I think I invented a pie? Did I invent a pie? I invented a pie! I’m calling it Butter Cookie Pie. 
The rabbit hole that lead to this buttery, chocolatey creation started with the thought, “Can you pipe a pie crust?” Why was I thinking about pie crust when I’m a banner carrying member of #teamcake? Because I have a book due in less than a month. It’s the perfect time to invent something that’s completely unrelated to the task at hand, if you live in my brain. I’m a baker who avoids baking by doing other baking. I am that. It’s also what the book is about. I’m just living my truth. #procrastibaking
Flipping the bottom crust into the pie pan.
Piping the butter cookie pie crust. Hold your hand close to the tip of the bag when piping each star. This will help you control the firm dough while preventing a blowout.
The world’s first piped pie crust????
Once the thought of a piped pie crust started pin-balling around my brain I immediately thought of spritz cookies. You better believe that even though this pie didn’t end up in spritz-ville, I’ve got one in the works. Don’t even try to lap me on that one. 😉 Scrolling through images of spritz cookies lead me to those piped Italian butter cookies sandwiched together with jam and dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. That’s when the light bulb dinged. The idea came full circle. That classic cookie was the perfect source of inspiration for appearance, crust, and filling.
I used sugar as my pie weight a la Brave Tart.
The pie that appeared in my head at that moment had a shell border piped along the edges. That proved to be incredibly difficult to do with the thicker-than-buttercream cookie-pie dough. In the end I went with a pressed star look. It better illustrates the idea that this pie crust is a giant cookie. For the layer of jam I’m using store bought, because why wouldn’t you? You just piped a pie crust for goodness sake. However, I did make the chocolate pudding filling from scratch, mostly because I want this recipe to be taken seriously. If you filled this bad boy with a box-o-pudding mix lightened with a tub of freeze-y whip I would not be mad at you. That shit’s delicious. My chocolate pudding pie filling is also delicious, it’s just a little more time consuming. 
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- rainbow sprinkles
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1/2 a vanilla bean, seeded and scraped, or 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 ounces or 1 1/4 cups finely chopped dark chocolate (I use 72%.)
- 1/4 cup of your favorite red jam (cherry, raspberry, strawberry)
- Whipped cream
- More sprinkles!
- 9-inch metal pie pan
- Large, heavy duty piping bag
- Large star piping tip
- Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using an electric hand mixer), beat the butter, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the egg and mix until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour to the butter mixture until just incorporated.
- Dump the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and smush it down to spread it into a rough rectangular shape. Press a second sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll the dough to 1/2-inch thick between the papers. As dough squishes out between the papers just trim it and set the extra dough aside. Peel the top sheet of parchment paper off and flip the dough over and onto a 9-inch pie pan. Leave the paper on while you push the dough down onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Carefully peel the paper away. Trim away the dough hanging over the edges of the pan and set it aside. Check to make sure the dough is fully making contact all along the sides and bottom of the pan. Pop any air bubbles with the tip of knife and press the dough back together to seal the hole.
- Scoop the remaining dough into a large, heavy duty piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Push the dough down into the tip of the bag. Twist the bag closed and wrap it with a piece of heavy tape or clamp it with a binder clip to firmly seal it shut. Position the bag so that the tip is almost touching the edge of the crust. Apply pressure to pipe a quarter-sized blob of dough. Release pressure and pull the tip away. Press your fingertip into the center of the blob and spread it down towards the bottom of the pie crust. The remaining shape should have little ridges all around the sides with a flat center. Pipe the next star just over the smooshed tail of the one before it. Repeat all the way around the edge of the pie dough. Stand back and admire your piped pie crust in all its glory.
- Dust the outer edges of the pie crust with rainbow sprinkles. Dab the crust with a tiny amount of water if the sprinkles aren't sticking. Pop the finished crust in the fridge for at least 30 minutes up to overnight. This is a very soft dough, so skipping this step will lead to great unhappiness and slippy, slidey crust.
- Roughly cut a piece of parchment paper into a 10-inch circle. Crumple the paper up then flatten it back out. Place the paper into the chilled crust and fill it with your choice of pie weight. Set the pie pan on a cookie sheet and into the oven. The sheet will make removing the crust from the oven easier and prevent damaging your perfectly piped edges. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Allow the crust to cool on the pan for 15 minutes or so before removing the weights and moving it to a cooling rack. Make the crust up to a day ahead and store it wrapped with plastic wrap on the counter.
- Add 2 cups of the milk and the vanilla bean and scrapings to a heavy sauce pan. If using vanilla extract, set it aside to add in at the end. Bring the milk just to a boil over medium-high heat.
- While the pan is coming to a boil, combine the remaining milk and cornstarch in a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk until smooth. Add the egg yolks, sugar, and salt and whisk until combined.
- When tiny bubbles start to form around the edges of the warming milk, pour in the yolk mixture and whisk until combined. Turn the heat down to medium-low and switch to a rubber spatula. Stir constantly making sure the spatula scrapes the bottom of the pan for 8-10 minutes until the custard is the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla extract if using. Stir until completely combined. At this point the filing is ready to be added to your finished pie shell. If you are making the pudding ahead of time or to serve on its own, pour the mixture through a sieve into a storage container. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding before putting the lid on the container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Scoop the jam into the pie crust and spread it around with the back of a spoon.
- Pour the finished custard into the crust through a fine mesh sieve to prevent any vanilla chunks or pieces of cooked egg from making their way into your perfect pie.
- Smooth the top of the custard and pop it in the fridge. Here's the most challenging part: allow the pie to chill thoroughly before serving, at least 2 hours up to over night.
- I strongly recommend using a metal pie tin for this particular pie. I don't believe glass would conduct the heat quickly enough with this short of a bake time. Also, I think this crust could be a mess in a disposable pie tin. The sides are just too flimsy to hold up to the pressing and piping.
You are a GENIUS! I saw this yesterday on Instagram, but I didn’t really understand the full innovation here until I read your post! WOW! All hail Erin!
Thanks so much! ?