Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream Pie
 
 
Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients
for the pie
  • 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 quart pumpkin ice cream or gelato
  • 2 cups whipped topping, such as Cool Whip (see note)
for the pecan topping
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 egg white
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 ounces pecan halves
Directions
for the pie
  1. You have two pan options here. The first is a spring form pan lined with plastic wrap. Sometimes I like doing it this way so it’s easy to pop it out and put the pie on a cutting board for a nice even cut or onto a platter. The second option is to make the pie directly in a glass pie pan. If you’re doing option two (directly in the pie pan) and want a firmer crust bake the graham crust at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes then let cool completely before adding the ice cream.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, the granulated sugar, the ground ginger and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Pour into the prepared pie dish and press down with your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to make an even crust layer, going slightly up the sides of the pie dish. Don't go too high up or the crust on the bottom won't be thick enough. Put in the fridge for 2 hours or the freezer for 1 hour before the next step.
  3. Scoop the pumpkin ice cream or gelato into the graham crust. If you want to make the ice cream easier to spread, beat it with a stand mixer for a minute. Spread the ice cream into an even layer then let set in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight.
  4. Combine the whipped topping with the remaining 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Spread on the firm ice cream pie. When you’re ready to serve, top with the pecan topping.
for the pecan topping
  1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg white and vanilla until frothy. Add the pecan halves then toss to coat. Add the sugar mixture and combine to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet and spread out the pecans. Bake for 1 hour, tossing the pecans on the pan about every 15 minutes. Let cool before placing on top of the pie when ready to serve.
Notes
If you want to use homemade whipped cream, follow these instructions. In a cold metal bowl of a stand mixer or in a large cold metal mixing bowl with a hand mixer, use cold beaters to beat 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon until stiff peaks form. Do not top put on the ice cream pie until you’re ready to serve it. You can make the whipped cream a day or two ahead, just store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve then lightly beat with a whisk before topping the pie.
Recipe by Lemon & Mocha at http://www.lemonandmocha.com/2018/11/19/pumpkin-pecan-ice-cream-pie/