Football + Milky Way Ice Cream Pie = WIN. Go team!
Sundays are designated “football days” in our house. I get a little bit excited to watch the Cowboys (and the Chargers), but to me it mostly means a day of decompressing in front of the television while the kids play on the floor and occasionally poke their heads up from their blocks or crayons to watch a few plays (as Jack gets older, he’s much more interested…and it’s lots of fun to watch him get excited when the Cowboys score!). We don’t get out to many games – our tailgating experiences are few and far between – but we often party like we’re tailgating – even if it’s just from our couch.
Today, I have a whole new level of deliciousness to share with you. The Milky Way Ice Cream Pie. This recipe is courtesy of my mother, who knows how to do dessert.
The best part of this dessert is how amazing it tastes. But also great? There’s no baking involved, your kids can help make it, and it serves a lot of people (it’s pretty rich…which means a little slice will go a long way!).
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 (7 oz.) packages of Milky Way Bites (or Snickers…the original recipe called for Snickers)
- 1 prepared chocolate cookie pie crust (availabe in the baking section at your grocery store)
- 1 pint ice cream (vanilla would be fine – I used Vanilla with Caramel and Fudge Swirl)
- 1 cup caramel sauce
- 1 small bag chocolate chips
Milky Way Bites are perfect for this recipe – they’re little and unwrapped, so you don’t have to waste any time unwrapping them all!
Here’s how to make Milky Way Ice Cream Pie:
Line the bottom of your pie crust with the Milky Way bites (this is a fun and kid-friendly activity your little helpers can easily do themselves).
Kids will love lining the bottom of the pie crust with the little Milky Way bites!
Pour one cup of caramel over the top of the Milky Way bites. This is also a fun kid activity (while supervised) – my oldest loved pouring the caramel into all the nooks and crannies. I made sure the caramel sauce was room temperature so it was easy to pour. Once you’ve poured in the caramel, stick it in the freezer for a few hours.
Mmmmm. Caramel.
Once the caramel is frozen, take out your ice cream and let it soften for a bit. You want it to be spreadable, but not runny. Spread the ice cream over the frozen caramel (I didn’t use a whole pint…you’ll just need to use enough to make a nice layer). Put the pie back into the freezer…you want the ice cream to harden up again. I covered it with some foil first, because I don’t like the taste of ice cream that’s been exposed to the air in the freezer.
Try not to eat all the ice cream. Or am I the only one who does that?
Once the ice cream has hardened, melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler or the microwave (if you’ve never melted chocolate chips before, it’s easy…I just dump them in a microwave-safe bowl, heat them for 45 seconds or so, stir, and then heat for another 30 seconds and stir again…that seems to do the trick).
Pour the melted chocolate over the ice cream, using a big spoon to flatten it out a bit. Then, take the remaining Milky Way bites and stick them around the edge of the pie in the chocolate.
Note: go easy on the chocolate. You’re going to need to cut through it – and eat it – and in this case, more isn’t always better (that tip is courtesy of The Girl Who Used Too Much Chocolate, aka ME).
Stick it right back into the freezer.
Leave it in the freezer for several hours. When ready to serve, let it sit out for about five minutes before cutting. You’ll need a sharp knife to cut through (it’s pretty hard!).
And then…eat it all while you’re rooting for your favorite team.
Even if you don’t love Football, game day is still a big WIN with a dessert like this.
Do you have any special desserts you like to serve up on Game Day?