Christmas is just a week away and if you are like me, you are probably in the midst of planning your Christmas menu. I wanted to share with you a pie that has been a holiday tradition in my family since before I was born. It is called Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie. Don’t let the name mislead you, though; it isn’t actually a frozen ice cream pie. It is a pie that is made with ice cream, giving it a light texture and a wonderful vanilla sweetness.
My mom found this recipe in a magazine over 40 years ago and it has been a staple Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert on our tables almost every holiday since. Even people who normally don’t like pumpkin pie tell us that they like this one. And the best part is that this pie is very simple to make. I always like to make my own crusts so I share instructions here for a homemade graham cracker crust but my mom told me to make sure and tell my readers that you can do like she always does and just buy a premade graham cracker crust
Click here for a printable version of the recipe.
Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie
Making the crust
If you buy a premade crust then you can skip this step but if you want to make your own, here are the instructions for a graham cracker crust.
You will need 8 oz of graham crackers (about 16 whole graham crackers), 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Use a food processor or blender to crush the graham crackers into crumbs then pour them in a large plastic Ziploc bag.
Melt the butter and add it to the bag, along with the sugar and cinnamon. Seal the bag and squish it with your hands until all the ingredients are evenly mixed together.
Pour into a well buttered 9-inch pie plate and press to form the crust. Use a drinking glass to press the crumbs tighter together and make the crust more level. Use your fingers to press the sides of the crust
Bake in oven for 10 minutes then cool to room temperature before filling.
Making the Pie
For the filling you will need 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 3/4 cup water, 2 cups of vanilla ice cream (slightly softened) and 1 cup canned pumpkin
In a saucepan, combine the gelatine, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Stir in water and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
This is how it will look at this point.
Stir in ice cream and pumpkin, alternating a little at a time until completely mixed in. If ice cream won’t melt completely, turn the burner back on to low and heat until completely melted.
The mixture lightens in color after the addition of the ice cream and pumpkin.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and set in the refrigerator. Allow to chill until mixture just begins to mound, around 20-30 minutes.
Pour into crust and chill overnight.
You can garnish this pie however you like but my favorite way is with whipped cream and toasted almonds. To make toasted almonds, spread 1/3 cup of sliced almonds in a shallow pan and place in a 350 F oven for about 6 minutes, or until golden. Stir almonds every few minutes to keep from burning. Allow to cool completely before placing on pie.
Enjoy! I hope your family loves this pie as much as mine does and maybe it will become a family tradition at your table as well.
Until next time, God Bless and Sweet Dreams!
MAKE PUMPKIN BREAD! That;s what I do and it’s yummy!!! This is the recipe I use! I use the pipmkun pie filling instead of puree and it comes out good too! Pumpkin Bread Recipe! * Print (no photos) * Print (with photos)Ingredients1 1/2 cups (210g) flour1/2 teaspoon of salt1 cup (200 g) sugar1 teaspoon baking soda1 cup (1/4 L) pipmkun pure9e*1/2 cup (1 dL) olive oil2 eggs, beaten1/4 cup water1/2 teaspoon nutmeg1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/2 teaspoon allspice1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts* To make pipmkun pure9e, cut a pipmkun in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350b0F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use. Or, if you are working with pipmkun pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.Method1 Preheat oven to 350b0F (180b0C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.2 Mix the pipmkun, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.
That sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing.