How do you feel about pumpkin pie? I think it’s often a “love it” or “hate it” kind of dessert. When I was about five years old, I went to a family friend’s place for Thanksgiving. All of us kids were kicking around in the basement, probably making a mess and getting into trouble. After dinner my friend’s mom came downstairs with the dessert we were all supposed to be fawning over: a beautiful homemade pumpkin pie. Everyone was drooling, except for me.
At five years old I did NOT like pumpkin pie, and that didn’t change till I was in my teens. Unfortunately for me my mother instilled good etiquette in us kids for when we went to Someone Else’s House, so I knew I had to eat it, or at least attempt to, in order to be polite. So, I did what any devious child would do, and topped my slice with a generous amount of whipped cream. I smooshed it all together and even though I ate mostly the whipped cream, the plate actually looked somewhat eaten. In the end, I fooled them all.
If still you fall in the “hate it” camp for pumpkin pie, this pumpkin pie ice cream cake is for you. It’s smooth and creamy, and unlike pumpkin pie, the pumpkin taste is subtle, settling in with the dulce de leche and vanilla ice cream. Caramelized sweetened condensed milk is drizzled over every piece, doubling the creamy factor of this decadent dessert. An Oreo crust makes this pumpkin pie ice cream cake a standout from your typical Thanksgiving desserts, so when you’re crowding around the dessert table, make sure you’re first in line.
This recipe is totally adaptable too, if you don’t want to make the whole cake you can make the pumpkin pie ice cream by itself and serve it in bowls with or without the dulce de leche. Enjoy, and happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends! 
- 2 cups Oreo crumbs
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- 1.5 L (1.6 quart) vanilla ice cream, softened at room temperature for 20 min
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup dulce de leche
- Spray an 8" pie plate very well with non-stick spray. Combine the Oreo crumbs with the butter and press into the pie plate over the bottom and up the sides. Place the crust in the freezer to chill while making the ice cream.
- In a large bowl, add the ice cream, pumpkin purée, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine well. Pour over the chocolate wafer cookies and freeze overnight until solid.
- Place the dulce de leche in the microwave for about 30 seconds to thin it out, then fill a plastic bag and slice off the tip. Drizzle the dulce de leche over the top of the frozen cake. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.