Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Pie

From Cook's Country

February/March 2005

Why this recipe works:

Cookies and cream ice cream pie recipes turn up at many restaurants, but it often tastes stale and freezer burned. To make this pie taste fresh, we used crushed sugar cones to make the crust. The flavor was a better match with the ice cream than the more conventional graham cracker crust. Grinding the cones in a food processor ensured that our Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Pie contained evenly crushed crumbs. Instead of using prepared cookies-and-cream ice cream, we made our own by adding our favorite crushed cookies to softened ice cream. Packing the ice cream and cookie mixture tightly into the crust and freezing it firm made sure the pie slices cleanly.

Serves 6 to 8

Ice cream pies are more fun (and taste great) when made with a sugar cone (rather than a conventional graham cracker) crust. Adding your own chopped cookies to ice cream allows you to customize the flavor combination. Try oreos with mint chip ice cream or gingersnaps with peach ice cream.

Ingredients

12 sugar cones
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 pints ice cream, softened
2 cups coarsely chopped cookies
2 cups whipped cream or Chocolate Whipped Cream (see related recipe)

Instructions

1. Make crumbs: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grind sugar cones in food processor to fine crumbs. (You should have 1 1/3 cups.)
2. Make crust: Stir together crumbs, butter, and sugar in medium bowl until crumbs are moistened. Press crumb mixture evenly against bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate, compacting it with your fingertips. Bake crust until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely before filling. (Crust can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 1 month.)
3. Fill pie shell: Place ice cream and cookies in bowl and mash mixture with back of spoon until well combined. Turn ice cream mixture into prepared crust and smooth top with spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until filling is completely frozen, at least 3 hours and up to 1 week.
4. Cut and garnish: Cut pie into wedges and dollop each piece with whipped cream. Serve.