When we were little my parents rarely gave us dessert. Dessert was a piece of fruit or nothing and I recall keeping Christmas or birthday sweets for months afterwards hanging them up in a big up at the end of my bed and taking one piece out very occasionally and savouring its taste and feeling the sugar hit course through my body. When I would get a tiny bit of pocket money, even 10 cents I would go straight to the corner store and stand in front of the display chewing my lip and biting my thumbnail deep in thought as to how best spend my hard begged ahem I mean earned money. Red frogs were always a good choice but I also liked Redskins and Toffee Apple bars because they seemed to last forever.
One day when my parents went to visit one of my mother’s friends. I found most adults quite strange and creepy and they would always lean down and cluck “She’s becoming a big girl isn’t she! But so skinny!” and I would recoil and feel slightly nauseous at the thought. I didn’t want to grow up and I certainly didn’t want to be examined as if I were on a sample on a petri dish by my parent’s friends. It felt icky and they always said it in a way that gave me the heebeejeebies as if it were planning to cook me and eat me.
Anyway, one of my mother’s friends was one of the adults that I liked. And do you know why? Well, she owned a corner store and one day my parents popped in to see her with my sister and I. This woman also refrained from commenting about how big I had grown (and therefore wasn’t likely to eat me) plus she uttered the very best words my sister and I could have ever heard. “Help yourself to anything that you want girls” she said smiling. She must have seen us looking around her store wide eyed devouring the sweets and ice creams with our eyes and our glance settling on row after row of colourful packaging. She seemed to stock everything and the boxes of treats reached up to the ceiling to the heavens.
Now I don’t know if you’ve ever seen those shows where people try and grab as much as you can and for a moment I think my head exploded from the sheer idea of a lolly and ice cream bonanza. But before I could move a firm hand touched my shoulder. It was my mother. “One item only” she said firmly but that didn’t matter. I could choose any item I wanted and it could be over 2o cents! I chose an ice cream, I believe it was a Bubble O’Bill (my favourite as there was a bonus round of a bubble gum nose so there were two treats for the price of one) and she became one of my favourite “aunties” from that day on.
Now that I am fully grown up the treats that I crave aren’t quite the same although there are some nostalgic favourites and I do love to make things inspired or using the childhood treats. The Snickers Pie was inspired by a Magnolia Bakery “Ice box Snickers pie”. The Nibble had a variation of it that I adapted to suit the ingredients that we had here as well as adding another layer of the caramel to it and a ganache topping.
I have to admit that sometimes it takes two or three goes to get the right flavour balance to consider a recipe a homage to an existing product. However this pie was with the first go a winner. It has a thick layer of chocolate chip cookie crumbs, a layer of thick caramel, chopped up Snickers bars, a lovely whipped peanut butter, cream cheese centre and cream centre, a top layer of chocolate ganache, roasted peanuts and more chopped up Snickers bars. It is a Snickers but in a pie form. Even better it was actually simple to make and didn’t require much time or skill in the kitchen and not a jot of baking. The thing that took the longest was actually getting the cookie crumbs in a nice even layer and the rest was a cinch-just let your mixer do all of the work and then your mouth do all the eating…
So tell me Dear Reader, what was your favourite childhood ice cream? And did you get dessert growing up and if so, which dessert did you have most often?
Snickers Pie
Makes 1 x 9 inch pie (6 cup capacity)
For the crust
- 75g/2.5 ozs butter, melted plus a little extra for greasing the pie plate
- 250g/8ozs chocolate cookies (I used chocolate choc chip cookies just to add to the chocolateyness)
For the filling
- 250g/8ozs cream cheese softened (I used light- I know… but that’s just what I had in the fridge)
- 1.5 cups cream (for whipping, do not use light cream)
- 1/2 cup caster or superfine sugar
- 2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/3 cup dulce de leche caramel (or caramel top n fill)
- 4 x 53g/2.03 oz Snickers bars, chopped up, about six pieces reserved for the topping
For topping
- 200g/7ozs chocolate (I used a 50/50 mixture of milk and dark chocolate)
- 1/3 cup cream
To decorate
- 1/2 cup of unsalted roasted peanuts and a few pieces of the Snickers bar from above
1. Grease your pie plate with some butter going all the way up the sides. In a food processor, finely process the cookie crumbs until very fine and then add melted butter. Press this mixture into the pie plate and up the sides. Use a glass to help press it and make it flat. Place in the fridge to harden.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whipping attachment, whip the cream until it becomes firm peaks. Set aside in a large bowl. Switch the head on the mixer to the beater head and then using the same mixer bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter until it becomes smooth and there are no lumps-this is easily done if the cream cheese is not straight from the fridge and has been softened on the benchtop for about an hour or two (depending on temperature). Fold the cream and the peanut butter and cream cheese mixture together gently making sure not to deflate the mix.
