Grasshopper Pie

This one is verbatim from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. My favorite thing is the cool Andes mint curls. It takes it up a notch to a professional level. That and the syrup swirls on the plate make it look gourmet, even if you use the cheapest ice cream. I also poured some homemade hot fudge in between the ice cream layers and loved that addition.

I love making ice cream cake because it is super easy, yet impressive and popular. And it costs A TON less than buying one. So give it a whirl, bust out that springform pan!

*Serves 8

Crust:
2 cups finely crushed chocolate cookie crumbs (i.e. chocolate teddy grahams, chocolate graham crackers, Nabisco famous wafers, etc.)
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Pie:
1 quart green mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 quart chocolate ice cream

Garnish:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
10 rectangle Andes mints

Combine the crushed cookie crumbs and the butter together in a medium bowl until the cookie crumbs are well-moistened and the mixture looks and feels like wet sand. Press the crumbs into a 9- or 10-inch springform pan and refrigerate or freeze until set (about 30 minutes).

While the crust is in the refrigerator, take out the mint chocolate chip ice cream and let it sit at room temperature for 15-ish minutes to soften up a bit. Scoop the softened ice cream into a medium bowl (you can use the same one as the cookie crumbs, if you like!) and stir the ice cream until it is smooth. You don’t want it overly melted here – just try to stir it all up so it is easy spreadable but is still cold and icy. Spread the ice cream over the cookie crust in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least an hour.

Follow the same step above with the chocolate ice cream and spread it on top of the mint chocolate chip ice cream (make sure the mint ice cream is thoroughly frozen so the layers don’t mix). Once the chocolate ice cream has been spread evenly, again cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours (or tightly covered up to a three days).

When you are ready to serve the pie, whip the heavy cream into stiff peaks with the powdered sugar. To make the Andes mint curls, microwave one mint for five seconds on 20 or 30% power (this was adequate in my microwave but keep in mind that each microwave can cook hotter or cooler so test accordingly). Hold the mint nestled in a paper towel with one long thin edge exposed above the top of the paper towel. Take a vegetable peeler and gently shave off curls from the long, thin edge. Repeat this process until you have the desired amount of curls to garnish with (I shaved the curls early in the day and kept them on a plate in the freezer until I was ready to use them).

Unmold the grasshopper pie from the springform pan and pile the whipped cream on top of the ice cream. Spread in large dollops over the top of the pie. Sprinkle with the curls. Cut the pie into slices and serve immediately. If you are planning to have leftovers, serve the whipped cream on each piece separately instead of the whole pie, as the whipped cream doesn’t fare as well being frozen on top of the pie for a long period of time.