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.