Espresso Ice-Cream Pie Recipe

I have always wondered how an Oreo cookie crust would taste if I added a handful of espresso powder to it. Truthfully, I’ve actually been wondering this for about a year. Now I know. It’s amazing!

We had a birthday dinner for my dad this week (my youngest son guessed he was turning 25). Well, for a bit more than 25 years, my dad has loved two desserts: chocolate chip cookies and coffee ice-cream. He also loves coffee.

So this was the perfect opportunity to make my Oreo-espresso crust! The combination of these ice-creams and an espresso-crunchy crust make for an absolutely divine flavor and texture combination. I’m pretty sure this will be our Father’s Day dessert, too!

There are a few keys to creating a perfect ice-cream pie: the quality and flavors of the ice-creams and the patience to wait until each layer is 100% frozen before adding the next. It’s also important for the ice creams to be the proper consistency — you want them soft but not melted.

I hope you might consider a fun, casual dinner party this weekend! This is your dessert, and stay tuned for what’s coming tomorrow! (Hint: your entreé!)

(I’ll get back to the chocolate chip cookies in the near future.)

P.S. This is hands down one of my favorite coffee desserts ever!

Recipe
Serves 12
Total prep time: 2 hours (please note that this is mostly freezing time!)
Active work time: about 20 minutes

34 Oreo cookies
2 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (Medaglia D’Oro is great.)
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted, unsalted butter
1 pint vanilla ice-cream (I like Häagen-Dazs Five Vanilla Bean.)
1 pint chocolate ice-cream (I like Häagen-Dazs Dark Chocolate.)
1 pint coffee ice-cream (McConnells Turkish Coffee is my absolute favorite!)
A handful of chocolate covered coffee or espresso beans

Set the vanilla ice-cream out to soften while you make the crust.

To make the crust, use a food processor to finely grind the Oreos. You want the result to be smooth and without large cookie chunks. Pour the ground Oreos into a large mixing bowl and fold in the espresso powder and the melted butter. Remove about 1/3 cup of the mixture and set it aside.

Add the remaining Oreo-espresso mixture to a 9 1/2 inch pie plate. Using your hands, gently press the mixture to evenly coat the inside of the plate (bottom and all the way up the sides) to form the crust. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Put the plate in the freezer until firm, about 10 minutes.

Spread the pint of vanilla ice-cream evenly on the crust. Use a small, flat- bottomed spreader to make the layer smooth. Sprinkle about half of the reserved crust mixture over the ice-cream and return the pie plate to the freezer for 40 minutes. After about 20 minutes of freezing time, set the chocolate ice-cream out to soften.

Once the vanilla is very frozen, spread the chocolate pint on top and sprinkle it with the rest of the crust mixture. Again, freeze for about 40 minutes and set the coffee ice-cream out to soften about 20 minutes in. Finally, spread the pint of coffee ice-cream on top and this time, decorate it with the chocolate-covered coffee or espresso beans.

It should be kept in the freezer for at least 40 minutes before serving.

Notes: