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Easy Pie Crust Cookies
Easy pie crust cookies made with 4 simple ingredients; butter, sugar, cinnamon, and pie crust.
This is one of my favorite quick recipes because it’s easy, cheap, and everyone loves them. I use them in cookie platters and also set them out as a sweet snack at parties.
My mom used to make these a lot, she called them rollie pollies. When made with pie dough scraps they kind of resemble pigtails and that’s what my dad called them.
There are a couple of different ways to make cookies out of a pie crust.
ou can cut them out with cutters and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, or even brush them with a little bit of melted butter before adding the topping. I always use the butter, it turns everything caramel-y.
I prefer rolling them into a log and cutting into pinwheels. There’s less waste.
Ingredients
Directions
- If you are using store-bought crusts, take then out of the refrigerator and allow them to thaw for the amount of time recommended on that package.
- Preheat an oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a baking sheet by coating with a non-stick spray or parchment paper.
- Roll out the pie dough, or unroll the pre-made crusts.
- Brush with the melted butter. (Photo 1)
- Coat with 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar and top with the ground cinnamon. (Photo 2)
- Roll the pie crust into a log. (Photo 3)
- Cut the dough log into 1/2-inch slices and place, cut side down onto a baking sheet. (Photo 4)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 o 20 minutes or until the centers have started to caramelize and the pie crust is lightly browned. (Photo 5)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes and use a spatula to loosen them from the cookie sheet.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- Toss in the remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar. (Photo 6)
PRO TIPS
Any homemade 2-crust pie dough recipe can be used. Pre-made pie crusts from the store are perfectly acceptable. It’s all I use, homemade pie crust is my nemesis.
Don’t use too much butter, the cookies will caramelize too much. Just lightly coat the dough. You may not use all of the butter.
When rolling the dough into a log, don’t roll it too tightly.
If your cookies seem a bit raw in the center, let them cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes.
How to Make with Cookie Cutters
Once the dough has been coated with sugar and cinnamon, use cookie cutters and cut into desired shapes. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes and loosen from the baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional granulated sugar if desired.
Storing
Store these at room temperature in an airtight container for up a week.
If you need to freeze these, I would not cover them with sugar before freezing. Instead, freeze the cookies and allow them to thaw completely before adding the sugar coating.
MORE RECIPES USING PIE DOUGH YOU’LL LOVE
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Sugar Cinnamon Pie Crust Pinwheel Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 Pie Crusts homemade or refrigerated
- 2 tablespoons Butter melted
- 1 1/2 cups White Sugar divided
- Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, or cover with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Place 1 cup of white sugar in a medium size bowl or large plastic bag and set aside.
- Roll (or unroll if refrigerated and premade) into disks.
- Brush melted butter evenly over pie crusts.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup white sugar and cinnamon evenly over the pie crusts.
- Roll into a log. It doesnt need to be ttoo ight.
- Slice into 1/2 inch slices and lay onto prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is lightly brown and sugar has started to caramelize.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Loosen the cookies from the baking sheet.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely.
- Once cooled, roll in the 1 cup of remaining granulated sugar.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Hi there! My mom used to makes theses when we were kids, she used to use the leftover pie dough from making pie crusts. We used to look so forwards these. She called them “Piggy Pies”. I love them and I’m going to make them for Christmas this year!!!
Hi Debbie!
That’s a new name I’ve never heard them called and I love it! Thanks for stopping by and sharing!!
Has anyone tried using jelly, jam, preserves or lemon curd? Maybe sprinkled with powdered sugar?
Hi Pam!
Sorry for the delayed response! We were traveling back from Hochatown, OK for the eclipse. We have had comments from Pinterest users that their grandmothers have used thin layers of jam. We haven’t tried it, but I bet it would be awesome!
We always made these out of left over pie dough. We called them ka-truffles, our cousins called them bumble bees. Only we used brown sugar, you should try brown sugar. Melts in better with the cinnamon, butter mixture. My grandmother was Irish and German, she was the one that started the tradition of using up all the pie crust. She would make 5 to 6 pies for the holidays or family suppers. “Very large family, she had 9 children.” Anyways, it’s funny seeing this as a cookie recipe.
Hi Lesa Ann!
My maternal grandma called them rollie pollies and my paternal grandma called them pig tails. I love all the different names these things have been called in families! Thanks for sharing! I make these often, I will give your suggestion a try. I’ve never had them that way.
