Things You'll Need
2 to 6 cups rice, corn or oat flakes or crispy cereal
Mortar and pestle
1/3 to 1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
If you're trying to avoid gluten or simply want an alternative to traditional flour-based crust, cereal serves as an acceptable substitute. Rice cereals will help you avoid gluten, if that's an issue, but other types of cereal work, such as corn and oat. Crisps or flakes -- it doesn't matter. You'll crush them to incorporate them into the crust. You can even add an unexpected ingredient to make the crust stand out from the rest.
Step 1
Crush 2 to 6 cups of any type of cereal with a mortar and pestle. Measure 1 1/2 cups of cereal from the crushed mixture. You may or may not have any left over.
Video of the Day
Step 2
Pour the crushed cereal into a bowl and add 1/3 to 1/4 cup brown or white sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts, if desired. Mix everything together with a spoon until thoroughly combined.
Step 3
Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie plate to form a crust. Chill the crust for 1 hour in a refrigerator to firm it before filling. Or bake it in an oven for at least 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit before filling.
Tip
Phyllis Potts recommends using pecans, cashews, almonds or filberts as an addition to the cereal pie crust in her book "The Complete Guide to Wheat-Free Cooking."
If you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can place the cereal in a plastic zip-type bag, seal and roll over it with a rolling pin to crush it.
Add 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon to the mixture if desired.
Warning
If the cereal is presweetened, you may want to omit the sugar in the recipe. Otherwise, the crust may be too sweet. The best way to avoid this is to use unsweetened cereal.
To get 1 1/2 cups of crushed cereal, you'll likely have to use 2 to 6 cups depending on the type of cereal and the size of the pieces. Once you crush the pieces, they'll take up less space.
Video of the Day