PEPPERMINT Nut-Crisp PIE - an Ice Cream Dessert

PEPPERMINT Nut-Crisp PIE - an Ice Cream Dessert

Table of Contents: DESSERTS & PIES

The flavor has a lovely, not too heavy, peppermint lilt blended with chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream, and pecans.  Make the dessert ahead of time and keep it frozen until time to serve.

Before separating your eggs, watch my video on “Egg Separation” on my website HomePage.   You’ll never want to go back to the old messy, time-consuming way again!

1 cup granulated sugar

Scant ¾ tsp. baking powder

4 egg whites, room temperature

19 Ritz crackers, crushed

¾ cup chopped pecans

1 cup peppermint crunch baking chips, divided (in a bag like chocolate chips)

½ gallon vanilla ice cream

Small, squeeze-type container of chocolate syrup; dark or milk chocolate (use only a part of the container)

SOME OF THE PHOTOS ARE OF THE DESSERT MADE IN A PIE DISH, BUT I HAVE DECIDED THAT IT IS EASIER TO SERVE WHEN MADE IN A 9" X 13" RECTANGULAR BAKING DISH.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with Baker’s Joy that contains flour.  In a small bowl, combine and mix the sugar and baking powder.

Using an electric mixer, beat the room temperature egg whites until very stiff; then gradually beat the sugar mixture into the stiff egg whites.

By hand, fold in the crushed crackers and chopped pecans.  Spread the mixture on the bottom of the prepared baking dish; then sprinkle with one half of the peppermint chips (do not allow any chips to touch the edge of the baking dish).

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Allow the crust to completely cool on a wire rack.  While the crust is cooling, remove the ice cream from the freezer to slightly soften (do not allow it to become liquid); then evenly spoon and spread all of the ice cream over the cooled crust.

Make a grid design on top of the ice cream by squeezing the chocolate syrup container to form lines to make a grid.  Using your fingers, sprinkle the center portions of the grid with the remaining peppermint chips.

Cover the dessert with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and freeze until the ice cream is very hard.  To serve: remove the dish from the freezer and cut into squares or rectangles.

Serves: 8 to 10.