Frozen Caramel Pie with a Secret Ingredient!
My Mother’s Recipe
This frozen caramel pie with toasted coconut, pecans, and a secret ingredient is simply the best! The recipe dates back many years and was originally my mother’s. She passed away over 20 years ago but had been making this pie at least a decade before that.
While I’m sure it’s not entirely original, I have no idea who to credit for it—so I’m giving her the honor. My mother was an incredible cook, always swapping recipes and ideas with her sisters. This pie could have been the result of their creative brainstorming or something she discovered in a magazine, cookbook, or newspaper clipping. Whatever the source, I’m just grateful she wrote it down!
I’ve got my eye on trying my Aunt Mildred’s plain pound cake someday, but for now, this pie takes center stage. I made it for one Christmas, and we polished off the last slice just a few days after that. Carrie, who loves dessert, was in mind when I prepared it, and it was a hit at our Christmas dinner.
Ingredients – The recipe makes 2 Pies
2 Graham Cracker Crusts
1/4 c Butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 c Chopped Pecans
7 oz Flaked Coconut
8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 1/2 c Sweet Potatoes, Cooked and Mashed
12 oz Caramel Topping
2 8 oz Containers of Cool Whip
Making the Pie
This frozen caramel pie recipe yields two pies. I used store-bought graham cracker crusts for convenience, but homemade crusts work just as well—just make sure they’re completely cooled before filling.
First, toast the chopped pecans and flaked coconut in a skillet with 1/4 cup of butter. Set the heat to low or medium and stir frequently. Cook until the mixture is beautifully golden brown.
The toasted coconut and pecan mixture will serve as your “topping,” so set it aside and let it cool completely.
Next, it’s time to prepare the filling. Use a mixer to blend the softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. And now, it’s time to reveal your SECRET INGREDIENT!
Sweet Potatoes
The sweet potatoes give the filling a delightful texture without adding a noticeable sweet potato flavor—at least not to my family. The dominant flavor is still that of a rich caramel pie with coconut and pecans.
For convenience, I used canned sweet potatoes. Simply drain the liquid and beat them until smooth and creamy. If you prefer, you can boil fresh sweet potatoes, peel off the skins, and beat them until smooth. Just make sure they’re completely cooled before using.
Once ready, add the sweet potatoes to the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk mixture and blend thoroughly.
The final step for the filling is to gently fold in two 8-ounce containers of Cool Whip. Make sure the Cool Whip is thawed in the refrigerator—never in the microwave. Fold it in carefully to maintain its light, airy texture.
I’ve always made this recipe with Cool Whip, so I can’t say how homemade whipped cream would turn out. One thing’s for sure: whipped cream from a can is not a good substitute!
Putting it together.
Spoon the filling evenly into each pie crust. I didn’t measure the exact amount for each, so just use your best judgment. Looking back, I could have added more filling to my first layer, but it still turned out great. If you want to be precise, you can measure and divide the filling evenly—it’s an option, but it felt like more effort than necessary, so I skipped it.
Once the filling is in place, sprinkle some of the toasted coconut and pecan mixture over the top. Then, drizzle caramel topping over the coconut and pecans. I used Hershey’s Caramel Topping from a 14-ounce jar and ended up using about three-quarters of it.
Add another layer of filling, followed by the toasted coconut and pecans, and finish with a drizzle of caramel topping.
That’s it—you’re all set to pop the pies into the freezer!
Cover the pies tightly with aluminum foil and place them in the freezer. Normally, when using a store-bought graham cracker crust, I simply wash and reuse the plastic lid that comes with it. However, this frozen caramel pie recipe makes pies that are too large for the lid to fit, so aluminum foil is the way to go.
Serve!
This pie is best served frozen. It’s fine to let it sit out for a few minutes, but I usually cut the slices and return the pie to the freezer right away. It keeps beautifully in the freezer for a couple of weeks—though it rarely lasts that long!
Now I need to dive back into that recipe notebook and find Aunt Mildred’s pound cake recipe! It was truly the best—a classic pound cake you could slice and enjoy straight from your hand.
No toppings were necessary, but it was also amazing with fresh strawberries or canned peaches. It was such a simple recipe, and she baked it often. Anytime you stopped by her house, there was bound to be a pound cake waiting!
Stay tuned for that recipe—it’s one you won’t want to miss!
Frozen Caramel Pie with a Secret Ingredient
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Prepared Graham Cracker Pie Crusts Or homemade
- ¼ Cup Butter 1/2 stick softened
- ½ Cup Chopped Pecans
- 7 oz Sweetened Flaked Coconut
- 1 8 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk 14 oz.
- 12 oz Caramel Topping Hershey brand or similar, may be listed as ice cream topping (no nuts). My jar had 14 oz, so I used about 3/4 of it.
- 2 8 oz Containers of Frozen Whipped Topping thawed in refrigerator
- 1 ½ Cup Cooked Sweet Potatoes This is the secret ingredient! To use canned potatoes, drain liquid and cream until smooth. You can also boil sweet potatoes, remove skins and cream. Be sure to cool completely before blending into mixture.
Instructions
Topping
- Add butter, coconut, and pecans to skillet and cook over low to medium heat until nicely browned.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Must be cool before adding to pie.
Filling
- Combine softened cream cheese, cooled or room temperature sweet potatoes, and sweetened condensed milk. Beat until smooth.
- Fold in whipped topping gently, just enough to blend.
Assemble the Pies
- Spoon some of the filling into each pie crust.
- Sprinkle toasted coconut and pecans over the filling.
- Drizzle caramel topping over coconut and pecans.
- Repeat with another layer of filling, coconut and pecans and caramel topping.
- Cover tightly with tin foil and place in freezer.
To Serve
- Serve frozen and return to freezer.