3. Remove the pie plate from the fridge and spread the cookie base with the dulce de leche. Place the Snickers pieces on top of the layer of dulce de leche and then top this with the whipped cream cheese and peanut butter filling. Place in the freezer.
Dulce de leche and Snickers filling
Smoothing over the peanut butter filling layer
4. Make the ganache by breaking up the chocolate into pieces and melting it in the microwave on 50% power on 60 second burst stirring between bursts or over a double boiler (a heatproof bowl fitted over a pot of simmering water). Then warm the cream and stir into the melted chocolate mixture until completely smooth and thoroughly combined. It should still be very liquid. Reserve a small amount (1/3 cup) for drizzling over the pie at the end. Have an offset spatula ready and remove the pie from the freezer and working quickly pour and spread the liquid chocolate ganache over the top and tilt the pie tin to take the chocolate to the sides using the spatula to spread it right to the edge if you need it.
5. Sprinkle nuts and a few pieces of Snickers around the edges. With the reserved ganache (heat it gently again if it has become too firm) fill a small piping bag with a small hole or a zip lock bag and then snip a little hole in the corner of the ziplock bag or the piping bag and then drizzle the ganache over the nuts and Snickers on the edge cementing them in place. Chill for a few hours or place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes to firm up. Then keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
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84 Comments | Add your own
Oh yummm, this looks incredible! Maybe your childhood dessert drought inspired your love of baking today?
The pie looks very very rich. Though I would be most happy with a small piece:)
My favourite childhood icecream would be the Bubble O Bill. However I never liked the bubble gum nose as it was frozen and too hard to chew.
I think my favourite dessert as a child and now would be sago pudding. I’m thinking to make one today. Oh and I always enjoyed jelly with icecream as well. Last year I had to go to hospital and to prepare I could not eat. All I could eat was jelly for two days. I haven’t had jelly since and don’t want to!:)
Amazing! That pie is devilishly tempting. What a gorgeous creation. I’m drooling…
Cheers,
Rosa
oh my – this looks sinfully delicious!
my fav icecream was probably banana paddlepops!
I was like you, we barely ever had dessert, but when we did, it was usually a slice of my childhood favourite – Vienetta.
You know when you have a memory of something you ate as a child and then you eat it again as an adult, it never quite lives up to the inflated idea of how good it used to be. This is the case with Vienetta. I tried it again as an adult and it didn’t seem very good at all!
Oh goodness, you just made me drool on my spin bike!!! That looks delicious! (commits page to memory bank for later use)
the bubble-o-bill was also a favourite of mine. I wasn’t often allowed treats either, but would often have to potter around my mums hairdressing salon after school. There was a general store a few shops up, and occassionally if get to go and get some sort of treat. The icecream plus the bubblegum nose?!? Bonus!!
The Gaytime for me was the childhood favourite. I still have to have one in summer for nostalgias sake. Will definitely be trying this grown up version of a snickers.
I adored those childhood trips to the corner shop – there are fewer corners stores now, so it wouldn’t be the same. My favourite icecream was the Jellytip, with the vanilla icecream, pink jelly tip and chocolate coating. I think we always got at least icecream for dessert, but my favourite was rice pudding.
Oh I knew I shouldn’t have clicked on this post!!!!! As soon as I saw snickers pie I was drooling
I was a simple girl back then, I liked a chocolate paddle pop. We were allowed to have sweets, mostly we’d have ice-cream.
OMG YUM! that looks soooo good I definitely would try this pie. When I was at primary school there was an icecream that was chocolate icecream in the middle and orange choc on the outside, I don’t know what it was called but it was my fav.
My favorite ice cream growing up would the chocolate ones from baskin robbins.
I love the chinese desserts that my mom make. Not only they are nutritious, they are just packed with love!
My favorite ice cream was a vanilla paddle pop.
Yes we did get desserts not all the time as they were a treat and some of them weren’t the best.
Like leftover dry cake in the bottom of the bowl covered with custard that had been made hours before so it had a thick skin YUKKY !
i can feel my waistline expanding just as i read this..:)
My best friend’s birthday is coming up this week and he LOVES Snickers – this pie recipe is perfect!
NQN, why do you tempt me so when I’m trying to be good? This looks so decadent!!
