Sweet Baked Life

Todays news…sunny with a chance of Oreos! If you’re still feeling stuck between the summer and fall now is the perfect time to whip up this lip-smacking Cookies n’ Cream Oreo Ice Box Cake. Make it rain with cookies in your kitchen and hopefully the door to fall will soon open wide!

So last weekend I was extremely excited to finally see the rain! The crisp weather found me quickly flipping through my recipes yearning to make some warm comfort food for the entire family — and that I did. However, the fall just does not want to stick around in these parts, as ever since the sun has been shining brightly. Here in Northern California the temperature has been in the 80’s all week and this weekend the forecast is for the 90’s.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the sun and the warmth, but I’m so ready for the fall! Sure, it does get a bit cool in the evening, and I don’t have to keep my whole house fan blowing the entire night. But really — I want to crank up the stove, do some serious baking, have a roaring fire in the family room, and gather and eat while I snuggle with my family!

So if you’re stuck with wanting to cook warm comforting food, but your heart and your home say make something cool — this Oreo Ice Box Cake is the way to go. Especially if the temperature is raising — no need to turn on the oven for this baby!

You start by layering Oreo cookies, topped with rich chocolate pudding and freshly whipped cream and sprinkled throughout with crunchy toffee bits. Then you pop it in your fridge (overnight is best) and what you end up with is a heavenly delight. The cookies become one with the pudding and whipped cream and as you bite into this outstanding concoction, you won’t be able to put it down – believe me, I had many helpings of this cool and creamy dessert.

Now my hubby and son are huge Oreo cookie fanatics, so I thought they would love eating this treat. But to them, they would have rather just eaten the entire package of Oreo cookies followed by a tall glass of milk! Yeah, I know what you are thinking…are they crazy? And the answer is YES!!! Give them a traditional recipe or something plain and they are happy as can be! And yet, here I am baking, cooking and concocting sweet things that I think are amazing. Don’t get me wrong, they do love all (ok mostly all) of the baked goods I make, however probably not as much as I do. And that’s ok — just means more for me!!! YUM!

Cookies n’ Cream Oreo Ice Box Cake {no-bake}

2 packages (3.9 oz. each) Jell-O instant chocolate pudding
2-1/2 cups cold milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package Oreo Cookies
1 cup Heath Bar Toffee bits

To a medium bowl add pudding and milk. Whisk until thick, about 2 minutes. Set aside until ready to assemble. As well, you can put this in the fridge too to stay cool and become a bit more firm.

Then in a bowl of an electric stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the heavy cream and vanilla. Beat on high-speed, add the sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.

To assemble: in the bottom of a 13×9-inch dish add 1 layer of Oreo cookies, top with 1/2 the pudding and spread evenly over the cookies. Add 1/2 cup of the toffee bits, then add 1/2 of the whipped cream and spread evenly with a spatula. Then top with another layer of the cookies, the remaining pudding, spread evenly, the remaining whipped cream, spread evenly and topped with 1/2 cup of the toffee bits. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or over night.

I think this Oreo Ice Box Cake is a great dessert to make all year round. Who doesn’t like a little cookies n’ cream treat, especially made with Oreos? So test this out on your family, your friends, your co-workers and then make it again for your special celebration. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure! And it’s so easy to put together — just make it a night or two before your planned event and you won’t have to worry about it until you take it out of the fridge to serve it.

Turn today’s news into a sweet success!