Ice Cream Pie

An ice cream pie is an easy alternative to serving ice cream in a bowl for dessert. As the name would suggest, there is no baking involved. I do provide directions for making a graham cracker crust but you could make this even easier by buying a pre made graham cracker crust. The flavors and fillings you can choose are endless, but I will say Java Chip, and Peppermint are favs in my house for this recipe.

Ingredients

Crust
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs or crushed chocolate wafer cookies (see cooks notes below)
1/3 cup butter
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

Filling
a 28 ounce container of ice cream (about 3 cups)
4-5 Tablespoons hot fudge sauce)

Directions

To make crust, place the butter in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds until melted. Add the graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar and mix well until all of the dry ingredients have become moistened by the butter. Pour the graham cracker mixture into a 9" pie pan. Use your fingers to press the crumbs all over the inside of the pie pan, including the sides. Place this in the freezer for about 10 minutes while you are prepping the filling.

The ice cream needs to be melted and of a smooth consistency (no frozen lumps) to pour into the pie pan. I recommend placing the container of ice cream inside of a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and transfer the ice cream to that same bowl. Using a spoon, break the ice cream apart into smaller chunks. Return the bowl to the microwave and heat the ice cream for about 1 more minute until it is mostly melted. Remove from the microwave and stir until no lumps remain.

Remove the crust from the freezer and drizzle 3-4 Tablespoons (or as much as you like) of the hot fudge sauce on the bottom of the crust. Pour the melted ice cream on top. and pour the remaining hot fudge sauce in a circular or decorative pattern on top. 

Return the filled pie pan to the freezer. I find it easier to place the pie plate on a larger plate or baking sheet in case the melted ice cream sloshes out a bit during the transfer. Freeze for at least 5 hours or overnight before serving. After about 4 hours you can cover the pie with foil (if you cover it before the ice cream is frozen it will just stick to the foil.
Yield 8 pie shaped servings