Turtle sundae pie

Ditch DQ for this homemade ice cream pie

On Father's Day, my mom said we could just get a DQ ice cream cake for dessert. While those are certainly yummy, I decided Dad deserves homemade. Making this pie is simple, but there are a lot of steps. Lots of allowing to cool and freezing overnight, so read the recipe thoroughly before you start. Still, this one really is easy as pie! 

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TURTLE SUNDAE PIE

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
CRUST
2 cups pecans, toasted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 + 1/8 cup sugar
1 stick (8 TBS) butter, melted

CARAMEL SAUCE/PIE FILLING
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 TBS dark corn syrup
3 TBS butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 pints vanilla ice cream (the good kind!) 

GANACHE TOPPING
4 oz. good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 + 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream
1 TBS dark corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla 
pinch of salt

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. DAY 1 --> For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the pecans until finely chopped. Mix the chopped nuts with graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in melted butter until evenly moistened. Press mixture evenly into bottom and sides of a 9-inch glass pie dish. 

*Note: I made more crust than the original recipe called for because I always find I need more. If you feel like you have too much, press it into the bottom anyway (it's so yummy you won't regret it!) — or just eat it with a spoon.

2. Bake crust until golden, about 12 minutes (if it puffs up, press it firmly back into place). Cool crust completely, wrap in foil, and freeze at least 1 hour. Keep frozen.

3. For the caramel sauce: In a medium sauce pan, bring brown sugar, cream, and corn syrup to a boil, whisking until sugar dissolves. Boil for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Turn off heat and whisk in butter, vanilla, and salt. Cool completely.

4. After sauce is totally cooled, take pie crust and ice cream out of the freezer. (You could carefully soften the ice cream in the microwave, but I just let it stand on the counter for 5 or 10 minutes.) Spread a layer of ice cream evenly over the bottom of the frozen pie crust. Spread a layer of caramel over the ice cream. Freeze pie until ice cream and caramel are firm, at least 1 hour.

5. Repeat with a second layer of ice cream and caramel sauce, freezing after, then adding a third layer of ice cream. FREEZE PIE OVERNIGHT. Cover and reserve remaining caramel sauce at room temperature.

*Note: The original recipe says to use 1 cup of ice cream and 1/4 cup of caramel in each layer. I just eyeballed it, knowing I'd need to leave room for three layers of ice cream. 

6. DAY 2 --> For the ganache topping: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate, cream, and corn syrup. Heat in microwave until chocolate just starts to melt, then whisk the mixture until chocolate is fully melted and everything is combined. Cool ganache at room temperature until it's thick but pourable. 

7. Pour cooled ganache evenly over the frozen pie. Sprinkle with additional pecans so it looks pretty. Freeze until ganache is firm, at least 45 minutes. 

*Note: I cut back on the amount of ganache in the original recipe. I never thought I'd say this, but it was an overwhelming amount of chocolate! The caramel, crust, and ice cream combo are the real stars of this show — let them shine with the ganache as an accent.

8. To serve: Let pie stand at room temp for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Warm remaining caramel and drizzle over each slice of pie. 

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Yes, this is a pie for planners. I woke up Saturday morning and made the crust so it could cool/freeze. I stayed at home Saturday night, so I had plenty of time to stop back into the kitchen to add layers of ice cream and caramel, freezing between each. The next morning, I woke up and made ganache so it would be cool by the afternoon. I drizzled it over the frozen pie before dinner, then let it freeze together until dessert time. Sounds like a lot of putzing, but if I can do it, you can do it. And do it — it's so worth it!