Rocky Road Ice Cream Pie: National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day

Today is National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day.  Rocky Road ice cream was 'invented' in Oakland,  CA, which makes it pretty special to me, since I live in the Oakland/Berkeley area. One story goes that the Rocky Road ice cream flavor was created in March 1929 by William Dreyer in Oakland, CA. He cut up walnuts and marshmallows with his wife's sewing scissors and added them to his chocolate ice cream that reflected his partner Joseph Edy's chocolate candy that used walnuts and marshmallow pieces. Later the walnuts were replaced by toasted almonds. Fenton's Creamery in Oakland claims that William Dreyer based his recipe on a Rocky-Road style ice cream flavor invented by his friend, Fentons' George Farren, who blended his own Rocky Road-style candy bar into ice cream. I still love going to Fenton's Creamery. It's an old fashioned ice-cream parlor. So however it came into existence, be sure and have a scoop of Rocky Road Ice Cream today... or make a Rocky Road Ice Cream Pie! Here's an easy recipe.

ROCKY ROAD ICE CREAM PIE

Ingredients
2 cups vanilla fudge swirl ice cream, softened
2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened
2/3 cup miniature marshmallows
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped and divided
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped (or lightly salted peanuts)
*Chocolate Pie Crust (see recipe below) Prepare first**

Directions
1. In large bowl stir together ice cream, marshmallows, 1/2 cup chopped chocolate and toasted almonds or peanuts. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chopped chocolate.
2. Cover and freeze at least 2 hours or until firm.
3. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before cutting.

*Chocolate Pie Crust (good for lots of pies)
2 cups chocolate wafers (in a pinch use Oreos)
6 tbsp butter
Melt the butter.
Put the chocolate wafers in a plastic bag. Close bag and crush with spoon or rolling pin until you have tiny pea-sized chocolate bits.
Combine melted butter with chocolate bits.
Press ingredients into 9-inch buttered pie pan. Be sure and go up the sides.
Bake 10 minutes at 325°F.
Cool completely before adding ice-cream.