About

We feel fortunate that our mothers and grandmothers were pie bakers and that for several generations, at least, pies have been an important part of family meals, both ordinary and celebratory.  When a pie crust was placed in a pie plate there were scraps left over, and our grandmas gathered scraps into a ball, rolled and cut the dough into pieces which were sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and baked while pies baked. Family members have known they usually had to wait to eat the pie but anticipated getting a little preview when the pie crust cookies emerged from the oven. For us, eating pie crust cookies has been a comforting family ritual for years. As we contemplated our recipe site, pie crust cookies represented the best things about eating in a family setting. Thus we came up with the name: piecrustcookies.com.

Pie Crust Cookies is a recipe repository for ourselves, our families, and friends. Although we're using a blog format, we don't see Pie Crust Cookies as a blog in the traditional sense--mostly we want a platform to share recipes and the stories surrounding them.

Colette and her husband, Leon, raise and cook much of what they eat on a small farm (or large garden) that sits at 4900 feet above sea level. Betsy and Michael are Colette's daughter and son-in-law, live at 4500 feet above sea level, and grow a much smaller (but still respectable) garden. Betsy and Michael are parents to three mostly little boys, with varying levels of pickiness in what they will eat. Betsy cooks most of the time; Michael cooks Sunday night dinners and is our chief technological adviser.

Note about altitude: Since the effects of high altitudes are a reality when we bake, we will, from time to time, post recipes that work only high up, but we will identify them and try to offer alternative versions which will work at lower elevations.

Random cooking note: Both Colette and Betsy bake sourdough bread leavened by a starter that is at least 34 years old. This starter has "lived" with us in a number of states and international locales but in time has come to reflect the nature of its two current homes.

And lastly, why pie crust cookies? Pie crusts symbolize a cooking skill that seems at risk these days, and in some ways our attitude to pie crusts mirrors our attitude to food in general. It's worth it to take the time to make pie crusts, just like it's worth it to take the time to cook. Furthermore, there is a long tradition of pie making by family cooks who have preceded us, and of folks waiting to eat pie crust cookies made from accompanying scraps. Pie crust cookies represent warm and sweet memories of cooks and loved ones in the past and hopefully will connect us to family cooks yet to be. We hope that pie crusts and pie crust cookies will be a part of our family celebrations for a long time to come.

a happy pie crust cookie eater

happy in anticipation