Butter vs shortening in pie crust - I picked wrong and paid the price

I made two apple pies for Thanksgiving last year and used butter in one and shortening in the other to finally settle the debate. The butter crust tasted amazing but fell apart completely when I tried to serve it, while the shortening crust held shape but had zero flavor. Has anyone found a way to get that buttery taste without the crust crumbling on you?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_henderson361mo ago

I feel you on the "butter tastes great but falls apart" thing. That's basically the pie crust version of getting a really nice car that breaks down every time you drive it. I tried the half butter half shortening trick and ended up with a crust that was still meh on both fronts. Honestly you might just have to accept that pie crust is like life, you can have flavor or stability but not both. Or just eat the crumbly butter one with a spoon and call it deconstructed pie.

holly_reed551mo ago

Deconstructed pie is the trendy new thing apparently, we're just ahead of the curve. Have you tried freezing the butter and grating it into the flour like a block of cheese? Keeps those tasty butter pockets intact without turning your crust into a sad pile of crumbs.

ninaowens1mo ago

Used to swear by all-butter but honestly you changed my mind with that perfect analogy.