Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie ~a.k.a. Green Dragon

Mint chocolate chip ice cream, Oreo cookies, and Butterfinger candy bars combine to create an ice cream dessert beyond words. Four ingredients are all you need to make this dessert that will become a new favorite. 

Why I love this dessert so much

Green Dragon is a family favorite, not just my family’s favorite. There’s a camp in Northern Michigan that is very special to our family. We used to stay there for a week every Summer, and our kids would also spend a week at kids’ camp. Green Dragon is always served for dessert on the last night of camp. Over the years, I’ve heard rumors that a cook or two tried to switch up the dessert on the last night of camp, and that was the last of them!  True story. So you see, this Green Dragon dessert is serious business. I recently was with friends, and we discussed our St. Patrick’s Day menu. I said you need to make Green Dragon ice cream pie, and one of my friends said that’s a weird combination of flavors. I told her, you make this pie, and I promise you you will be forever asked to bring it to every family function from here to forever. And you know what? She texted me the Monday after St Patty’s Day and said, “You were right!”. So now I think it’s time to make this legendary dessert. 

Gather these ingredients

 

How to make Green Dragon

First, this dessert can also be made in a 9×13-inch rectangle baking dish; the exact amounts for that can be found in the recipe card below.

1. Set the ice cream out and let it get soft at room tempurature. 
2. Place cookies and candy bars into a food processor and pulse until you get a uniform fine crumble. 
3. Melt butter and drizzle it in with the cookie/candy bar crumbs. Give the mixture a few pulses until the butter is evenly distributed and starts to come together. This will take 30 seconds at most. 
4. Now dump 2/3rds of the cookie crust mixture into a 9″ freezer-safe pie tin and press it into the bottom and up the sides to form an even cookie pie crust. Place the pie shell in the freezer for 30 minutes. 
5. Remove the pie shell from the freezer and spoon softened ice cream into it, creating a nice dome-shaped pie. The ice cream should not be so soft that it is sloshing; you want it to still hold its shape.
6. Take the remaining 1/3 of the cookie crumble and sprinkle it on top of the pie. You can get creative and make a pattern of some sort, or you can simply sprinkle it evenly over the top. Return the pie to the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour before serving. Cut into eight pieces. 

FAQs & Tips

• Why is this called Green Dragon? This recipe goes back to the Conference of Covenant Women’s Cookbook from 1936-1976! Apparently, there is a similar dessert made with peppermint ice cream called Pink Elephant. So that’s all I could find out. If you have more information about the origins of how this dessert was named, comment below. This, however, is not Grasshopper pie; that is a very different dessert!
• What if I don’t have a food processor? Before I had a food processor, I would place cookies and candy bars in a sturdy plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin. 
• Could I use a pre-made Oreo crust? You can do whatever you want, honey! However, I would stick to the recipe. This homemade Oreo crust with butterfingers is thicker and a large part of this dessert’s flavor. 
• I don’t like mint ice cream. What ice cream could I substitute? I made this with coffee ice cream, and it was excellent. Vanilla ice cream is always a safe bet. Serve it with hot fudge sauce or chocolate syrup. 
• Tip 1: Mint chocolate chip ice cream pie is the perfect make-ahead dessert. You can make it up to a week in advance by wrapping it tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap. 
• Tip 2: Garnish the pie with mini chocolate chips or Andes mints. Place an unwrapped mint sticking out of each piece of pie. Serve with a can of whipped cream, or make your own whipped cream and add a drop of green color for fun!
• Tip 3: If you are having trouble making the chocolate cookie crust, start slow by taking one cup of the crushed cookies at a time. First, press them into the bottom of the pie tin, then work your way up the sides of the pan with the next cup of Oreo cookie crumbs and so on. The crust should be thick, like a cookie!
• Tip 4: Before serving allow the ice cream pie to sit out for 30 minutes or more because it will be impossible to slice into it right out of the freezer. 

Mint chocolate chip ice cream pie with Butterfinger and Oreo cookie crust is the perfect summer dessert! I hope it becomes a new favorite around your table. XO Sheila