Frozen Raspberry Lemonade Pie

I wanted to make a simple dessert AND I wanted to try something new, but not spend an arm and a leg on ingredients. That really narrowed things down. While I was browsing my lengthy "to make" list, I came across a recipe posted last summer by Susan over at Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy called Frozen lemonade pie.

This pie seemed to fit the bill exactly. I already had graham crackers, butter, cool whip and lemonade concentrate. The only thing I had to buy was the condensed milk. Lucky me, I just happened to have a coupon for condensed milk! Awesome!

Every other time I had wanted to make this pie I decided against it because I didn't think it would survive the long journey to our friends or family's houses. I was right. This is a pie that needs to stay frozen. It melts quickly on a hot day, and this is a refreshing dessert for a hot summer day.

I made a few slight changes to this recipe. First, since I had graham crackers in the pantry, I made my own crust instead of using a premade one. I used 10 whole cinnamon crackers and 6 T of butter. All you have to do is crush the crackers, melt the butter, and mix them all together. Then you pat the mixture into the pie pan of your choice and bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes.

Second, I only had a 8 oz tub of cool whip instead of the 12 oz required in the recipe. To make up for this I used my 8 1/2 inch pie pan. (Why is this pie pan 8 1/2 inches? Not a clue.) This made the crust extra thick and decreased the volume needed for the filling. I also used slightly less than a full can of sweetened condensed milk, and slightly less than 6 oz of concentrated juice.

Third, I decided to use raspberry lemonade instead of plain lemonade. Since I can only find concentrated raspberry lemonade in 12 oz containers, I used slightly less than half a can. Instead of tossing, or refreezing the rest of the concentrate, I just make half a pitcher of juice.

So, was this a tasty dessert? Don't let the lack of a photo fool you. The pie didn't last long enough for a picture. I can't wait to try a limeade or pink lemonade version.

Frozen Lemonade Pie from Sticky, gooey, creamy, chewy
1 large-size store bought graham cracker pie crust
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (6 fluid ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, keep frozen
1 teaspoon candied lemon peel for garnish (optional)

In a medium bowl, add chilled sweetened condensed milk and Cool Whip and fold gently. Add frozen lemonade and continue to gently fold. Do not let the mixture become soupy.Pour mixture into the pie crust and freeze for several hours or overnight. Garnish with candied lemon peel, if desired.