Mincemeat Pie With A Christmas Crust

Why bake a boring old pie for Christmas dinner when you can put together a fun and festive pie that will make everyone smile before they devour it?

And the answer is...you shouldn't.

Not when you can just pull out some Christmas cookie cutters - which you probably have out already, if you're in the spirit of holiday baking like I am. Choose a few large designs and a handful of smaller cutters in your favorite shapes.

It doesn't matter if you make your own crust or use the boxed crusts, as they will both work just as well. Put the bottom one in your pie dish and fill it as normal. Then comes the fun part!

Roll out the second crust on a floured work surface and go to town with your cookie cutters. I was able to get nine large shapes and many small ones out of one crust before having to re-roll it. Re-rolling doesn't work great, though, so get as many as you can the first time.

Then layer the shapes onto the top of your pie filling in a pretty pattern. Give them a light egg wash to help them brown up, then bake as normal. When the timer goes off, you'll have a beautiful pie crust that puts a smile on everyone's face.