That's Ice Cream and a Pie

Recently, I've become a little obsessed with my DVR, which we didn't have until we moved (how did we live without it?) and The Pioneer Woman.  She's got some great recipes that seem to be family friendly and delicious, cue the Ice Cream Pie with homemade caramel sauce; that's right, the freakin' Ice Cream Pie.

It's a pretty simple, combine some melted ice cream with your favorite chocolate or candy delights, shovel it into a graham cracker pie crust and wha-lah, Ice Cream Pie.  I stuck with the basics, a gianormous Hershey's bar and KitKats, two things are crowd pleasers with all of the generations that enjoyed this delicious pie.

I started with the caramel sauce:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup half and half- I used whole milk and it turned out just fine
4 tablespoons butter
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract- I didn't have any, so I didn't use this

Prior to whisking, this is what the caramel sauce looks like.

Whisk the brown sugar, half and half, butter and salt for 5-7 minutes, then let it cool and thicken for about a minute.  If you're going to use the vanilla, add it now and then stir and let it thicken for another minute or two.  Pour into a jar or bowl and refrigerate until serving.

Here is the finished product.

Once I was finished, I started on the Ice Cream Pie; here's what you'll need:

Candy of your choice
A store bought graham cracker pie crust or a homemade one if you prefer
Vanilla ice cream, thawed for about 45 minutes

I started by chopping the candy into small pieces, as The Pioneer Woman said, the chunkier the better.

Pre-chop

Post-chop

Then I mixed the candy and melted ice cream together.  I used a gallon of ice cream and there was a little extra; WHOOPS, too much ice cream is kinda not a problem.

I dumped the ice cream and candy mixture into the graham cracker pie shell and boom: Ice Cream Pie.

So, the pie was delicious and the caramel sauce was a big hit too... like, lick your plate clean good.  We will definitely be making more Pioneer Woman recipes and you should probably check her out too.