Ice Cream Pie

Chris' birthday is not until Sunday, and lucky for me, Chris' birthday dessert request was ice cream pie.  How wonderful is this ice cream pie?  Let me list the ways.  
You can make it days ahead of time, and it will taste as fresh as the day you made it.
It's foolproof.  
It's easy.
Minimal baking.
Kids and adults love it alike.
It has endless possibilities.
It looks homemade, but you can purchase all ingredients and put it together.
You can make a whole variety of them all at the same time with nearly no extra work.
Leftovers keep for a long time, if you have any.

The only consideration is that because of the freezing time, it will take a bit between steps.

For one 9" pie dish, I bought 2 pints of Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream, as was Chris' flavor of choice.  While preparing the crust, place the ice cream in the refrigerator to soften.  
I crushed about 8 oz Walkers shortbread cookies in a food processor and mixed it with 3 tbsp melted butter and a sprinkle of sugar.  Press into the bottom of the pie dish and slightly up the sides.  Bake at 375 for about 9-10 minutes.  Let cool completely.
Our usual favorite is a chocolate cookie crust using Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers.  But I thought I'd go crazy and try shortbread this time.
When the crust is completely cooked and the ice cream has softened, spread the ice cream into the pie dish.  Set into the freezer until hardened. 

Chris requested a white chocolate sauce, and I was way ahead of him having purchased a large chunk of Callebaut white chocolate already.  To make a white chocolate sauce,  melt about 5 oz of white chocolate with 1/2 cup heavy cream.  Chop the chocolate into small pieces.  Warm the cream in a small sauce pan.  When it is just about to boil, remove from heat and stir in the chocolate.  This makes about 1 1/2 cups.  Let cool and then spread over the top of the pie.  Return pie to the freezer.  Alternatively, use a store bought chocolate or caramel sauce.  I would have used my favorite, Fran's, but I don't believe they make a white chocolate sauce.  We've had their caramel and dark chocolate and both are fabulous.  
For the decoration and writing, I did use Fran's dark chocolate sauce.  An expert decorator I am not.

This version of the ice cream pie is quite simple, but you can go to town and add caramel, nuts, peanut butter, chocolate chips, or whatever your heart desires.  It's a perfect summertime treat.





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