A: Who doesn't love mud pie? Even people who normally don't drink coffee seem to love this dessert. Actually, I often have mud pie flashbacks from my college years. We used to get a serving and split it. It is a great idea to make this at home because that's the only way you are going to find a lighter version. For as good as they look and taste, they really are a cinch to make, too. I made a lighter chocolate cookie crust using reduced-fat Oreo cookies and blended in 2 tablespoons butter. I added 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup to replace the 2 tablespoons of butter I took out. And I just dumped all three ingredients into a food processor to save time. A mud pie is only as good as its ice-cream filling, so choosing a great-tasting light coffee ice cream is imperative. I used Dreyers Grand Light Espresso fudge chip (with 4 grams fat per 1/2 cup) and it was absolutely yummy. You could use a fat-free fudge topping; there are a couple on the market. But truthfully, it probably isn't going to taste as good. If you use the brand with 2.5 grams fat per 2 tablespoons instead of one with 4 grams fat, it will only save you .7 gram of fat per serving. Of course this is a perfect dessert for summer barbecues, but I'm guessing you'll be making it year round.

1-2-3 Mud Pie

Original recipe contains 620 calories, 36 grams fat, 16 grams saturated
fat, and 170 milligrams cholesterol per serving.

Makes 12 servings

• 25 reduced fat OREO cookies
• 2 tablespoons canola margarine or butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 1/2 gallon light coffee ice cream, softened slightly (I used Dreyer's
• Grand Light espresso fudge chip)
• 2/3 cup hot fudge sauce (e.g., Mrs. Richardson's)
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (optional)
• whipped cream for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Place cookies, melted margarine or butter, and chocolate syrup in food processor. Pulse until cookie crumb mixture is made. Press into bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 5 to 7 minutes, then chill.

2. Pack ice cream into chilled crust, shaping into slight mound. Freeze until firm (freezing before adding fudge sauce is essential to keep fudge from slipping off).

3. Pour fudge sauce evenly over pie and freeze until ready to serve.
Sprinkle almonds over fudge top if desired. Garnish the rim of each
serving with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Per serving: 333 calories, 4.5 g protein, 50 g carbohydrate, 10 g fat, 4
g saturated fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 263 mg sodium. Calories
from fat: 31 percent.