Orange-Oreo Pie, an Easy, Creamy Frozen Dessert

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My mother was a fabulous baker and famous for her orange sponge cakes. Neighbors and friends would come by, drop off the ingredients for a cake, and pick up the finished dessert later in the day. Interestingly, my mother never charged a penny for her expertise or labor.
dessert

I still remember the first time I tasted her orange cake with chocolate frosting. Although I was very young, I realized this was a fabulous flavor combination. Paring orange and chocolate has led chefs and home cooks to create a boggling array of recipes. Some taste more like orange and others taste more like chocolate.
Enter the search words "orange-chocolate combination" on the Net and dozens of photos will appear. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of recipes on the Net. As much as you want to bake a cake, or cookies, or another dessert, you may not have time to do it. Making an easy-fix frozen dessert is the answer to your dilemma.
I was yearning for an orange-chocolate dessert and created this recipe. It begins with a store-bought Oreo cookie crumb crust. Of course you can always buy a package of cookies and make your own crust by following the standard graham cracker crust recipe and omitting the sugar. However, the store-bought crust saves you time and it's good.
Next, I added Neufchatel cheese for richness. Although this cheese tastes like cream cheese, it has only one-third the calories. You don't have to add sugar to the pie filling because condensed milk is already sweetened. Sugar-free whipped topping adds more sweetness and chocolate chips add crunch. Orange-Oreo pie is a sweet ending to any meal and here's my recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 store-bought Oreo cookie pie crust
8 ounces Neufchatel cheese, room temperature
14-ounce can condensed milk
zest of 1 large orange
4 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon pure orange extract
8-ounce carton frozen, sugar-free whipped topping, defrosted
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Sugar-free chocolate sauce for garnish
METHOD
1. Remove cover from pie crust and save.
2. Put Neufchatel cheese and condensed milk in large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat these ingredients at medium speed until all lumps are gone.
3. Add orange zest, orange juice concentrate, and pure extract. Beat one more minute to incorporate flavors.
4. Gently fold whipped topping into cheese mixture
5. Fold in mini chocolate chips, making sure they are evenly distributed.
6. Spoon pie filling into chocolate crust. (There is a lot of filling, but it will fit if you mound it in the middle.)
7. Cover pie with plastic lid. Press rim closed and set pie in freezer for at least three hours.
8. Take pie out of freezer. Remove lid and let stand at room temperature for about five minutes.
9. Cut pie into wedges and drizzle with sugar-free chocolate sauce. Makes 8 servings.



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