.

   Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.

Cookies

1. Roll the pie dough to desired thickness and cut it into desired shapes.

2. Brush each dough piece with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

3. Place each dough cookie on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven at 350 degrees. Depending on the thickness of the cookies, the baking process will take approximately 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven once the dough is golden brown.

References

• Martha Stewart: Leftover Pie Dough

Resources

• The Kitchn: What to do with Pie Dough Trimmings