Frozen summer desserts

Published 12:58 pm Thursday, July 11, 2024

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This month’s column is a rerun from July 2022. We apologize, but due to an unexpected illness and a slow recovery, we were unable to offer an original column. But this column is especially appropriate for this very hot weather we’ve been experiencing. What could be better on a 95-degree afternoon than an ice cream cake that is the easiest ever to make? 

Unfortunately, you won’t find us with a table at the Landrum Farmers Market. However, if you’re interested in our cookbook, “Two Sisters Cook,” it’s available in Landrum at Page and Flame Bookstore.

 Linda: Summer is made for frozen desserts. A hot oven for baking heats up the kitchen, but a frozen pie might be just what you need to cool off during an overheated summer. When the temperatures are rising, icebox pie sounds especially appealing. 

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Lucy: The recipes I’ve found are easy to make. One of my favorites is a Frozen Lemon Pie. It’s often served with blueberries. Blueberries and lemon are a delicious combination and local berries are plentiful right now. I scooped some whipped cream on top and sprinkled with blueberries. A crumb crust works well with this type of pie. Graham cracker crusts and cookie crusts can be purchased already made at the grocery store. Or it can be fun to experiment with your own crust such as a gingersnap crust. 

Linda: Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? I discovered a Mint Chip Ice Cream Pie that also uses mint chocolate cookies. My neighbor offered me a box of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies and they were perfect for my creation. Of course, I will be sharing my pie with her. There are mint chocolate cookies available at the grocery store, so you don’t have to wait for the next cookie sale! Mint Chip Ice Cream used to be green, but most of the varieties that I found in the ice cream case were white. Apparently, food manufacturers are shying away from added dyes that aren’t natural colors. 

Lucy: I bought some recently, and the carton was green, so I was surprised when I opened it and discovered that the ice cream was white. But it still tasted very minty. I happened upon a scrumptious frozen cake recipe while searching the internet. It looked so yummy I knew I had to try it. It’s called “Easiest Ever No Bake Ice Cream Cake”. This is the ideal cake to celebrate National Ice Cream Month.

I served some on this fiery Fourth of July and everyone was asking for the recipe.

Linda: I sent the recipe to my teenage granddaughter. She plans to surprise her Mom on her birthday with this cake. I think it’s unusual that ice cream sandwiches are part of the filling. I like them with vanilla ice cream, but they are available in Neapolitan, which could add other flavors and colors to the cake.

Lucy: These recipes are really cool because they’re delicious and they’re frozen. A frosty dessert could be perfect  for a salad night. More hot days are ahead of us so let’s get these recipes out for our readers.

 

Lemon Buttermilk Icebox Pie

Purchase a pre-made 9 inch Graham Cracker Crumb pie crust. Follow baking instructions for crust and let cool.

Ingredients

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp loosely packed lemon zest

½ cup lemon juice

3 large egg yolks

¼ cup buttermilk

Pre made and baked Graham Cracker crust

Vegetable cooking spray

Whipped cream (Reddi Whip or hand made)

Blueberries if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Whisk together first three ingredients in a bowl

Beat egg yolks with a hand held mixer in a medium bowl at high speed four to five minutes 

or until yolks become pale and ribbons form on surface of mixture when beater is lifted. 

Gradually whisk in sweetened condensed milk mixture, and whisk in buttermilk. Pour mixture 

into prepared crust. Bake at 325 for 20 to 25 minutes or until set around edges. (Pie will be 

slightly jiggly). Cool on a wire rack one hour. Cover pie with lightly greased (with cooking spray) plastic wrap and freeze four to six hours. Garnish with whipped cream and blueberries.

 

Betty Crocker Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie

 

Ingredients

2 pints mint chocolate chip ice cream, slightly softened

1 chocolate cookie piecrust (available at the grocery store)

1¼ cups crushed chocolate covered mint cookies (crush cookies in a plastic zip bag)

1 cup chocolate fudge topping

Directions

Gently spread one pint of the ice cream in the pie crust. Sprinkle one cup of the crushed cookies over the ice cream. Cover and freeze for 1-2 hours (until frozen). Gently spread remaining pint of softened ice cream over cookies and freeze at least three hours until firm. Let stand at room temperature about 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with fudge topping; sprinkle with remaining cookies. Coner and freeze any remaining pie.

 

Easiest Ever no Bake Ice Cream Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Chocolate ice cream

5 ice cream sandwiches

12 Oreo cookies, crushed w/ 1/4 cup reserved

1/2 jar hot fudge topping or homemade hot fudge sauce

1 can Reddi-wip or homemade whipped cream (optional)

Directions

Line a 9×5 loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a good amount hanging over each long side.

Let your ice cream set out until it’s really soft. Spread a layer that’s about 1/2-inch thick evenly across the bottom of the pan, making sure to push it into all of the corners.

Line up 5 ice cream sandwiches on top of the ice cream layer. They will be a bit of a tight fit, but just press down firmly and they’ll conform to the pan. Spread about half a jar of hot fudge topping (or homemade hot fudge sauce) on top of the ice cream bars, and then sprinkle on a layer of crushed Oreo cookies. Make sure to reserve about 1/4 cup of the crushed cookies. Add the final layer of chocolate ice cream and fold the plastic wrap over the top. Place in the freezer for about 4 hours to freeze through. After freezing, lift the entire ice cream cake out of the pan using the plastic wrap and transfer it to a serving platter. Top it off with Reddi-whip or homemade whipped cream and a sprinkling of crushed Oreo cookies. To serve, slice with a knife that’s been dipped in warm water.