Cookie Nut Crust Recipes

COOKIE NUT CRUST

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.
• Add the butter, brown sugar, walnuts and vanilla.
• Blend well.
• Press the mixture, a small amount at a time, into a 9-inch pie plate, building up the sides and fluting the edge.
• Cover the fluting with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent overbowning.

CRUMB-NUT CHEESECAKE CRUST

Steps:

• Chop nuts very finely in food grinder or food processor (or put in a plastic zipper storage bag and roll over with a rolling pin to crush nuts.) Should have 1 cup of ground nuts.
• Cookies should also be chopped very finely.
• Combine crumbs, chopped nuts and sugar, and mix thoroughly; drizzle with melted butter and mix lightly.
• Press onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of springform pan.
• Proceed with your favorite cheesecake recipe.
• Note 1: Requires about 25 vanilla wafers to make 3/4 cups crumbs.
• Note 2: Any type of dry, unfilled, unfrosted cookies may be used instead of vanilla wafers.

PECAN NUT CRUST

Steps:

• Stir together ground nuts, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix in melted butter.
• Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch, deep-dish style, pie pan. Chill the unbaked crust in the refrigerator for about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Place pie crust on a cookie sheet, and position on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. WATCH it carefully, as nut crusts burn easily; they DON'T have to turn black to taste burnt! Cool completely before filling.

PERFECT NUT CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine walnuts, butter, sugar, flour, salt, yolk, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Firmly press into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch or 11-by-8-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake until edges are set and golden, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

BUTTER COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, butter or margarine and cinnamon; mix until well blended. Press into a 9 inch pie plate.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes. Cool.

NUTTY PIE-CRUST COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter, flour, confectioners' sugar and salt until crumbly. Beat in cream. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 1-1/2-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Place pecans and coconut in a small bowl; toss to combine. Reserve 1/2 cup coconut mixture. In another bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, salt and, if desired, liqueur until creamy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in remaining coconut mixture. Spread over bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. Place reserved coconut mixture in a shallow bowl. Roll sides of cookies in coconut mixture., Freeze option: Transfer wrapped disks to a resealable plastic freezer bag; freeze. To use, thaw dough in refrigerator until soft enough to roll. Prepare, bake and fill cookies as directed.

CHOCOLATE AND MIXED NUT TART IN COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Combine flour and sugar in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons cream and vanilla extract. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together. Press dough over bottom and up sides of 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before filling.)
• For filling:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all nuts in processor; chop coarsely, using on/off turns. Whisk corn syrup, brown sugar, and melted butter in large bowl to blend. Whisk in eggs and vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in chocolate chips, then nuts. Transfer filling to prepared crust.
• Bake tart until firmly set in center and top is deep golden brown, about 50 minutes. Cool tart in pan on rack 30 minutes. Push up pan bottom to release tart. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NUT CRUST

Steps:

• Combine pecans with egg white and brown sugar and use to line bottom and sides of an 11-inch pie plate.

PRESS-IN-THE-PAN PIE CRUST WITH NUTS

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix all ingredients until soft dough forms. Using lightly floured fingers, press firmly and evenly against bottom and side of 9-inch glass pie plate.
• Fill and bake as directed in pie recipe. Or to bake before filling is added, heat oven to 475°F. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown; cool on cooling rack.