Frozen Strawberry-Pistachio Dessert

Jennifer S.

Crust
1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (from 15-oz. pkg.)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup chopped pistachios or almonds
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Strawberry Layer
1 (1/2-gallon) container strawberry or cherry ice cream
Pistachio Layer
1 (1/2-gallon) container vanilla ice cream
1 (3.4-oz.) pkg. instant pistachio pudding and pie filling mix
1 cup half-and-half

Fudge Sauce
2 cups powdered sugar
1 (6-oz.) pkg. (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 (12-oz.) can (1 1/2 cups) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Frozen whipped topping, thawed, if desired
Fresh strawberries, if desired

1 Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, extending foil over all sides of pan. In medium bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press evenly in bottom of foil-lined pan. Freeze 30 minutes. Place strawberry ice cream in refrigerator to soften.
2 Spoon softened strawberry ice cream onto crust; smooth with back of spoon. Freeze 30 minutes. Place vanilla ice cream in refrigerator to soften.
3 Place softened vanilla ice cream in large bowl; stir with spoon until smooth. In small bowl, combine pudding mix and half-and-half; stir until blended. Add to ice cream; mix with electric mixer at low speed until well blended. Spoon over strawberry ice cream. Freeze 4 hours or until firm.
4 Meanwhile, in large saucepan, combine powdered sugar, chocolate chips, butter and evaporated milk; stir to mix. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Cool at least 1 hour before serving.
5 To serve, let dessert stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve each with fudge sauce, whipped topping and strawberries.

Tips
To save prep time, use purchased fudge ice cream topping.
The fudge sauce for this dessert is delicious; try it over sundaes.
Instead of spooning the fudge sauce over the dessert, drizzle it on the plate before adding the dessert square.