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An ice cream pie is one of those easy desserts that involves little work but gets copious praise. All you need it a simple cookie crust — cookies crushed with some melted butter, pressed into a pie plate — and a topping to dress it up.

Pouring homemade ice cream directly from the freezer bowl (or pail!) into a crust is much, much easier than waiting for a gallon of store-bought to soften, trying to keep the edges from liquifying before the middle is pliable. And, of course, homemade tastes better.

We like to have some chopped candy bars or nuts on hand to sprinkle in between layers of ice cream so that you see a stripe when you slice into it.

The recipe above uses store-bought vanilla, but it gives you the basic formula for creating your own flavor:

• Five Minute Vanilla Ice Cream Pie with Warm Berry Compote, from Epicurious

Related: Daily Scoop: Minty Chip Sea Turtle Ice Cream Cake

(Image: Victoria Pearson for Bon Appétit)