“BECAUSE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT PIES, PEOPLE SMILE”

— CRAIG TOKUSATO, DIAMOND OF CALIFORNIA® CMO

Last week, I went to a Diamond of California® Nut Event where they were showing all of the amazing ways—both sweet and savory—that we can all use their new-to-market ground-breaking seriously awesome new pie crusts. They even had Joy Wilson of Joy The Baker (@Joythebaker on Instagram) giving a hands on demo of a recipe she created using the Pecan Nut Pie Crust—obsessed! I’ve loved following her create beautiful baked goods for years now. Guys, I totally fan girled out. No seriously, I can’t even. It was like an out of body experience. My out-of-body self was like calm-the-what-down to my actual self who legitimately used the words “I’m fan girling out right now” to Joy in conversation (good, god, Michelle. Get it together) . Oy vey. Well, it was stating the obvious. Her Dark And Stormy Pie recipe and  demo did a fantastic job of highlighting the fact that since the crust is once baked before being packaged you can make no bake recipes with them.  “A dark and stormy is lime, rum, and ginger—usually in a cocktail, today in a pie”.

Before I begin to digitally fan girl out too, let me get to the heart of all of this. The other day (ok, more aptly, about a month ago) I wanted to experiment with a savory pie concept I was toying with in my head. Before making my own dough and going down a longer path than, well, juggling a baby and work allows for, I ran down to a nearby grocery store to grab a pie crust and left sorely disappointed (that is legitimately a huge understatement). Between the corn syrup, GMO-prone ingredients, processing aids and artificial flavors, that make these foods especially high in sodium and saturated fat the options were kinda gross. I even went to the bakery counter to see if they had prepped dough that they would sell me—let’s just say I left entirely unhappy.

“THIS YEAR WE WANTED TO TAKE AN OUTDATED CATEGORY AND FLIP IT ON ITS HEAD WITH A PRODUCT THAT WOULD HELP HOME COOKS BAKE DELICIOUS MEALS WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT INGREDIENTS THEY CAN’T PRONOUNCE. TO PROVIDE CONSUMERS WITH A FRESH ALTERNATIVE, WE CONSCIOUSLY SOURCED THE HIGHEST QUALITY NUTS AND INGREDIENTS AND DEVELOPED A STATE OF THE ART PRODUCTION PROCESS, THAT HAS RESULTED IN A DELICIOUS PRODUCT WORTHY OF ANY NEW OR CHERISHED RECIPE.”

—   CRAIG TOKUSATO, DIAMOND OF CALIFORNIA® CMO.

Fast forward to this event highlighting Diamond of California’s new Nut Pie Crusts made with walnuts or pecans grown on their farm as the main ingredient. Talk about making waves in all of the right places. These crusts for sure up the baking aisle’s ante. Their years of research and development really paid off. Dare I say that due to the nuts they are healthier than your average pie crusts? The nuts make them naturally lower in sugar, gluten, and carbs, as well as richer in heart healthy fats—WIN!

G.I. Joe said it best, “Knowing is half the battle”. or perhaps Sir Francis Bacon did with “knowledge is power”. Either way, I feel so much better about my grocery store outings now that I know exactly what I’m looking for. In reading this, you should too! I’m so excited to hear about what you think and more so about what you make with these crusts!

PIE CRUST OPTIONS & FLAVOR PROFILES

Diamond of California® Walnut Pie Crust ($3.99 SRP)

Chewy, bold, and rich in flavor, the brand’s California-grown walnuts add an interesting and undoubtedly delicious layer of crunch to any filling of choice. Dress up with an egg quiche filling and breakfast is served!

Diamond of California® Pecan Pie Crust ($3.99 SRP)

Naturally buttery, and slightly sweet, this crust adds a caramel-like flavor to any pie. Dress it with grandma’s favorite pecan pie filling for a double-threat treat. 

WHERE TO BUY THESE PIE CRUSTS

Diamond of California® Ready-to-Use Nut Pie Crusts are available at Walmart locations nationwide, Save Mart Supermarkets, and H-E-B Texas Grocery.

Click here for more information on Diamond of California® products and all things culinary nuts