Make chef Jamika Pessoa’s Memorial Day desserts at home

Amp up your cooking game with these easy eats and recipes you can whip up in 30 minutes or less.

Chef Jamika Pessoa shows us how to make Hand Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches and Mojito Berry Trifles at home and in a flash, with just a few ingredients you might already have in your pantry.

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Ingredients

Hand Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches

• 1 ½ oz (14.1 oz.) package of refrigerated pie crusts (3 pie crusts) at room temperature
• All-Purpose Flour, for work surface
• 5 tsp raspberry or cherry preserves
• 5 tsp blueberry preserves
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp Turbinado sugar
• 1 ½ pint vanilla ice cream

Mojito Berry Trifle

• 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 ½ cups nonfat vanilla yogurt
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 lime - zest and juice
• 2 tsp rum extract
• 2 cups fresh diced berries (strawberries, blueberries)
• 2 cups diced (store bought) pound cake
• fresh mint sprigs

Directions

Hand Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Preheat oven to 400° and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll the pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Using a 2 ½ -inch round cookie cutter, cut 40 rounds, then place 20 of the rounds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Spread ½ teaspoon raspberry preserves on each of the 10 rounds on the baking sheet. Spread ½ teaspoon blueberry preserves on each of the remaining 10 rounds on the baking sheet. Using your fingertips, lightly dab the edges with water. Top each filled round with a plain pie crust round, and gently seal the edges with a fork.

Whisk together egg and 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl. Brush egg wash over the tops of the pies and sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and flaky (14 to 16 minutes).

Remove from the oven and place in the freezer to cool completely )about 20 minutes). Place about 1 ½ tablespoons of ice cream on each blueberry-filled pie and top with raspberry-filled pies. Wrap sandwiches individually in a plastic wrap and freeze until firm (about 1 hour). Serves 10.

Mojito Berry Trifle

In a bowl, whisk cream cheese, yogurt, powdered sugar, lime zest, lime juice and rum extract.

To assemble the trifle, spoon the pound cake into a glass bowl. Spoon in diced fruit on top of the cake. Top with cream mixture. Repeat layers of cake, fruit and cream.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.