I

ngredients

Method

1. Crumble the  Crackers: Break up the crackers and place them in the bowl of a food processor along with the sugar, if using. Pulse to break the crackers further and then process continuously until the crackers are crushed into fine crumbs. Alternatively, place all the crackers in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin until broken into fine crumbs. You should end up with about 2 cups total of  cracker crumbs.

2. Combine with Butter: Transfer the  crackers to a bowl. Melt the butter and pour over the  crackers. Stir until the crumbs are evenly coated and look wet. The crumbs should hold together in a clump if you press them in your fist; if not, add water a tablespoon at a time until this happens.

3. Press into a Pie Pan: Heat the oven to 375° F. Pour the crumbs into a 9-inch pie pan and press them evenly along the bottoms and sides.

4. Bake the Crust: If you are making a no-bake pie, like Ice Cream Pie, pre-bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes until dry and fragrant. Cool completely before proceeding with the recipe. For a baked pie, like pumpkin or custard pie, fill the pie and bake according to the recipe instructions.

Additional Notes:

• In place of cream  crackers, you can use ginger snaps, nilla wafers, chocolate wafer cookies, chocolate graham crackers, cinnamon grahams, or any other cookie or cracker that is dry and crumbles easily.

• This crust can also be baked in ramekins, muffin cups, cake pans, or tart pans.

• Baked crusts can be wrapped in foil and frozen for up to three months. No need to thaw before filling - the crust will be thawed and perfect by the time you set the pie on the table

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