Years ago, I posted a "no fail" pie crust recipe on this blog, but recently I removed it. Yes, it really was "no fail," and yes, it tasted great, and yes it was the recipe my mother used and that I used, also, for many years. But it included vegetable shortening (like Crisco), which I have since learned is terrible for our bodies. Even so, I thought that as rarely as my family eats pie, it was probably okay for us to eat once in a while. But in fact, I've come to believe this attitude is probably what that caused me to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. (No fun!) So many of the fats that are popular in the U.S. are really hard on our livers.

So, I experimented with a number of other pie crust recipes, and eventually landed on one that I'd used years ago, but had forgotten about. It's made with real butter - which not only is healthier, but makes a flakier pie crust. It's also the flour based pastry crust recipe featured in my cookbook Easy As Pie, and it really is easy! There are just a few little tricks you need to know in order to make this truly a "no fail" recipe:



1. All the ingredients must be cold before you start. It's most important to have ice water and thoroughly chilled butter, but I recommend chilling the flour, too. And if you use a pastry blender, chill it, also! For the butter, cut it into chunks (see the photo on the right) and wrap in a single sheet of plastic wrap. Place this package in the fridge or the freezer until thoroughly chilled (but not frozen). For the water, start with cold tap water, then add a few ice cubes to the measuring cup.


2. Never use your hands to mix the dough. Your hands will warm the butter, and result in a tough crust. Instead, use a pastry blender or - my favorite "no fail" tool - a food processor.

Makes one crust for a 9 in. pie plate. For a double crust pie, simply double the recipe.


1. Put the flour, salt, and butter into a food processor and pulse until it looks like coarse crumbs. (Or, in a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.)