pie dough change-o

In my family, the leftover pie dough is as big a deal as the actual pie. We make Dum-Dums out of them—a cinnamony pinwheel cookie whose name origin nobody recalls and appears to have no logic.

I adore these cookies, and they only appear around the holidays, so they’re a real treat. They won't win any beauty contests, but they're awfully tasty and smell divine. Once, my family made Dum-Dums and ate them all before I awoke. I was SO MAD. Perhaps it was my own fault since I slept in so late—that was my family’s stance—but I felt deeply wronged.

Recently I discovered these cookies don’t have to be a holidays-only kind of thing. I made a pie for a potluck, and, as is customary in my family, I used a recipe that gives you enough dough to cover the top of the pie, but then I didn’t cover it. I made Dum-Dums with the extra dough and served them to a friend one early evening. As it turned out, they are the perfect little sweet thing to serve a guest. I told my friend the story of the all the Dum-Dums being gone before I awoke. After eating one, she said: “I would have been mad about that, too.”

Dum-Dums

Leftover pie dough
Butter, melted
Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Nuts, finely chopped (optional)

Measurements are impossible for this recipe since it all depends on how much leftover pie dough you have. (Or make the pie dough, skip the pie and bake these.)

Preheat oven to 325.

Roll out the dough so it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Brush with melted butter. Cover with a layer of brown sugar—add as much as you think you’d like. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts, if using. (Pecans are a nice addition.) Roll dough into a log, then slice into roughly 1/4-inch slices. Put on baking sheet and brush with more butter, if desired. Bake for about 15 minutes or until dough is cooked but not brown.

Best served warm.

Comments

I use leftover pie dough to make "pie pockets." If you have any filling ingredients, you can make a small amount of filling, but it works great with jam, too. Just spoon jam into the center of rolled out leftover dough, fold over, pinch tight to seal, and bake on a cookie sheet.

My parents would cut the dough into sticks & lightly salt them. I did this last time my husband & I made a pie & he loved them!

Really interesting one, i much appreciate. Thanks for sharing the information.

I live in a french community where these are translated as nuns farts in english. They are a very common treat ..Thought you might find this funny,,

I thought Dum-Dum was a ridiculous name, but Nun Farts is so much stranger....

Thanks for the leftover dough suggestions, guys! I'll have to try some of these out next time.

This is a fantastic idea,have R.V.great qick snack for growd.

Thank you so much for posting this. My mother passes away 5 years ago and I've been trying to duplicate her recipe. I realize now that I've had the temperature way to high.

We called them rollie pollie's. both o's are long o's.

Karen