I love grabbing a paring knife and free-handing patterns into the tops of pies, but sometimes I want either a more refined drawing, a quicker turnaround, or both, so I grab my cookie cutters…

My Secret Weapon

Maybe it’s all just a massive justification for all the cookie cutters I’ve accumulated over the years, but it’s fun either way!

I was first taught to roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper. I figure that two silicone mats at least creates less waste (though I’ve learned to sometimes mix things up and just roll and pickup directly onto the rolling pin – what I do largely depends on whim nowadays).

Once I’ve rolled out the dough for the top crust, I execute my cookie cutter pattern.

I’ve found it’s best, here, to start with the middle. The first time I did this, I would up with cut parts of the pattern rolled into the edges because I’d misgauged the size and misaligned the pattern.

Tip: I think it looks better if you use the cutters on the side that will be the top of the pie. This will require you to flip the crust after making the pattern so that side stays on the outside.

Voilà

It may take some practice, but it’s a nifty trick to know once you have the hang of it.

Right now, I’m stuck in a rut where I’ve only been doing this with apple pies on holidays, and I’ve been too wedded to my apple and Fall-themed cookie cutters. My next step will be to branch out and theme some pies with other cookie cutters that don’t get pressed into service much, like my Star Wars and circus animal cutters.