My Favorite Cookie Crust Ice Cream "Cake" {and behinds}

I can't tell you how many times I've sat in front of my computer screen and deleted almost everything I've written you.

Like 20 times. As in I've roughly written 20ish posts you'll never see.

No, they don't want to hear about how tired I am or how my clothes still don't fit or how I have pain in places I didn't know I COULD have pain from carrying two babies at the same time.

No, they don't want to hear how I've lost myself. How somehow in piles of laundry and crustless peanut butter sandwiches and endless Disney movies I've felt wildly alone even though there's hardly a moment when I'm not being touched.

I've felt so embarrassingly behind on my goals and this space I've chosen to just stay quiet instead of blab about how "I have plans to do stuff."

In fact I'm so behind I actually had this ice cream post ready for you back in December, De-cem-ber and you're just now seeing it.

I need help, I need time, I need a break and you need this cake. I wanted to make a red white and blue version for the 4th of July but then I was like freeeeeak, I can't do that son - who the heck am I kidding?

So here it is. The dang, had-it-ready-since-December-ice-cream-cake.

Merry Christmas.

And happy 4th of July.

Cookie Crust Ice Cream "Cake"

adapted from Emily (bless you Emily) via Food52

I’ve had complaints that this is too chocolatey. That there’s too much fudge. (eye roll) My husband however has never complained or said a word about  "too chocolatey” but it’s clear where he stands when he leaves the fudge evidence on his finished plate.

My plate is always left clean and I won’t apologize. It's the perfect fudge to ice cream ratio and the only dessert I requested on my birthday last year and the only dessert I want my husband to request for his birthday this year. 

• 24 / 272g Oreo cookies (you can also use Newman’s Own brand of “Oreo” like cookies - these are a little cleaner on the ingredient list and just as good. Don’t stress too much about the grams - you can go a few grams over and you’re okay.)
• 1 ½ sticks / 12 tablespoons / 170g salted butter, divided and melted ((yes salted, no you can’t use unsalted, really, not here.))
• 8 ounces / 226g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ⅓ - ½ cup / 67 - 100g sugar ((I know these two measurements seem like a big difference, but just taste it and see how sweet you want the fudge, the varying measurements of sugar actually don’t compromise the fudge’s texture or anything - just changes it’s sweetness))
• 10 ounces / 296g evaporated milk <strong>(please note evaporated milk is NOT THE SAME as sweetened condensed milk okay?)</strong>
• a few pinches of kosher salt ((sea salt works too - you just might need two pinches instead of one))
• 5 - 6 pints / ~473g ice cream (each pint) ((my favorite flavors are mint chip, peppermint and coffee ice creams))

1. I recommend making the recipe in this order: crust (freeze) fudge (cool) and then filled with ice cream (freeze again). It really helps to have the crust-filled cake tin ice cold before you add the ice cream and fudge.

for the crust:

1. Melt ½ stick / 4 tablespoons / 56g salted butter - remember our butter is divided, so we aren’t using ALL the butter here. (Doesn’t matter how you melt it, but I prefer in a small saucepan over low heat. You want to melt it low and slow so you don’t lose any water from the butter.) In a food processor pulse together melted butter, pinch of salt and cookies until you get a fine crumb. Crumbs should be tiny and somewhat even - but if you have some bigger chunks / cookie pieces don’t fret. 

2. note: If you don’t have a food processor, you can smash all ingredients together in a big ziplock bag and mash them using a rolling pan or whatever you want to do to get those cookies into crumbs and incorporated with the butter.

3. Press crumbs into 9 x 13” pan. Place the crust-filled pan into the freezer until you’re ready to fill it with ice cream. Freeze for at least 1 hour.

for the fudge:

1. Place a medium sized bowl over a saucepan filled with a few inches of water. Don’t let the bowl touch the water. (Glass or metal bowl is preferable). Over medium-low heat, melt together chocolate, remaining butter, evaporated milk, pinch of salt and sugar. 

2. Now this is the tricky bit. We want to bring this chocolate mixture to a “boil”, aka we want it to bubble up just once. This is scary because if we heat chocolate too much it can break - meaning the fat of the chocolate separates from cocoa solids (think oily mess). So if this scares you, don’t do this, don’t bring it to that bubbling point and just let everything melt together. You’ll be fine. 

3. If you’re feeling brave, bring this mixture to “boiling point” meaning just let it bubble up once - like first bubble you see, take it off the heat! And then whisk vigorously over a bath of ice water. 

4. I’ve experimented many times with this and I find that the “bubble once” method does yield a thicker, slightly chewier fudge sauce, BUT if it requires religious baby-sitting and never walking away from your chocolate to get it right. So. If this stresses you out (this is cake for dang sake) just melt it all together and call it good. We’ll work on that bubble stuff later. 

5. Set fudge aside to cool over ice bath, stirring a few times over ice to cool it down. Cool fudge to room temp.

6. Ahead of time: this fudge can be make completely ahead of time days in advance and brought to room temperature. (Bring it to room temp by melting it over a pan filled with a few inches of water over low-medium heat. Stir (this is hard at first) constantly until it reaches room temp.) 

to assemble:

1. While fudge cools, let pints of ice cream stand a room temperature for about 5-8 minutes. You want it scoop able soft, but not soupy. 

2. Scoop and spread ice cream in your 9x 13” pan and pressing and spreading until ice cream is evenly distributed. 

3. Stick pan in the freezer, and let it freeze for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour-ish.

4. Once ice cream looks frozen on top, pour over room temperature fudge, spreading evenly. Stick in the freezer again for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

to serve:

1. Let cake sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes and cut with a very sharp knife. If you’re having trouble it helps to run the knife under very hot water and then dry quick and cut (repeating this with each slice). This cake keeps forever (just kidding) in the freezer tightly wrapped. But really it lasts about a month before going wonky. Serve with fresh whipped cream if you’re feelin’ it, otherwise this cake is perf on it’s own. xo