Christmas Notebook

I’ve made cookie sheet pie for at least 25 years. I came up with the idea when making pies to take to church dinners. A cookie sheet pie serves more people than two pies will, and it’s easy to transport. And it’s always well received. 🙂

I use a 13x18x1-inch pan (called a half sheet pan) for making cookie sheet pie. Forgive the well-used look of the pan in these pictures. I have four *well* used pans and three that still look brand new. Any time I’m making something that has to be cut in the pan, I use one of the older pans to save the wear and tear on the newer ones.

To make the pie, I follow the general recipe I use for fruit pies given in my post for raspberry pie. For the cookie sheet pie, I use the recipe for the sugar mixture, but add half again as much. The amount of sugar used is based on peaches in light syrup. If they were canned in heavy syrup, I think I’d cut the sugar back to 3/4 c.

For a cookie sheet pie, use this amount of the sugar mixture.

Mix the following together and set aside.
1 c. + 2 T. sugar
3 T. flour
3 T. instant tapioca
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
a few gratings of nutmeg (or a dash of ground nutmeg)

Make pie crust for two 2-crust pies. Roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time. See the raspberry pie recipe link for my crust recipe. I always roll pie dough between two sheets of waxed paper, using flour to keep it from sticking. Works great and makes it easy to flip the crust into the pie plate. Also makes wiping the counter a breeze. I tend to flip flour everywhere, but I don’t have to scrape up little bits of dough.

Line the cookie sheet with two of the rolled pie crusts, trimming the middle where the crusts meet (see trimming the top crust below) and pressing the two pieces together to form a seal. I’d already finished this part when I decided to take pictures and post the procedure…

Sprinkle enough of the sugar mixture over the bottom crust to cover it. Add the peaches (or apples or berries, etc.) to fill the pan. Sprinkle the remainder of the sugar mixture evenly over the fruit.

Roll the top crusts and place on the pie.

Using waxed paper to roll the dough makes it easy to pick up the crust and flip it over onto the pie. Once placed, the waxed paper can be peeled off and used to roll the next crust.

The crusts should overlap near the middle of the pie. That needs to be trimmed.

Cut straight down through both pieces of top crust, but do not cut through the crust on the bottom of the pie.

Remove the cut edge from the top of the pie, then carefully lift the other side of the crust and remove the edge from underneath. I don’t bother to seal this cut, though you may if it makes you happy. I’ve never had a complaint. 😉

The edges of the pie crust may overlap the edge of the pan. Use a sharp knife and trim the crust. I trim it by cutting straight down. If you want to leave a larger edge so you can easily crimp the pie crust, roll the crust large enough to leave the amount you need for crimping.

Pieces of dough trimmed from the bottom crust before it is filled with sugar and fruit, as well as pieces from the top crust, can be used to fill gaps in either crust. Just press to seal. Don’t worry about cosmetics. This is a homemade pie. Rustic is OK.

I use a fork to make diagonal lines across the top of the pie, then sprinkle it with sugar. Why? Because that’s the way my Grandma Ruth always made her pie.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 325 and bake 25 more minutes. Your house will smell wonderful.

Cool and cover if transporting to another site. If you’re eating at home, it’s wonderful served warm with ice cream.

Enjoy! ~~Rhonda