Turtle Ice Cream Pie
We all start out the New Year with good intentions, don't we? I can already tell you that I've made one big mistake in 2016, and that was to turn my Facebook account back on after a year of social media silence. Sigh. This is honestly the sole reason for my lack of posting. It's much easier to sit here on the couch and mindlessly scroll through my feed than it is to post recipes. We will see how long it takes for me to shut it back off after this "binge". I've had several people ask me if my husband and I are doing any "weird" New Year's resolutions related to food (because we have been known to abstain from certain food groups for an entire year--like 2013, the year that left me void of cheeseburgers and steaks and so on), and the answer this year is (thankfully) NO. But--I do have a resolution that pertains to this blog. I have absolutely got to get things in order. I started this now 3 1/2 years ago and while I thought I was labeling posts for ease of access all along, it appears that has failed. The search function is an absolute joke and almost never brings up what I am looking for, even when I remember the exact title of a post. This just isn't gonna fly. So, I do solemnly swear to make this a more user friendly site in 2016...that is the point, after all. I recognize that this level of blog organization is probably above my skill set, so I am mulling over the idea of hiring some sort of a blog designer. I have no idea how to go about locating this person, so this should be an adventure.
Enough of that. What you really came for was a recipe. And you know what? I'm going to give you one to blow your well-intentioned New Year's diet away. My apologies. Meet a family favorite...the Turtle Ice Cream Pie.
This little ditty is made by my mother during most family gatherings. We've all come to love it so much that she often doubles or triples the recipe so that we can enjoy it more than once (hey, there ARE 8 adults now, and a handful of kids). We try to give the kids lesser forms of ice cream treats because can they truly appreciate a homemade chocolate sauce atop a buttery Oreo crust with premium vanilla ice cream and carefully toasted pecans? The answer is no. While we just enjoyed this over New Year's weekend with my family, I did a little happy dance when my husband requested it for his birthday cake this week. Now, before you go criticizing me on a technicality, I am fully aware that this turtle dessert is void of caramel. I don't know why, OK? Yes, I agree that something labeled "turtle" should have caramel, but this does not. I didn't make this recipe up, so don't shoot the messenger. If you need caramel to call it "turtle", then for heaven's sake, add some. If you need to change the name so that you don't feel like a liar, then so be it. Just make this darn thing ASAP.
Turtle Ice Cream Pie
-from my momma
- 3 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (or crushed Oreo crumbs--much easier to find)
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 quart (or more--I used almost double this amount) vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup pecan halves, toasted and cooled.
Combine chocolate cookie crumbs and butter. Firmly press into 9" deep dish pie plate (or 8" square baking dish like I did). Freeze 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine chocolate chips, evaporated milk, salt, and marshmallows in a sauce pan. Heat over low heat and stir until everything is melted together and slightly thickened and smooth. Set aside. Remove pan from freezer and spread 2 cups (probably more like 3, OK?) ice cream over crust. Cover and freeze 30 minutes. Pour half of chocolate sauce on top of the ice cream, cover and freeze 30 more minutes. Spread remaining ice cream over the sauce layer and (yes, you guessed it) freeze another 30 minutes. Finally, pour second half of chocolate sauce on top of the ice cream and sprinkle with pecans. Freeze until firm. Yes, it sounds like a lot of steps, but it takes about 30 seconds to do each one, then you just set the timer and go on with your life for awhile. I'm about to go on with my life right now by walking upstairs and cutting myself a ginormous piece of this delectable treat.