Adorable little mini ice cream pies all dressed up with red and blue berry sauces for 4th of July or Memorial Day.

This Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Pie with Granola Crust is always one of my most popular recipes around Memorial Day and 4th of July. One of my readers recently asked if this beautiful patriotic dessert could be made mini. I thought it was a great idea so I went ahead and tested the recipe for her and the rest of us! What I concluded was that making one, regular sized pie is the easiest route. However, minis are totally doable and my kids preferred them. In mini form, the pies can be hand held - no forks or plates necessary. The mini ice cream pies are the perfect size for kids. I absolutely love these red, white, and blue mini ice cream pies for 4th of July parties. They are naturally colored with berries and  have a crunchy crust to hold the ice cream. It's so convenient that red strawberries and blue blueberries are in season just in time for red, white, and blue patriotic celebrations! Thank you, Mother Nature! No need for artificial colors. You can make these mini pies a day or two in advance so you can relax the day you need them, or just keep them in the freezer and grab one for dessert. These mini Red, White, and Blue ice cream pies are perfect if you have any gluten-free or vegan friends in your group. Just use gf granola for the crust and/or non-dairy ice cream. I used Luna and Larry's Organic Coconut Bliss, which is vegan, gluten free, and made with real food ingredients. Although my all-time favorite ice cream to use here is McConnell's coconut, you can use your favorite vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. 

 When I originally created this recipe a few years ago for the one pie, I used a granola crust. I love how crunchy and hearty it is. You can toss in some hemp or flax seeds to add more nutrition. Maybe it was just a chocolate craving, but this time, I wished I had made an Oreo crust. To me an Oreo crust would be more of a special occasion dessert, while the granola crust is more of an everyday rustic crust. An Oreo crust would be a little more decadent. You can be creative and choose the crust you like. If you want to try the Oreo crust, follow the crust recipe here.

For the berry topping you have a couple of options as well. to make the pretty fireworks type shapes I did, use your berry sauces to make rings, like a bullseye, alternating colors. Then gently drag the tip of a toothpick from the center dot to the crust. Leave about 1/4" and then drag the toothpick back the other direction, from crust to center. 

If you're not confidant in this technique, you could also do a criss cross pattern or random dots and swirls. 

My fireworks aren't perfect, and they don't have to be, so don't stress too much. Any swirls will look beautiful. 

Ta da! Party ready individual ice cream pies. Naturally beautiful, festive, and delicious. These are always a crowd pleaser and I hope you enjoy them! 

Mini Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Pies

Printer Friendly Recipe
By Yummy Mummy Kitchen
Published 06/29/2016

Adorable little mini ice cream pies all dressed up with red and blue berry sauces for 4th of July or Memorial Day.

Ingredients

• 2 cups natural homemade or store bought granola (gf and/or vegan if needed)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil or Earth Balance
• 1 tablespoon maple or coconut syrup
• 6 oz. strawberries, roughly chopped
• 6 oz. blueberries
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon organic cornstarch
• 1 pint favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt, softened (vanilla or coconut)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, blend the granola, walnuts, coconut oil, and syrup until crumbly but holds together when pressed between fingers. You can add a little water, a teaspoon at a time if it's too dry. Divide the crust mixture evenly between 11 muffin tins, about 1 heaping tablespoon in each cup. Press the crust firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the cups. The crust won't come all the way up the cups. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool completely in the tin.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauces. Place strawberries in one small saucepan and the blueberries in another small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon syrup, 1 tablespoon water, 1/2 lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch to each pan and whisk to combine. Simmer until berries have completely broken down, about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. Let sauces cool. Puree sauces individually in a blender, or press through a fine mesh sieve to ensure the sauces are very smooth. Transfer each sauce to a zip top sandwich bag and snip a tiny corner off for piping.
4. With granola crusts still in the muffin tin, spoon softened ice cream into the cups. Smooth the top of ice cream. Pipe designs onto the top of the ice cream. You can make polka dots, swirls, criss-cross patterns, or drag a toothpick through circles to create "fireworks" as seen in the images. Have fun!
5. Place the muffin tin in the freezer until ice cream is completely frozen. To remove pies, heat a sharp knife under hot water. Run the knife around the edge of each muffin tin to release.

Yield: Makes 11 cupcake sized pies
Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook time: 35 mins.
Total time: 45 mins.
Tags: forth of july, memorial day, patriotic, desserts, pie, ice cream, summer

*Vegan Option* Use a coconut based ice cream 
*Gluten Free Option* Make sure to use GF granola