Frozen Lemonade Pie

It's been hotter than you know what the last few months here in California and when it's over 100 degrees, I don't want to turn on the oven to bake anything. As hard as that may be, it's just too darn hot! The other day I wanted to make something quick and refreshing and I knew just the think - frozen lemonade pie! I first had this pie up in Oregon made by the wonderful Barby. As strange as this sounds, I had never had a frozen pie before. At least that I can remember. When Barby first pulled it out of the freezer she told us it was an ice cream pie, but when I tried it, it was so much more than that. This pie was cool, sweet and tart (yes, all at the same time) and so refreshing. To be honest, I could have eaten way more than the sliver I asked for. It was that good. I can't explain it. There was just something about it. So, when the temperature rose this week, I knew I had to make this pie myself.

I sent Barby an email asking her how she made hers because all the recipes I could find after searching "frozen lemonade pie" were made with lots of ingredients. I remember her telling me that hers was only a few and sweetened condensed milk or cool whips was definitely not one of those ingredients! Come to find out, her fabulous frozen pie only had three ingredients. Only three! I couldn't believe it. All I needed was a graham cracker crust (homemade or store bought), vanilla ice cream and lemonade concentrate. A three ingredient pie that tasted amazing? Now that's what I am talking about. 

You will need a bit of patience with this pie though. You'll first make the crust and then need to place it in your freezer to harden up. It doesn't take long, but about 20-30 minutes or so. When the crust is nice and hard, you'll want to mix up the ice cream (make sure it's soft, but not too soft!) and the concentrate. Again, make sure the frozen lemonade mix isn't too liquidy. Mix the two together until nice and mixed. Give it a quick taste to make sure it's to your liking. If you want to add more lemonade, add it. If not, then don't. I added a bit more because I felt like the lemon flavor wasn't strong enough, but that could just be me. Then, once the ice cream mixture is ready to go, pour it into the crust and, smooth it out and then place the whole thing back into the freezer. That's it. You'll need to keep it in the freezer until it's nice a solid - at least a couple of hours. I'd say three to four, just to be safe. Once it's nice and firm, cut slices and enjoy. This pie may just become your new favorite quick and easy dessert. No one will ever guess just how quick and easy it was!


 

I made my own crust, but you don't have to.

ice cream + frozen lemonade concentrate

I could eat this whole thing by myself

frozen crust

smooth out the ice cream

and don't forget to add the extra crumbles. yum!

Frozen Lemonade Pie (The one, the only, Barby!)

For the crust (or you can use a store bought crust):

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

For the filling:

2/3 of a 12 oz container of frozen lemonade concentrate (regular lemonade or raspberry lemonade - I used raspberry!)
2/3 of a 1/2 gallon of your favorite vanilla ice cream (I used Dreyer's vanilla bean ice cream)

To make the crust, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until the mixture is moist and well mixed. Set aside about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of crumbs. Press the remaining crumbs into a pie pan. Remember to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Place in freezer for 20-30 minutes to harden while you make the filling.

To make the filling, combine the softened lemonade concentrate and ice cream (make sure it's soft and not melted!) until everything is well mixed. I used my stand mixer, but you can do this by hand too. Once well mixed, pour the mixture into the frozen graham cracker crust and top with the additional crumbs you set aside. Place the pie back in the freezer for three to four additional hours to harden and set. Enjoy!

Who knew a three ingredient pie would be so good!