There seems to be some controversy regarding the history of this particular dessert. Also sometimes known as "Missisippi Mud Pie" and "Louisiana Mud Pie," food historians generally trace Mud pie to the 1970s and when it hit mainstream restaurants. Most notably: The Chart House restaurant chain. Print evidence confirms this recipe first surfaced in 1960s California. Noteriety grew in the 1970s and popularity exploded when it became a "signature" dessert of the chocoholic 1980s.
What is Mud pie?
Excellent question with no definitive answer. This recipe invites experimentation. Early print descriptions suggest the original dessert was a frozen fudge infused ice cream pie presented in chocolate cookie crumb pie crust. Ice cream flavors varied; fudge ran from chocolate sauce to thick emulsion. Some recipes incorporate marshmallow or whipped cream. Others have no ice cream at all and are served warm or room temperature. "Adult" versions are laced with liqueur. Children's versions (think: Dirt dessert & Dirt cake) are a study in commercial product assemblage. They are classically garnished with gummy worms.
When & where was Mud Pie invented?
The earliest print reference we find for Mud Pie suggests it was concocted by the wife of a rising star chef based in Long Beach California, circa 1965. Early 1970s newspapers offer key references to Mud Pie recipes in readers' exchange columns and local fair contest winners. Clearly, the recipe was circulating locally among home bakers. At some point in the early-mid 1970s, the Chart House restaurant chain added Mud Pie to its dessert menu. While we can't confirm this restaurant "invented" mud pie, it certainly merits credit for elevating popularity to the national level. Upscale restaurants, food service operations, corporate kitchens, and home cooks embraced the mud. With all sorts of interesting results. It is true that Mud Pie recipes come from Mississippi. It is equally true they come from the West, North, East and Midwest. MacArthur Park Mud Pie celebrates the mud in San Francisco Bay.
Where did the idea come from?
Likely culinary ancestors are Elizabethan-era
Trifle (cream & cake), 19th century Viennese torten,
1900s double fudge brownies,
1920s Black Bottom Pie, and 1950s novelty ice cream cakes.
Ingredients
Original recipe makes ice cream pie
1 (6 ounce) chocolate sandwich cookie crumb crust (such as an Oreo crust)
1. Freeze the crust until firm, about 30 minutes. Place half the coffee ice cream into a bowl, and let it stand about 10 minutes to soften. Return remaining ice cream to the freezer. Mix softened ice cream with the mini chocolate chips. Spread the ice cream and chips in an even layer over the frozen crust. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 2 hours.
2. Heat the topping in the microwave on low until warm and easy to pour, 30 seconds to 1 minute (do not let the sauce get very hot). Pour into a bowl. Set aside 2 tablespoons cookie crumbs for garnish; stir remaining cookie crumbs into the fudge topping. Remove the pie from the freezer, and layer the cookie crumbs and fudge topping mixture over the ice cream with chips. Cover with plastic wrap, and return to freezer for 2 hours.
3. Take the remaining frozen coffee ice cream out of the freezer, and allow to stand for about 10 minutes to soften. Layer the ice cream over the layer of cookie crumbs and fudge topping. Cover with plastic wrap, and return to freezer for 2 more hours.
4. Remove pie, and frost the top of the pie with the whipped topping. Top with the reserved cookie crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap, and return to freezer for 2 more hours to freeze the whipped topping layer. Cut the pie into serving pieces, and drizzle each serving with about 1 tablespoon of the chocolate syrup.
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