CHOCOLATE CRUNCH ICE CREAM PIE

Tomorrow is National Ice Cream Pie Day. I've posted many ice cream pie recipes. They're very easy, and I suggest if you're in a hurry, you make a nice chocolate cookie crust, soften some ice cream and put it in the pie shell (after you've put the pie shell in the freezer for 1/2 hour). Top with sprinkles or chocolate curls and freeze.

Want to get a bit fancier? Here's a wonderful vintage recipe from a magazine for Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream Pie. The chocolate crust is made with chocolate, coconut, oatmeal, nuts and butter! Great combo.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites: Recipe Curio. This site is still up but hasn't been updated in about 3 years. Anyone know why? Or if the blogger is posting elsewhere? We share an affinity for older recipes and ads, and she has also found some great old handwritten recipes and cookbooks and pamphlets.

I use hazelnuts in the pie crust, but almonds would be great, too. This recipe is gluten-free. Always good! Also, you don't need to make the 'coffee' ice cream recipe. Buy some.. or use another type of ice cream.. or use your own recipe.

Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream Pie
(Makes one 9-inch pie)

Roll your pie and coffee into one spectacular of a dessert–a chocolate crunch shell mounded with scoops of coffee-flavored ice cream.

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2/3 cup coconut, toasted
2/3 cup oatmeal, toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I like hazelnuts)

Coffee Ice Cream:

1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
3/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee powder

Melt chocolate pieces and butter over hot water. In bowl, combine coconut, oatmeal, and nuts. Add chocolate mixture. Press firmly in 9-inch buttered pie plate. Freeze 30 minutes.

To make coffee ice cream, combine softened vanilla ice cream with coffee powder till well blended. Spoon into pie shell. (If mixture is too soft, return to freezer before spooning into shell.) Freeze till firm, about 2 or 3 hours, or overnight.

For easier cutting, dip bottom of pie plate in hot water for a few seconds.