You have made up for childhood with this beautiful pie!
Dear Lorraine
What a great recipe! With the weather suddenly deciding to skip spring on the weekend I was looking for ideas for no-bake summer desserts. I’ll sure add this to the list!
Best regards
:>
Oh my God! I’m grateful that I’ve just had a filling and delicious breakfast, otherwise it would be too hard to cope with seeing these photos!!!
I used to love aniseed balls and choo choo bars as a fave sweet and my fave ice cream was drumsticks cause you got that little bit of choc at the bottom of the cone and my mums fave ice cream and my second fave was a Triple treat- ice cream with marshmallow in the middle-I think it was pink marshmallow and I think it was covered in chocolate or had a layer of chocolate ice cream- I can’t remember exactly- but I thought them pretty cool too ’cause you sorta got a double wammy-ice cream and marshmallow- I still love all the above but you can’t get triple treats anymore
I remember that occasionaly my partens took us to have some icecream, my favorite was cherry, but you know why? because when I finished my lips turned red, like when used lipstick..and I couldn’t stop looking me at the car window during the way to home.
Oh my, my, my, Lorraine! You simply can not do this to us in the lead up to summer! However will we have beach bodies when the likes of this grace our screens every morning!
Amazing! What a great treat! We occasionally got tinned fruit fipor dessert, but that’s it. I’d hoard my Easter stash in the freezer for months, but got suspicious one year when it was disappearing rather quickly. I had very carefully made sure my siblings didn’t know about it, so lay in wait for the real culprit…. I caught my Dad red-faced, and red-handed!
P.S.
What a charming blog post! I wad quite a dessert child (thus, I am a dessert adult)
Although I enjoyed a variety of the typical confections, I remember adoring Weiss mango ice cream bars (given that I wad allergic to mangoes at the time – but not anymore!)
That and my mother’s cozonac. Made Christmas and Easter all the more enjoyable.
My absolute favourite icecream was the Hazelnut Roll. It had an inner section of hazelnut icecream, covered with vanilla icecream, then coated in chocolate. Yummo!
It was just a log with no stick to hold on to, so eating it required getting in touch with your inner porn star…
Hi kirgibg-Love that last line! I sprayed my tea on my desk reading that!
I’m not a big icecream fan and, even as a kid, didn’t eat it all that much.
However, this pie looks to be the absolute bomb and I must have it!
Snickers are still one of my all-time fave candy bars. To think that I could have an entire pie filled with Snickers just makes me smile — big-time!
We may have grown up in different parts of the world, but, boy oh boy, we were brought up the same way!! Hardly any desserts in our home either and if they were there they were of the healthy, fruity, semolinaish variety – fools and fluffs and the like. On occasion plain chocolate was allowed. Unlike you tho I never had a sweet tooth then nor do I have it now
! It’s always first course, main course – savoury all the way 
! And ice cream in wartorn Europe – simply did not exist! You were lucky to have a piece of bread!! Coming here just into my teens, there were only vanilla, strawberry and chocolate to choose from: Vanilla for purist me – would you believe one could get a little cone for ONE PENNY !!!
wow I have such a soft spot for snickers though I don’t think I ever had them as kids – mixed lollies were more our sort of thing – but we did have desserts every night – just not this sort of thing which would have really excited me as a kid – actually it still does – fantastic
Oh Lorraine
What is not to like?
Chocolate,peanuts, cream cheese! AND no bake!
This is going to be another must make.
SSG xxx
Wow that looks really impressive! But I’m not a huge snickers fan, but I’m contemplating whether mars bars would work too (is that a bad thing?).
I loved chocolate billabongs when I was a kid, but for a special treat, Golden Gaytimes!
My fave…the Golden Gaytime which can I just say, does NOT taste the way it used to. It’s now smaller, less crunchy on the outside and just doesn’t seem right…..sigh. Oh well. Better I live off the memories than actually eat it now anyway. Less calories.
I totally love redskins and toffee apples too!!! You just dont get the corners lolly shopd liek you use to when I was little. Now its all 7/11s andconvenience stores with average selections. Theres no little glass cabinet with the white paper bags hanging. Shame, that was all the fun staring at what to buy.
Love this pie! Snickers is one of my faves too.
My favorite ice cream when I was a child was homemade peach ice cream. I have fond memories of my grandfather turning the handle to churn the ice cream. Once it was to hard to turn it any more he would pack the container with as much ice and rock salt as would fit, then cover it with blankets and set it in a shady place to cure. it was the best ice cream I have ever eaten.
I can’t make much sweet things any more since my hubby is diabetic now and I don’t want to torture him.
