Cinnamon Pumpkin Dessert

By

“Grandma served this one Thanksgiving when she wanted something a little different. It became our favorite.”

Ingredients

  • 8 cinnamon graham crackers
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar, divided
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
  • 8 ounces whipped topping

Preparation

Step 1

Crush graham crackers between 2 sheets of waxed paper to yield about 1 1/2 cups finely ground crumbs.


Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup brown sugar and butter in a medium bowl and mix well. Press onto bottom of a 9x9-inch baking dish.


Combine pumpkin, remaining brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Stir in the ice cream. Spoon on top of the crust.

Freeze, covered, until firm, about 3 hours. Top servings with dollops of whipped topping. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon.


Variation: Use plain graham crackers or gingersnap cookies instead of cinnamon graham crackers for the crust. Add 1/4 cup chopped pecans to the crust.

..............................

Grandma's Secret Tip

No dessert was too rich and creamy for Grandma's table, so she sometimes beat the pumpkin puree with 3 ounces cream cheese, softened, to add an over-the-top richness to the pie. She also loved the flavor of maple with pumpkin, so sometimes she added a few drops of maple flavoring or a little maple syrup to the whipped topping.