Cheers!
We always had these growing up as well. Always made over left over dough from pies. They were a special treat my family as kids called them cinnamon cookie rolls we always loved them and I always have done the same.
Hi Grace!
That name isn’t one I’ve heard before either, but it’s a great one! Thanks for sharing!
My grandmother always called the leftover pie crust “farts” and she always gave them to us kids “anyone want any farts?”It was hilarious as a child . Sometimes it was our job to make them while she made pies. Ah the grandma memories!
Hi Christine!
That is one of the best stories we’ve ever heard, and definitely the best name I’ve ever heard for these! I’m crying laughing. Thanks for sharing!
I grind walnuts and add to the sugar, cinnamon mixture. I lightly press into the dough. They were a hit at Christmas!
Hi Pat!
I love it! Ground Walnuts, actually any nuts, are a great idea. Thanks for letting me know how it turned it!
My mother was a big pie maker. She would always make me cinnamon twists out of the leftover pie crust. I loved them!
Hi Martha!
They are delicious!
My family has always made these and we keep them in the shape of a log. We are originally from Canada so we call them “Tourniquet,” but with a French accent!
Hi Anne!
I love that name for these treats! I also love the idea of keeping them in a log shape. I’m going to have to give that a try!
This recipe doesn’t give a measurement for the cinnamon.
Hi Nick!
I’m sorry about that! I just generously sprinkle the cinnamon over the sugar. If I had to guess I use about 2 to 3 teaspoons.
Please give the correct cinnamon measurement on the recipe.
I don’t have a “correct” measurement, I literally just sprinkle it on from the cinnamon container. Use as much or as little as you want.
My Mom used to make rollie pillows with butter and jelly, usually grape. They would only last about two days we gobbled them up so fast.
Hi Skip!
Thanks for sharing your story! I’ve never heard of them that way. Sure sounds like they were delicious!
Happy Holidays!
I’m wondering if you could put chopped pecans along with the cinnamon and sugar filling.
Hi Shirley!
You could try them and see how it turns out. I would probably roll them tightly, then press lightly to make sure the nuts don’t fall out. I bet they’ll be delicious!
Cheers!
My mom was a great pie baker in her day. We always knew there would be “Rollie Pollies” made from the extra crust. Does anyone know the origin of “Rollie Pollie” as a recipe name? That’s all we knew them as. Ditto on naming of “No Bake Cookies”. In our house No Bakes were/are called “Cookie Candy”. Yum!
Hi Beverly!
Thanks for stopping by!
I don’t know where the name came from but I suspect it has to do with the shape of the little rollie pollie bugs. It’s also the only name they were ever called by my mom and grandma.
Cheers!
My Gran called them Doughies
Hi Deb!
I love that name! It makes sense that pie dough cookies would be called doughies.
Happy Holidays!
If I cook these in a log how long should I cook them for and at what temperature? Thanks they look good. I have jaw problems and can only eat soft food. When you slice them and then bake them are they crunchy or soft? Thanks, Janet
Hi Janet!
I have never cooked them in a log. I’m not sure the center would cook and you might be left with raw dough in the middle. When sliced and baked the outside rings are crunchy like the edge of a pie crust. The middles are still a little soft.
Cheers!
Can these be frozen and for how long?
Hi Patti!
Thanks for visiting!
Yes, they can be frozen in an airtight freezer container. For the best results, they should be used within 2 months.
Cheers!
My mom made these whenever she baked pie. I loved them. She called them pigtails. Great childhood memory.
Hi Lori!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing! I love that name!
We make these a lot. Try baking in a log, I promise you will love the results!
Hi Joanie!
Thanks for stopping by!
Interesting idea. If I bake them in a log, should I cut them while they are hot, kind of like a biscotti? Would love to hear your input.
Cheers!
My grandmother always made these but kept them in log form. It’s easiest to cut them while they are still warm but they are soft enough on the inside that you can really cut them at any time. You won’t be disappointed if you try em this way, trust me! I have never heard anyone call them “rollie pollies” but I love the name. We always called them cinnamon twists when I was growing up. Thank you for posting them!
Hi Dallas!
Thanks for sharing your grandmother’s way of making these! This is the second time cooking them in a log has come across my path. I am going to have to try them this way.
I think my grandma probably made hers this way was because they only used the scraps from making a pie and there weren’t many.
Cheers!