Cookies and Cream Icebox Cake
February 7, 2018 | By Jeremy Scheck | Leave a Comment
I must say it goes against my ethics and normal practice to buy packaged cookies. Yet with an oven incapacitated for over a month, I’ve had to find alternatives to my normal baking methods. These Chips Ahoy cookies, which I bought due to a lack of other options, turned out to be deeply chocolatey, pleasantly crisp, and not-too-sweet.
Icebox cakes are wonderful desserts to make in the summer when you just cannot bear the thought of warming your oven, when your oven is broken, or any time you crave something sweet but don’t feel like baking. If you have never had an icebox cake, you’re in for a big treat. Icebox cakes are made with crisp cookies and barely–sweet whipped cream. After layering the two together, you let it sit overnight in the fridge until the cookies soften to the texture of cake. Tiramisu is perhaps the most famous variant, made with ladyfingers and mascarpone custard.
I made this for a Super Bowl party last weekend, and it was a huge hit with young and old alike. My younger brother, Gabriel, even decided that he wanted me to make it for his birthday tomorrow.
Cookies and Cream Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- Three 7oz boxes Chips Ahoy Double Chocolate thins (or any like crispy cookie)
- 2 cups heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (half the cake is whipped cream so splurge for the good stuff in the glass bottle)
- A few teaspoons of sugar to taste (I use vanilla sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional if you didn't use vanilla sugar. A teaspoon of mint extract is also good here)
- Chocolate bar or sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Whip the cream to soft peaks with the sugar and vanilla.
- On a flat serving plate or cake round, spread a thin layer of whipped cream down so the cookies stick.
- Arrange the first layer of cookies in a circle, with one in the center and six surrounding.
- Spread a thin layer of whipped cream over the top (I portion it with a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop). If you don't measure out the 1/4 cup of whipped cream, be careful to pace yourself and not run out!
- Place another layer of cookies over the top, staggering the placement of the outer six with the previous layer. Repeat steps 3-5 until you don't have 7 cookies left for a new layer.
- Spread the rest of the whipped cream over the top in a thicker layer. Garnish with chocolate curls by taking a vegetable peeler to the chocolate bar or sprinkle with sprinkles to decorate.
- Chill overnight in the fridge before serving. A cake box is best but you can also put toothpicks in the top and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
Jeremy is a student at Cornell University double majoring in Spanish and Italian with significant coursework in classes such as nutrition, food science and culinary science. He has years of experience as a home cook, working at a local bakery, and teaching cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma. After starting a TikTok account in March 2020 while quarantined in his childhood home, Jeremy’s presence grew to over 1.5 million followers in the first 6 months. During that time, he was featured in People Magazine, Fox News, BBC Radio, BuzzFeed, Tasty, Spoon University, and USA Today, among other media outlets.