The Three-Ingredient Pie Hack That Saves So Much Time And Work

Baking can be a therapeutic activity, but a slight mistake while doing so can bring some stressful moments in the kitchen. The common baking mistakes happen when you don't check your ingredients' expiration date, don't measure your ingredients right, or undermix or overmix your batter. The results won't be what you expected, and you may be disappointed with a dry or bitter dessert. 

Similar mistakes can happen while making pies, starting with the pie crust. Doing a crust can be tricky, and as with other desserts, not using your ingredients properly can result in a weak crust that breaks or falls apart in the oven (via Taste of Home). Imagine a soggy apple pie ... such a letdown, right?

You can avoid nervousness and huge mistakes by relying on store-bought or pre-made products next time you are baking for yourself or for a special occasion. Your guests won't believe that a market list of three ingredients can result in such a delicious treat.

Kitchn shared a pie hack from Jocelyn Delk Adams, behind @grandbabycakes on Instagram, using only three ingredients that you can get at your nearest store: cookie dough, pre-made graham cracker crust, and any sweet topping, from chocolate chips to whipped cream. To make this pie, add the cookie dough to the crust using a spoon and assemble nicely before baking in the oven. 

Follow the same steps if you plan on making the graham cracker crust recipe yourself, but that will require some extra work and time and would break half of the magic of this amazing hack. You can also explore different cookie dough choices, and you may be surprised that some stores feature plant-based cookie dough, gluten-free cookie dough, or a variety of flavors from red velvet to peanut butter.

After baking your cookie dough pie in the oven, it will be time to add some toppings. Delk Adams adds whipped cream, decorates the pie with caramel and chocolate sauce, and finishes it with nuts. But this last step is where you can get creative! Go for cream cheese frosting with some sprinkles on top, melt some dark chocolate, add M&M's, or keep it plain and serve with vanilla ice cream. This hack will result in a delicious pie in less time and effort than usual, letting baking be that me-time for you to relax and enjoy.