Ice Cream Cake

It's summer. It's hot. What could be better than ice cream? Ice cream cake. That's what. My husband isn't a big fan of desserts, but he does like ice cream cake. So that's what I made for his birthday. It's really easy to make an ice cream cake if you've never tried it before. Basically, all you to do is later your favorite ingredients in a pan and stick it in the freezer. Done.

My ingredient line up: French vanilla ice cream, double stuff sandwich cookies (Wegmans W O's or Oreos), Reese's Peanut Butter Cups mini's, whipped topping and rainbow sprinkles. These are all things that Andrew likes, but you can use whatever ice cream or candy you choose. The vanilla ice cream balances out the sweetness of the cookie crust and candy.

Once you're ready to start assembling the ice cream cake, leave the ice cream on the counter to start softening, while you work on the crust. After a few minutes, transfer the ice cream into a bowl and give it a little stir to help soften the center. Just don't let your ice cream completely melt into soup!

Meanwhile, place the sandwich cookies (Oreo's) into a large zipper bag. I used almost the whole package, except for about 7. If you want a thinner crust, use fewer cookies. Now mash them up! I used a meat tenderizer and carefully pounded them until they were crumbly. Don't be afraid to pulverize them. Once they are crumbly enough, add 2 Tablespoons of melted butter to the bag, reseal and mix with the cookie crumbs. This will help them stick together and create the crust.

Empty the cookie crumbs into a 13x9 inch pan. I like to use a metal one with a snap on lid. 

Using a piece of waxed paper and a meat tenderizer (or potato masher or a glass), flatten the cookie crust into the bottom of the pan until it's even and fills in the corners. 

Chop up the peanut butter cups. I used about 20-25 mini's. 

Fold the peanut butter cups into the softened ice cream. Spread ice cream mixture into the pan on top of the cookie crust.

Smooth it out, evenly distributing the peanut butter cups. Place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to harden ice cream. 

After the ice cream has hardened a bit in the freezer, take it out and add the whipped topping.

Decorate with sprinkles or however you like. Cover and return pan to the freezer for a few hours (or overnight) so everything freezes.

When you're ready to serve your amazing ice cream cake, you can take it out of the freezer a few minutes ahead of time to soften a bit, so it's easier to cut into pieces. Then proceed to sing "Happy Birthday" and enjoy some delicious million calorie dessert! 


Ingredients:
1 gallon ice cream (French Vanilla)
1 tub whipped topping, thawed
1 package of Oreo sandwich cookies
1 bag Reece's Peanut Butter Cup minneatures 
Rainbow sprinkles
2 Tbsp. butter, melted