Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
Pumpkin ice cream pie but make it with apple cider caramel and a torched apple cider meringue. This delicious billowing beauty is easy to make and an attractive thanksgiving centerpiece!
Recipe Overview
I’m not a massive fan of pumpkin pie, I’ll eat a slice once a year, enjoy it and that’s that. I however, obsessively love Trader Joe’s pumpkin ice cream and look forward to it showing up in stores every September. When it showed up this year, there was only one thing I wanted to do with it. Remember this ice cream smores pie ? We’re going to ‘autumnize’ or “Thanksgiving” it!
Now three of the things you’ll need are recipes that you’ve already seen on the site. This is just a really delicious, fancy and rather easy way to bring them all together (I say just like it isn’t the most gorgeous thing everrrr).
Ice Cream Options for the Filling
Obviously, considering the occasion I had it in mind for, I chose pumpkin ice cream for the pie. If you can’t get your hands on it you could make your own: here’s an eggless recipe and here’s one with yolks (more likely to be creamy).
Alternatively, you could just buy another flavor. Butter pecan sounds wonderful here (or if you are feeling like making a butter pecan here’s a brown butter recipe that looks so good); or perhaps you have another autumn flavor you like (something apple?!). I’ll just caution against using something overly sweet like caramel ice cream, as we’ve got extra sweetness coming in from the layers above and below the ice cream.
Caramel Options for the Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
I’ve linked you below to my apple cider caramel but let’s say you aren’t up to making caramel yourself; you can buy store bought caramel sauce and use it as is or you can add a little reduced cider to it (about a tablespoon). It’ll make it a tad more watery but won’t matter because the pie is frozen.
Now I’ll warn you that the caramel gets hard under the ice cream (and it’s freaking delicious against the ground up cones) so save it for the last bites when you’re eating (instruct guests to do the same).
Meringue Options for Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
I won’t pretend my apple cider meringue isn’t the most perfect option BECAUSE IT IS AND YOU SHOULD MAKE IT. But let’s say you can’t find cider or are allergic you could try the cranberry meringue (it’s very tart, consider it only if you have a compatible ice cream choice) or you can simply go ahead and make a swiss meringue.
Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 200 g ice cream cone crumbs 12 sugar or waffle cones, ground in the food processor
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- Apple Cider Caramel or store bought caramel sauce
- 1 quart Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Apple Cider Meringue or Swiss Meringue
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix the cone crumbs and the butter together and press into the bottom of a 9” pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes to set it.
- Take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften, for about 10 minutes.
- Warm the caramel slightly to make it easy to work with. Spread the caramel over the crust in an even layer. Set it in the freezer to firm up.
- Spread the ice cream over the caramel best you can then cover it with plastic wrap and press down so it’s a mostly even layer (it’ll probably be a bit thicker at the center, that’s good!). Set it in the freezer to harden again, at least an hour but you can leave it there for a few days as long as it’s sealed.
- Once the meringue has reached stiff peaks, remove the pie from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Spread the meringue over it and use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to create pretty swoops. YOu can freeze the pie for a few hours or move straight to the next step.
- Use a kitchen torch to torch the pie. Serve immediately. A warm but dry knife will slice through nicely.
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This. Recipe. Wow! It’s a stunner.
You know how you try someone’s recipe and there’s techniques you steal for future projects? I will use literally each of the components again. This pie is a masterclass in texture. Starting with the crust, it stays pleasantly crunchy in the freezer. The apple cider caramel is exactly how it should be: firm enough to not be runny but not chewy in the least. I made my own ice cream (pumpkin with bourbon to keep it from freezing too hard), but you could easily use store-bought. And then the meringue! I’ve made lots of meringue but never with apple cider or cinnamon. Game changer. It’s a beautiful, glossy meringue that browns up nicely under the broiler.
That’s what makes this recipe so great: distinct textures and flavors that hold up even out of the freezer. That’s not easy to do, but she nails it! Not only does it taste phenomenal but it’s incredibly beautiful. Kudos!