This looks SO ridiculously decadent – love the combo of so many good things though!
lorraine, lorraine, lorraine!!! oh man I want to make this so badly but am also trying to go to the gym more and fit into my summer wardrobe! not helping!!!!!!
might save it for a special occasion then! it looks soooooooooooo good and I love snickers!
corrie;)
This is to die for Lorraine! Like you, I was not allowed dessert as a youngster so I used to spend all my pocket money on lollies, especially Sherbies!!
My favourite icecream was a Banana Paddlepop
So rich, I think I would only make it if I had 25 people to share it with, love the flavour of Snickers though!
brilliant idea!
Yummo! I had a great trip down memory lane reading about the ice-blocks, Golden Gaytime, Bubble-O-Bill, Jelly Tip, Mango Weis Bars, not sure I could even pick a favourite out of those, I would add the Hava Heart to to list too, as well as a lemonade popsicle, or a chocolate billabong. Time to stop now!!
Oh my… I want to eat that pie… NOW. I loved hazelnut rolls, paddle pops, twisters and the snickers ice cream bar as a child.
I’m not the biggest ice cream fan anymore- give me cake anyday! But if I’m eating ice cream, nothing beats Baskin Robbins’ Jamoca Almond Fudge.
My mother would swoon over this dessert; she’s such a Snickers fanatic.
As for childhood ice creams, I was partial to sweetcorn and mango – still am, as a matter of fact, though I’ll not say no to anything made with dark, DARK chocolate. 
uh oh…
When I was little my mum hardly let us have sweets either…I think it fuelled my obsession with dessert now
She used to make baked apples with raisins as a sweet treat!
My all time favourite branded product when I was small was a Feast, but Snickers ranks pretty high too and this pie looks gorgeous.
Oh WOW. This is incredible. I’m not a huge fan of Snickers but I would certainly enjoy this haha. After reading “Makes 1 x 9 inch pie (6 cup capacity)” my eyes widened picturing having 6 cups of Snickers Pie!
I loved the corner store for cobbler choc/caramels, but my favourite ice-cream was the Monaco Bar.
all i can say is wow
Lorraine,
Where do you get your Dulche De Leche?
Jadey x
My parents were country folk. Dad did hard physical work during the day, so there was always some kind of dessert of ‘pudding’. Usually something made from the garden – strawberries and cream, mulberry or apple pie, with custard. In summer, there would be ice-cream, sometimes with milo on top. Dad was so fit he could down all that and still have a couple of home-made biscuits with his before bed cup of tea as well!
Oh my goodness, that is one amazing pie. It is very rewarding as a cook when you achieve the wanted result first time, well done Lorraine!
Looks luscious Lorraine! My fav was a Gaytime or a chocolate paddle pop.
I make the most AMAZING snickers cheesecake. Very similar. OMG NOM.
Yes, Bubble o bill was my favourite and also my KIDS favourite. Gotta love 2 for 1!
(and now my favourite icecream is caramel with honey macadamias. Drool.)
Wish I didn’t see this now. Snickers is one of my favourites, and simple no bake stuff is bad, too simple and too easy and strain on willpower)
1. OMG yes, Redskins and Toffee Apple Bars! I’ve rarely met anyone who remembers/loved the Toffee Apple Bars.
2. Love the disclaimer about not using light cream in the filling. Because that would totally make a difference to the healthfulness
3. I’m guessing this *isn’t* the gluten and dairy free creation you mentioned on my blog…
Oh Lorraine I have such a penchant for Snickers at the moment! Snickers cookies, snickers rocky road.. and now this amazing creation. What are you doing to me!!
I also loved the Bubble o Bill, and the Gaytime! Neither are available in the UK, so I have to make so with one a day when I’m back in Oz once a year… x
Oh Lorraine! That pie!! It’s pure sin. WOW!!
it looks sinfully good…^^
Oh wow this looks amazing! I loved hav-a-hearts and paddlepops. Yum.
OH MY GOD
oh. my. god.
Ahhh what is it with chocolate bars today? I was at a cafe today which sold mars bar coffee. What??? Like, they melt a mars bar in the coffee? YUM lol. I didnt have one though. This pie looks yummo and no bake = win!
That is just too decadent , ok maybe just a small sliver
Mum was a great cook but didn’t delve too much into sweets, we didn’t miss out though. For a few years she worked in a deli/ milk bar ,we would stop over when walking to the beach and she would make sky-high gelatos for us to eat along the way. Another favorite was Golden Gaytime and the trifle cups at the old Coles cafeteria . Fine memories indeed.
aaaahhh! Gosh. This is seriously sinful. Look at the layers on this beast- amazing.
