When Sheila Witmer tasted her first mud pie at the Chart House, she knew she had to come up with one for the Pioneer Saloon in Ketchum.  She experimented, even folding coffee powder into vanilla ice cream in the days before coffee ice cream became commonplace. And she added a secret ingredient to the crust as she made nearly 2,100 pies in a five-year period.

See it all unfold—and learn about how she once accidentally gave local critters the opportunity to partake—in today’s episode of Marie’s Kitchen.

Sheila’s Pioneer Saloon Mud Pie

30 Oreo cookies

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 ½ sticks butter or ¾ cup

½ gallon ice cream

Fudge, jar

Whipped cream

In a food processer turn Oreo cookies, icing included, into crumbs. Mix in one teaspoon cinnamon. Add 1 ½ sticks melted butter, or ¾ cup, and mix until blend together.

Push into pan that has been treated with Pam Spray, using a cup to press the crust. Leave a quarter-inch of space at the top of the sides. Set aside in the freezer.

Scoop a half-gallon of softened ice cream—your choice of flavors--into the frozen crust, leaving a little space at the top. Freeze for at least two hours to harden.

Spread a jar of hot fudge a quarter to a half inch thick on top. Return to the freezer for two more hours. Top with whipped cream.