Amazon Prime has added a series of vintage food commercials, and they are amazing. In honor of Pi Day, we watched Johnny Carson make a Jello Ice Cream Pie (circa 1957) and then made our own. We loved how easy it was, and using our favorite ice cream meant we were guaranteed to like the pie. 

You have to love recipes with only four ingredients. All you need is a pie shell (pastry or graham cracker) a cup of milk, a pint of ice cream, and a box of instant pudding.

It’s better to get the instructions straight from Johnny, but if you don’t want to watch the video, just do this:

Combine the ice cream and milk and stir to soften. We used Tillamook “Malted Moo Shake,” which is Gordon’s favorite ice cream ever. Also, malt makes it seems more appropriate for the fifties somehow. Of course, as Johnny says, “you can use any flavor you go for.”

Add the box of instant pudding mix. We used vanilla, but again, you can use any flavor you want. Mix well, then pour into the pie crust.

Chill for an hour. At this point, you can decorate the pie however you want and eat it. It tastes like an extra creamy cream pie. You can also put it in the freezer if you want to get the real ice cream experience. Just pull it out early enough to soften so you can cut it.

Happy Pi(e) Day! What kind of pie are you having today?