I really like pecan pie, but my husband finds it too sweet for his taste (and I’ve heard that from many people over the years). This ice cream version sounded like a great compromise. It has pecans galore (in the crust, filling, and topping), lots of butter and ice-cream. I was really excited to try this new dessert!
A new twist on the classic pecan pie: a nutty pressed pie crust is filled with a buttery, rich pecan-vanilla ice cream.
The Ingredients
This is another recipe with fairly simple ingredients that were easy to find. I do have to admit I didn’t churn my own ice cream. Instead, I found Breyers® Homemade Vanilla ice cream. I set it on the counter for about 20 minutes to soften, and it was very easy to mix in the candied pecans. It even set nicely after I made and froze the pie. It was a real time saver!
The Process
There are a few pieces of equipment you really need for this recipe:
- food processor
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin
- 9-inch pie pan
- hand mixer or whisk
- parchment paper
- cookie sheet
- medium & large mixing bowls
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cup
- measuring spoons
Making the crust was the most challenging part. Well, rolling it out and getting it into the pie pan. I don’t bake much, but I was able to do it in 2 tries. I learned that flour is my friend when it comes to dough, and there is no such thing as too much on your work surface or rolling pin.
This recipe did take some time and effort, and I’m glad it was the second dish I started. I was able to work on it and switch to other things while it was cooking and cooling. Here’s how my time broke down:
- 12 minutes to prep
- 1 hour to refrigerate dough
- 10 minutes to roll dough for crust
- 20 minutes to bake the crust
- 13 minutes to prep and cook pecans
- 9 minutes to mix the ice-cream and garnish
- 4 hours to freeze (minimum)
- 6 hours 4 minutes Total
I ended up refrigerating the pie overnight, and we had it the next day. It worked out well for us because we were stuffed after the big Thanksgiving meal. Next time I will make this recipe the day before.
