Our great-nephew, Joel, is visiting us with his parents and four-month-old brother. Joel already loves to cook, and Mom suggested we make a pie! It is hot, so what would be better than an ice cream pie?
Working on a child-friendly surface accessible with a booster seat, Joel made the crust from chocolate mint cookies. He put the cookies in a large plastic bag, and gave them a few good whacks with the rolling pin. 
Then, he rolled them out to make small crumbs. He emptied the bag of the crushed cookies into a small bowl, and ate the pieces that were big enough to grab. While Joel was eating those big pieces, Dad managed to grab a few, too. Then, Aunt Diane added the melted butter to the cookies, and Joel gave a good stir.
Next, Joel poured the crust mixture into the pie pan and patted it with a spoon. Mom helped to make it smooth. Aunt Diane covered the crust with a sheet of wax paper, and we all make hand prints on the crust to be sure it was firm.
While the crust was in the freezer, Joel tested the ice cream to be sure that it was soft, and that he liked the flavor of the peppermint ice cream. He did!
Then he spooned the ice cream into the crust. Mom held the ice cream container (whew, thanks Mom) and Joel spread the ice cream into the crust. 
Of course, there must be sprinkles and chocolate chips.
Voila! Joel’s pie! Dad and Uncle Dick came back for seconds! Joel’s pie is a success! 
P.S. Later, Mom made a delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie. Dad was under the impression that rhubarb was poisonous; the pie convinced him otherwise!
People: Young chefs. It is never too early to learn to make a pie!
Places: A kid-friendly kitchen with plenty of helpers and tasters.
Pies: Peppermint Ice Cream Pie, Joel.
- 1 box of chocolate cookies such as Thin Mints or Oreos, about 25 cookies
- ½ stick butter (4 ounces), melted
- ½ gallon of any flavor ice cream or sorbet
- Sprinkles, chocolate chips, cookie crumbs
- For the crust: Put the cookies in a plastic bag, and crush into fine bits. Mix with melted butter and pat the mixture in a pie pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- For the filling: Slightly melt ice cream and spoon into the pie. Depending on the size of the pie pan and thickness of the crust, it may not require the full half-gallon of ice cream. Top with sprinkles, chocolate chips, or crushed cookies. Freeze for at least 15 minutes. Enjoy!