Oh yummmmmmmm. Wow, does that look good.
As far as my favorite ice cream… probably sundaes. Yumm.
We didn’t have dessert in the house either, until I was in high school and felt confident enough to go in the cookie cabinet myself and get something
Ooooh no, like I need another pie on my hips! This looks amazing…on the list!
Rich but I will love to have a slice. Favourite ice cream flavour? I hardly had ice cream as a kid. Too sickly. But now I can and enjoying it all seasons!
I am drooling over how good this looks!! thank you for sharing this.
What an incredible, decadent dessert, Lorraine. My teeth were tingling just reading it! My favourite childhood ice cream had to be Neapolitan because it had three flavours!
I grew up with a corner candy store and I always chose malt balls because you got two for one. But, in my biggest dreams I always wanted a snickers bar. I think it’s my favorite to this day.
Lorraine, I really do think we might be long-lost twinsies separated at birth…I recently made a peanut butter pie! Your snickers-based version sounds even better though. That bottom layer of dulce de leche and snickers is calling my name!
“Snickers,”No Bake,” and “Pie” all in one title???? Yes, please. Lovely story as well.
My favorite childhood ice cream was home-made peach (from Georgia peaches on visits to my grandparents), mainly because I got to sit on the churn to hold it down while someone else cranked it. Today I use an electric machine and my favorite flavors often include cardamom.
Oh my god. That pie looks amazing. Like ridiculously, sinfully, should be illegal amazing.
My favourite ice cream when I was little was a mr whippy from the ice cream van, ideally with a flake, sauce and nuts! Its still pretty high up the list although Ben and Jerrys might beat it thesedays!
What a decadent pie! Wow!
It sounds like you had a strict upbringing.. but you probably have all of your teeth as a result.. and indeed a gorgeous figure to boot
Me..? I grew up with hungry European parents.. who stacked on weight within a few years of migrating here. My Mum cooked too much and we ate too much.. so we all grew up with weight issues. But she grew up with no luxuries and an apple at Christmas time was a special treat.. no exaggeration. Her Dad would eat sardines from a tin..and if my Mum and her twin brother were lucky.. he’d leave some oil in the tin for them to mop-up after he was done.
Australia meant ‘land of plenty’.. But it has had consequences.
———–
I don’t think I’ve seen so many Snicker’s bars chopped up in one photo!
A pie like that would get everyone’s attention if you had to “bring a plate” somewhere
Snickers is my biggest guilty pleasure, so this pie is right up my alley. I can’t tell you how scrumptious I find it!
Ice cream was always my favorite desert growing up. I have such nice memories of my mom taking us to baskin robbins after school. My favorite, and still a favorite, was pistachio and almond.
*kisses* HH
My oh my! My husband’s favorite candy bar is Snickers. He’d be in heaven with this pie. Loved the cute story. We were almost never without ice cream in the fridge when I was growing up. I inherited my sweet tooth from my mom. xoxo Mum
gorgeous looking pie! combination of dulce du leche… peanut butter and chocolate.. i think my brain just froze from the awesomeness. lol.
my fave ice cream as a kid would have to be splices! and paddlepops were pretty up there too..
Wow, that all looks so great! The Nibble looks delicious.
Nic, I really love your photos and tablewares…So pretty, I have been trying to get those classic milk bottles. Found them but they had printing on them [sigh].. oh but your Snickers No Bake Pie sure makes me smile. I think I could only think 2 ppl in my family who would definitely lick the plate up, my brother and sis in law. Can’t wait to make this. Hugs, Jo
i think that in my lifetime, i’ve consumed more snickers bars than 99% of the population–they’re SO good. this pie rocks, lorraine!
Oh my goodness~too easy and yummy, dangerously so!
When I was a kid I like the combination of chocolate ice cream and orange sherbet:)
*liked:)
Oh this looks spectacular! Must have about a billion calories but I think it would be worth it
I loved Bubble O’ Bills! My absolute fave though was Milk Double Choc – a chocolate centre covered in chocolate icecream then covered in chocolate. I’ve always been a big fan of chocolate
if you were to make a mars bar version would you just omit the peanut butter?
Hi Kate! Yes you could replace it with caramel sauce too
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[...] This recipe, taken from Lorraine Elliott’s blog, “Not Quite Nigella” at http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/09/19/snickers-pie/ was smooth, creamy and rich like you might expect from a delicious cheesecake but with a slightly [...]
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