Pink Lemonade Pie

I promised a friend that this would be the first recipe I posted after rearranging my website. This is a wonderful light summertime dessert. It is easy to make and on a hot summer night it is very refreshing. It’s tart but not overly so because of the sweetness of the ice cream. And it is easy to change up the flavors if you so desire as well but for me I enjoy the tartness lemonade brings to it. It keeps it from becoming too sweet.

Pink Lemonade Pie

18 mini graham cracker tart shells (Keebler normally sells a package of 6 for a decent price) OR two graham cracker 9 inch pie shells
1 container of pink lemonade concentrate – thawed
1 quart of vanilla ice cream – softened
½ recipe of whipped cream
Diced strawberries – optional
Dark chocolate grated for garnish – optional

Note: If you do not want to make the whipped cream you can substitute it with a half container of thawed out Cool Whip. I prefer the whipped cream though…it comes out a bit lighter and tastes better in my opinion.

Make the whipping cream in a large bowl. Add thawed out pink lemonade concentrate and ice cream. Gently mix together just enough so you don’t have chunks of ice cream or whipping cream but not so much you take all the fluffiness out of the whipped cream.

If you are making the larger pies – add the diced strawberries and gently fold in. Make sure you dice them into small bite size pieces. There is nothing worse than breaking a tooth on frozen fruit. Pour mixture into pie shells. (I find using a measuring cup works well with the mini pie shells.) Top with diced strawberries. And add grated dark chocolate for garnish if desired. freeze on a flat surface for about two hours at least.

Bring out about five minutes before serving so that the mixture softens slightly. This is really important for the larger pies. If not cutting it can be a hassle.

This pie keeps really well in the freezer. So It’s nice to have on hand during the summer. I find I really like the dark chocolate on the top as it gives the pie an added depth of flavor.  You could also add a couple of dollops of the whipped cream if you make extra. Regular Lemonade or Limeade also works well.

Quick and Easy Whipped Cream

There are just certain things I no longer buy at the grocery store. Yeah, sure sometimes it costs a little bit more to make it and okay it can take a little bit more time…BUT the taste is normally oh so much better. And not to mention, nine out of ten times it was better for you as well. You can control the ingredients, the amount of sugar or salt. You know what preservatives if any that are in it. And honestly with just a few tools it is not really all that difficult.

One things I never buy any more is whipped cream or cool whip. Once I found out how simple it was to make it was no contest. And my husband will actually eat the homemade whipped cream so that’s an extra bonus…well most times.

Basic Whipped Cream
2 cups Heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons sugar (can subsitute with Splenda to make it truly sugar free)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients into mixing bowl and mix until stiff peaks are formed and the beaters leave trails in the cream.

That’s it! Seriously that is all that I do. What is even better is that it’s easy to adjust to suit your tastes or to do something different. You can make it sweeter or make it more vanilla. I like to add a tablespoon or two of cinnamon for dipping in strawberries. (OMG That is so yummy…one of our favorite desserts during the summer).

It holds up well to use as a frosting for a cake. Or you can pipe it onto pies or other desserts. Quick tip: if you do not have a piping bag…just snip a corner off a ziplock bag and put your piping tip inside it. Instant piping bag!