I would do dirty things for ice cream. Sorry mom, it’s true. It’s one of my biggest vices (yes, I know I have quite a few vices, but ice cream is probably top 3). I can eat it any time of year, any weather, any time of day. The frustrating thing is that not everyone shares that same trait as me. Tons of you weirdos only like ice cream in the summer months, when it’s more socially acceptable to eat copious amount of it. And while I hate you for it, I’ll also take what I can get because it’s way more fun to eat ice cream with someone instead of solo. (Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a few low points where I’ve been found in my sweatpants at odd hours of the night/morning sitting on the counter eating straight out of the container). So with summer quickly coming to a close, I’m squeezing in as much ice cream social time as I can.
But here’s my other issue, people get tired of me always asking them to go get ice cream with me. So I had to get creative. What did I decide on? ICE CREAM PIE. That’s what. I came up with an inventive way to get ice cream into my friends schedule without them actually having to make the drive to Ben & Jerry’s. I feel like a frustrated mom trying to sneak vegetables into my kids meals without them knowing it… except with ice cream. If that’s any indication of how I’m going to fare as a mother, I think it’s pretty safe to say my children are going to have minor (read: major) sugar dependencies.
This pie was a piece of cake to make (did I just unintentionally make a pun there? Maybe.) I chose to make coffee ice cream with heath bar and salted almonds, and topped it off with whipped cream and salted caramel. But you can choose any ice cream base and add whatever candies, toppings/mix-ins you’d like! I also made the pie crust myself, but if you’re short on time you can just as easily buy a remade graham cracker crust. My only other tip is about the whipped cream- if you’re going to serve this immediately, then top with homemade whipped cream prior to serving. If you’re going to keep this in your freezer for a while/think you’ll have leftovers, then stick to Cool Whip. It will freeze and keep better than homemade whipped cream.
Now go force your friends to eat ice cream with you! Let me know what you think!
INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
14 Graham Crackers
1/4 Cup Butter
Preheat overn to 350 F.
Crush up graham crackers (in food processor or by hand in a ziplock bag)
Mix in melted butter until fully incorporated
Pat crust into pie pan
Bake for 5-7 minutes until set
Let cool completely
Filling:
2 pints coffee ice cream, set out on counter for 5-10 minutes until soft (but not melted)
4 (1.4 oz.) HEATH candy bars, roughly chopped
1/3 cup salted almonds, chopped
Combined all ingredients together in a large bowl, mixing in toppings until fully incorporated into ice cream.
Pour filling into cooled pie crust, let set in freezer for 1-2 hours.
(At this point you can either add Cool Whip or choose to make homemade whipped cream)
Whipped Cream:
2 Tbsp. confectioners sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Whisk all ingredient at medium high speed until still peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
Salted Caramel Sauce via Sally’s Baking Addiction:
Ingredients:
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons (90g) salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces*
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream*
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.
Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.
Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.
Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.
Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.
Cover the caramel tightly and store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe.