The Crispy Aldi Cookies That Make Perfect Pie Crusts

Aldi slays the game when it comes to good ingredients, tasty treats, and affordable prices, including the frankly delicious Wholesome and Crunchy Cookie Thins. These thin, buttery cookies are perfect for snacking on or as a dessert, especially if you're a crunchy cookie lover, but you can take them and make them into something so much more. Set those graham crackers aside and use a bag of these bad boys the next time you need to make a homemade pie crust; they're the perfect texture to crush down easily and bind together well for a solid and delicious base.

If you've ever made a pie crust from graham crackers before, you know how simple it is, and this isn't adding any complications: Just swap out the graham cracker crumbs for Cookie Thins instead. You can do this the old-fashioned way, i.e., taking a rolling pin to a bag full of the cookies — which is also great for some stress relief. If you'd rather save your arm and counter, just dump the whole bag into a food processor and let it do the work for you. Melt down some butter, mix it into the crumbs, press it into a pie tin, and you're good to go.

To take your pie crust to the next level, here are some pro tips. First: Always invest in a good butter. Your crust is only two ingredients, after all. The Cookie Thins are a killer snack on their own, so you know they'll be delicious as the base of your pie. If you add a sub-par butter, you'll only drag the cookies down. Second: Make sure you press the crumbs into your pie tin firmly. You don't want your crust crumbling the moment you try to lift a piece out, so use a glass bottom to really pack those crumbs together. Avoid excessive pressure, though; you don't want a rock-hard crust, either. You also want to work with thin crumbs and a "batter" the consistency of wet sand, so make sure to grind the cookies finely and keep mixing until you have that texture.

As for your filling, these cookies are great for a cheesecake — and yes, you can make cheesecake in under one hour, so this is an option even on a busy night. Personally, we loved a classic New York style recipe with the lemon Cookie Thins and think the same crust would shine with a raspberry, blueberry, or strawberry cheesecake, too. The coconut Cookie Thins also complement key lime pie and lemon meringue pie beautifully; the refreshing citrus and tropical coconut go together like a match made in heaven. You can scoop up all these ingredients at Aldi, and you'll be whipping up tasty pies with its Cookie Thins before you know it.