Mississippi Mud Pie - Everyday Annie

How many wonderful things can be combined in one 9-inch pie plate, you ask? Cookie crumb crust – check. Homemade coffee ice cream – check. Creamy chocolate ganache – check. Toffee bits – check. Yep, it sounds and tastes pretty wonderful to me. Ice cream pies are fabulous desserts because they require little work. Basically just spreading ice cream into a pie crust, adding some other sweet things to jazz it up, and voila! Great dessert, minimal effort. For me the hardest part about this was having the coffee ice cream in my freezer and not eating it. I have serious will power issues when it comes to this ice cream. But good news – there was some left over, and it was promptly devoured by yours truly (and Ben, who made me share – sheesh!) Of course you can use store-bought ice cream and make it even easier, but I haven’t bought a single container since acquiring my ice cream maker. I just love homemade ice cream!

This is a recipe from the very early days of the blog and I just couldn’t bear for it to be lost in the archives, or ignored because of the hideous picture (which I remember thinking was awesome at the time ::shudder::). This has got me brainstorming tons of fun ice cream pies for the summer. I just can’t decide which to try first!

Yield 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients

For the crust:

1¼ cups chocolate cookie crumbs, such as Oreo
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar

For the ganache:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup plus 1 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the filling and garnish:

½ cup toffee bits, divided
3-4 cups coffee ice cream, softened

Directions

01
To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. In a small bowl, combine the chocolate cookie crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Toss with a fork until well combined and all the crumbs are moistened. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool while you make the ganache.
02
To make the ganache, transfer the chopped chocolate to a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand 1 minute. Whisk the mixture in small circular motions until the ganache forms. Whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until completely incorporated.
03
Spread a thin layer of ganache over the bottom of the pie crust, just enough to cover it completely (about 1/3 cup). Sprinkle half of the toffee bits over the ganache. Transfer the pie plate to the freezer and chill for about 30-60 minutes, until the ganache is set. Leave the remaining ganache at room temperature, whisking occasionally.
04
Stir the ice cream with a spoon or spatula to be sure it is evenly softened and spreadable. Mound the ice cream into the pie shell and use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Return to the freezer and chill until the ice cream is set, at least two hours.
05
If the ganache has firmed up while the pie was chilling, soften it again by heating in a double boiler or microwaving in 20-second intervals, just until it is spreadable but not hot. Using a spatula, spread a thin layer of ganache over the ice cream. Sprinkle the remaining toffee bits on top. (Work efficiently, as the ganache will harden quickly after making contact with the ice cream.) Return to the freezer and chill at least 1-2 hours. Reserve any remaining ganache and let cool until thickened. Transfer to a pastry bag and pipe on decorative swirls, if desired. Chill until set.
06
Let the pie stand at room temperature for several minutes before slicing. Use a warm, dry knife to slice and serve.

Source

adapted from Williams Sonoma