It may be freezing outside, but are we going to let a little thing like that stop us from eating ice cream?!! Especially when it's in the form of this easy-to-make ice cream pie, loaded with homemade fudge sauce, shortbread cookies, macadamia nuts and toasted coconut?!! You bet your shivering little bones we're not! Let's hear it for the WINTER ICE CREAM EXPERIENCE!!!

This is one of the quickie, no-bake desserts I've been turning to for years because the flavor/texture combinations are so right and everyone who ever eats this loves it and requests it again. And I'm only too happy to provide because it comes together in minutes, can be made several days in advance and the layering process is creative without being too artistically challenging for my weakness in the art department.

And...this is a biggie folks, there is homemade fudge sauce that gets gloriously chewy and thick when frozen so that it's almost taffy-like. It's totally irresistible and really pulls everything together (no pun intended!). The other thing that makes this such a perfect treat is that it's so versatile and flexible--other than the fudge sauce which I beg you not to forgo, you can really sub in or out any of the other ingredients and it will still be great. I generally make this with a mix of coffee and vanilla ice cream but I've used all coffee or a van/choc mix and subbed in chopped oreos and toasted almonds when I didn't have shortbread and macadamia nuts on hand and it was cheered by the home critics as well. 

So put on your jacket and scarf (and those fingerless gloves if you've got 'em) and indulge. I promise that every bite is worth the chills!!  

Coconut Macadamia Fudge Ice Cream Pie

Makes about a dozen servings

Prep Time:  20 minutes, plus several hours of freezing time

Ingredients

For the fudge sauce

• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For the pie

• 3 pints of ice cream softened, any flavor (I often use a mix of coffee and vanilla)
• 1 box of shortbread (about 5 ounces) cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 7 ounces roasted and salted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut, toasted and cooled

The Recipe

1.  To make the fudge sauce:  Place the cream, butter, corn syrup and confectioners' sugar in a small saucepan and whisk together over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate, whisking until smooth. Let cool. You can make this a couple of days ahead if you like and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat over a low light when ready to use and let cool again.

2.  Spread half of the ice cream into an 8-inch square glass baking dish. If using two flavors, split it down the middle. Sprinkle half the shortbread, nuts and coconut on top and press down lightly to embed the ingredients into the ice cream. Drizzle half the fudge sauce on top and spread out evenly. Repeat the layering process with the rest of the ice cream and ingredients, spreading the rest of the fudge sauce on top of the entire thing. The dish will be very full. Place into the freezer for about 30 minutes, until the top is a bit set and then cover well with plastic wrap, sealing the edges. Let freezer for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. When ready to serve, remove a few minutes ahead of time to soften up a bit. Then use an ice cream scoop to scoop out portions into bowls.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from a 2002 issue of Bon Appétit Magazine.