The contrasts in both temperature and texture—from the crunchy crust, to the cold ice cream, to the warm apples—put this ice cream pie in a class all its own. And, believe it or not, all the components can be made in advance, so all you have to do is simply warm up the apples when you're ready to serve. If you or someone you're serving has a nut allergy, 1/2 cup more oats can be substituted for the pecans in the crust.
Note that if you put all the warm apples on top of the ice cream pie, you will end up with a big mess. I suggest cutting the pie into pieces and serving each with an individual scoop of warm apples. Alternatively, you can serve the sautéed apples at room temperature, which will keep the ice cream from melting so quickly.
Ingredients
Serves 6
Oat Crust
Filling
Topping
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2
To make the crust, stir together the oats, pecans, muscovado sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan and bake until toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and use the back of a spoon to push the crust back up the sides, as it will have fallen a bit, and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 3
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften for about 10 minutes. Scoop the ice cream into the pie shell and spread it in an even layer. I find this works best by using a large spoon and dipping it in warm water every so often to help spread the ice cream out flat. Put the pie back in the freezer to firm up for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days, placing a piece of plastic wrap on top if you'll be freezing it for more than a few hours.
Step 4
To make the topping, melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the apple slices and sauté until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the muscovado sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and continue cooking until a sauce forms, another 2 minutes.
Step 5
Remove the ice cream pie from the freezer, cut into six pieces, wiping off your knife between each slice, and spoon the warm apples on top of each slice. Alternatively, let the apples cool to room temperature and then pile them onto the ice cream pie before cutting into serving pieces. Garnish with the pecans or granola and serve immediately.
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Reviews (11)
Back to Topi reviewed this the first time i made it, in 2012, and have made it several times since. checking back in to note that today, i messed with the original and it is fun that way, too. i didn't have enough muscovado sugar so i used half dark brown. had a big thing of quick oats in the house and no rolled, so subbed those. i think if anything, the crust is a little more manageable with them (although slightly less healthful - but hey, it is a piecrust, after all). and because it's labor day, i swapped peaches and blueberries for the apples. (i halved the cinnamon in both the crust and the topping but left everything else the same.) forgiving, flexible, and fun recipe.
Anonymous
9/4/2016
I really liked the components of this - the crust was great, in fact, and I will be trying to come up with a way to use it for something else... but the lower rating is for the fact that I felt that the proportions were off: too much ice cream, not enough pie.
lnitsa
Brussels, BE
10/6/2014
This is my new favorite apple pie! It was so easy to make, and can be done ahead so no day of worry. I used walnuts instead of pecans because I don't like them. I also added a little nutmeg and clove to the apples. Good quality ice cream is a must, but I would recommend sticking with vanilla. The crust is too delicious to add more flavors. Parchment paper in the base of the pan helps to remove the slices more easily. And as another user suggested, dipping the dish in hot water is very helpful. A real keeper, I can't wait for another reason to make this pie!
smcdonaldmd
San Francisco, CA
12/31/2013
This recipe is as amazingly wonderful as it is easy to make! HOWEVER, the comments about "fighting with the crust" are spot on. Seems like half the crust was stuck to the glass pie dish. Next time I'm either going to butter the bottom & sides of the dish 1st, or try using a Teflon pie plate. Also, I couldn't find muscovado sugar, so I googled what was a good substitute and used turbinado sugar mixed with molasses. All in all, this is awesome, a really good Vanilla Bean ice cream is a must.....my husband who is NOT a dessert lover asked for seconds......oops! All gone!
Squawmom
San Diego, Ca
12/26/2013
OMG this is so good! I did it dairy free using coconut ice cream...delicious. The crust behaved for me. Quite possibly the only way I'll make apple pie from here on out.
andreatraber
12/14/2013
I've made this 4 times this past month. My wife loves it, the crust especially. We like french vanilla ice cream but I'm sure you can you many other flavors. Also, for fruit peaches make work also. But the recipe is great as written. Fairly easy too.
MikeP33
Allentown, PA
6/18/2013
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I also fought with the crust, but finally set the bottom of the glass pie pan in hot water for about 2 minutes, and used a warmed metal spatula(that I also put in hot water) which made dishing it out much easier and the presentation much nicer. Will definately make this again!
KellyVG
Pa
11/25/2012
i made the mistake of "liking" epi on facebook, where i now regularly see their tantalizing recipe photos posted. when this one came up, i knew i would have to make it for thanksgiving! i'd give it 4 forks for taste (and fun factor) but 3 for presentation; like the cook from ohio, i had a tough time with the crust sticking. i'm thinking of lining just the bottom of the pan with a little circle of parchment next time. however, the crust is worth the fight. absolutely delicious and different! i used "slow churned" vanilla bean ice cream to lighten it up a bit and it still tasted totally decadent. vanilla in the apple filling is awesome. to serve, i pre-sliced the pie, piled some room temp apples in the middle, and served the rest of the apples on the side. that way people could see what it was. guests LOVED it and there was none left!
Anonymous
11/23/2012
Great recipe but crust stuck to my glass pie pan. Can anyone help?
Anonymous
canada
11/12/2012
This was an easy dessert to make and very tasty. The only thing I did different was to use cinnamon ice cream in place of the vanilla bean, as that is what I served in the past with my regular apple pie.
Anonymous
Ohio
11/8/2012
Was in search of a fall/autumn dessert to serve a crowd that needs gluten free and this fit the bill! Very easy to make and quite tasty. The only thing I would do differently next time (and there will be a next time), it to cut the apples into smaller pieces. My apples looked like the ones in the picture but felt like they were too large, that I had to cut them with the spoon before putting them into my mouth. Other than that, this is a simple, yet tasty dessert that can be made ahead and is easy to travel with (provided you don't have to go far as it is ice cream!)
LisaGiangreco
10/28/2012
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