Friday Pie-Day: Black Forest Freezer Pie

I had never made black forest anything before, but when I saw this recipe in my pie book from Taste of Home, it looked intriguing, so… I made it! (Pie of the month this year!) Not only was it simple to make, it turned out beautifully and tasted wonderful!

Here were the necessary ingredients.

This is probably one of the easiest pie fillings – chocolate ice cream! Just do smallish spoonfuls so it doesn’t stand up on end. I let the ice cream sit out for a little while so it would be easier to scoop. Then it needs to go in the freezer to firm up again.

That’s when you beat together the next layer of the pie. It took about 5 minutes for the confectioners’ sugar and cream cheese to go from lumpy to creamy.

Then it was time to add the whipped cream.

Yes, it was melting already as I added it to the top of the ice cream. But I spread it out all over and tried to make a “well” in the center as instructed.

Then I got to “pipe” some of the cream topping around the edges. It added a nice decorative touch.

The pies then went in the freezer for several hours to get nice and firm. Really, this could be made days, weeks, or even a month or two in advance.

The rest is added when it’s ready to serve. Dump out some cherry pie filling in the middle (we only used half a jar).

Then drizzle some chocolate syrup over the top. It really turned out prettier than I was expecting!

And for all its beauty and deliciousness, it was not a whole lot of work. We would definitely make this pie again!

By the time I had thoroughly photographed it, the pie was melting, but the colors (and flavors) did mix together nicely!

Just so you know, this is what it looks like when it’s leftover. The ice cream and cream mixture freeze well, but not really the cherries. It was still edible, but it was better before the canned cherries were frozen. (Notice how small the piece is… not too much leftover!)

Black Forest Freezer Pie (recipe from Taste of Home)

1 pint chocolate ice cream, softened

1 extra-servings-size graham cracker crust (9 oz.)

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

8 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed

1/2 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling, chilled

3 tbsp. chocolate syrup

1. Spoon ice cream into pie crust; cover and freeze for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth; fold in whipped topping. Set aside 1½ cups for garnish.
3. Spread remaining cream cheese mixture over ice cream. Using the back of a spoon, make an 8-inch diameter well in the center of the pie for the pie filling. Pipe reserved cream cheese mixture around pie.
4. Cover and freeze for 3-4 hours or until firm (may be frozen for up to 2 months).
5. Just before serving, spoon cherry pie filling into the well; drizzle with chocolate syrup. Serve immediately.