No Excuse Quick Bread Crumb Crust Recipes

THE BEST NO BAKE SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Place cookies in a large gallon size ziploc bag. Seal all but 1" of the bag (so air can escape) and roll with a rolling pin until the cookies are a fine crumb. You can also use a food processor, if you have one.
• Place cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter in a large bowl and stir with a fork until the mixture looks like wet sand. Place in a 9" pie plate and press until it's very compact.
• Chill crust for 1 hour before filling.
• Note: The crust is perfect no-bake: it's crunchy and slices just fine. If you really want to bake it, you can do so for 8 minutes at 350° and then fill as desired.

BASIC CRUMB CRUST

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir the crumbs, sugar, if using, and salt together to combine. Stir in the melted butter and mix to combine. The crust should easily hold together in clumps when you press it together between your fingers (if it doesn't, add a little more melted butter, 14 g / 1 tablespoon at a time, until it does).
• Press the crust evenly into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch / 23-cm pie plate: First make an even layer in the bottom of the pan, then press the rest of the crumbs up the sides. Sometimes I use the bottom of a small dry measuring cup to help press the crust in evenly; this is especially helpful in the corners of the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C (don't use a Baking Steel/stone when baking a crumb crust). To parbake the crust, bake (no docking or pie weights required) for 10 to 12 minutes, until it begins to lightly brown at the edges (or, for darker crumbs, smells lightly toasty). To blind-bake the crust, bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until it is deeply golden brown and/or smells toasty.
• Do Ahead: This crust is best used the day it's made but can be parbaked or blind-baked up to 1 day ahead and stored at room temperature.
• Variations:
• Mini (Two-Bite) Crumb Crusts: Grease the cavities of a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. Crumble or spoon 15 g / 1 tablespoon of the prepared crust mixture into each of the cavities. Press each portion with your fingers to be flush against the base and up the sides, taking care to press evenly all the way around. Chill the pan in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, before baking at 350°F / 175°C for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely, then use a small offset spatula to unmold the shells before filling. Alternatively, the mini crusts can be frozen for 2 hours after assembling before using a small offset spatula to unmold the pie shells. Keep frozen until ready to fill.
• Unbaked Crumb Crust: For cream, chiffon, and cold-set pies, the crust doesn't need to be baked at all! After lining the pan with the crust, freeze it for at least 15 minutes before adding the filling.
• Pie Pep Talk
• What to do when a crumb crust shrinks: One of the most common problems I've seen with crumb crusts is that they can shrink or slump down the side of the pie plate when the crust is parbaked. Luckily, this is easily corrected. If you notice that your crust is starting to shrink, remove it from the oven and use a crust tamper or a small metal measuring cup to press the crust that slumped down back up the sides of the pie plate. If this happens consistently when you make crumb crusts, try tamping them down more aggressively and/or refrigerating for 30 minutes before baking.

NO-EXCUSE QUICK BREAD CRUMB CRUST

Steps:

• 1. Coat the bottom and sides of 9-inch pie pan with the olive oil. Firmly and evenly press the crumbs against the oiled surface. 2. Fill and bake according to the recipe directions. (The filling will hold the bread crumbs together as it bakes.) HELPFUL TIP Making your own bread crumbs is easy and a great way to use up leftover bread. Break the bread into small pieces and process in a blender or food processor to the desired crumb size.