Cookies 'N' Cream Icebox Cake - No-Bake Chocolate Layer Cake

This cake is four big chocolate cookies and a lot of whipped cream. That's it. You stack them, chill the whole thing, and the cookies soften into something closer to cake than cookie.

It isn't a fast dessert. You bake the cookies first, and they have to cool all the way before anything gets stacked. But the assembly takes ten minutes and the fridge does the rest.

One bowl for the dough, one bowl for the cream. A 10-inch springform pan helps you cut the cookies the right size, and a 3-inch ramekin cuts the hole in the middle.

Tips & Tricks

• Chill the rolled dough in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking. Warm dough spreads and the circles lose their shape.
• Bake the big cookies 12 to 14 minutes. They're done when the edges feel firm and the middle still gives slightly under a light press.
• The small cookies take 7 minutes. Pull them when they look set and dry on top.
• Whip the cream to soft peaks first, then add the condensed milk. Adding it early keeps the cream from building volume.
• Chill the assembled cake at least 4 hours, overnight if you can. That's the step that turns crisp cookies into cake.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat the oven and cream the butter

Set the oven to 350°F (180°C). Beat the softened butter with both sugars in a large bowl until it looks pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes with a hand mixer.

2. Add eggs and vanilla

Beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting until each disappears before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla.

3. Mix in the dry ingredients

Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder into the bowl. Beat just until no dry streaks remain. The dough will be stiff and dark.

4. Roll and cut the big cookies

Split the dough into 4 equal pieces. Put one between two sheets of parchment and roll it to about 11 inches wide. Use a 10-inch springform pan as a guide to cut a circle, then a 3-inch ramekin to cut the center out, leaving a ring. Save the scraps. Slide the ring, still on its parchment, onto a baking sheet and repeat with the rest.

5. Freeze, then bake

Freeze the cookie rings for 10 minutes. Bake them 12 to 14 minutes, in batches if your oven is small, until the edges are firm. Cool them completely on the sheet.

6. Make the small cookies

Press the scraps together, reroll, and cut 24 cookies about 1 1/2 inches wide. Freeze them 10 minutes, then bake 7 minutes. Cool completely.

7. Whip the cream

Pour the cold heavy cream into a large bowl and whip to soft peaks. Add the chilled condensed milk and keep whipping until stiff peaks hold. Spoon it into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with a large round tip.

8. Stack the cake

Set one big cookie on a serving plate and pipe cream over it. Repeat with the remaining three cookies and finish with a layer of cream on top. Keep any extra cream for the garnish.

9. Chill at least 4 hours

Cover loosely and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. The cookies should feel soft when you press the side of the cake.

10. Decorate the top

Pipe a little cream onto a small cookie and sandwich it with another. Make 10 of these. Put the rest of the small cookies in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Stand the sandwiches around the top edge and scatter the crumbs over the cream.

11. Slice and serve

Cut with a warm, dry knife and wipe it between slices.

Variations

• Swap the dark cocoa for regular cocoa if you want a milder, sweeter cookie.
• Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dough to push the chocolate flavor forward.
• Use chocolate wafer cookies from the store instead of baking your own. You'll need enough to make four 10-inch layers.

How to Store Cookies ‘N’ Cream Icebox Cake

Frequently Asked Questions

Cookies 'N' Cream Icebox Cake – No-Bake Chocolate Layer Cake

Big chocolate cookies stacked with sweet whipped cream, then chilled until soft. A no-bake icebox cake that feeds 12 and slices clean.

45 minPrep time30 minCook time315 minTotal12Servings

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Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk (chilled)

Instructions

1. 1Heat the oven and cream the butter — Set the oven to 350°F (180°C). Beat the softened butter with both sugars in a large bowl until it looks pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes with a hand mixer.
2. 2Add eggs and vanilla — Beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting until each disappears before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla.
3. 3Mix in the dry ingredients — Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder into the bowl. Beat just until no dry streaks remain. The dough will be stiff and dark.
4. 4Roll and cut the big cookies — Split the dough into 4 equal pieces. Put one between two sheets of parchment and roll it to about 11 inches wide. Use a 10-inch springform pan as a guide to cut a circle, then a 3-inch ramekin to cut the center out, leaving a ring. Save the scraps. Slide the ring, still on its parchment, onto a baking sheet and repeat with the rest.
5. 5Freeze, then bake — Freeze the cookie rings for 10 minutes. Bake them 12 to 14 minutes, in batches if your oven is small, until the edges are firm. Cool them completely on the sheet.
6. 6Make the small cookies — Press the scraps together, reroll, and cut 24 cookies about 1 1/2 inches wide. Freeze them 10 minutes, then bake 7 minutes. Cool completely.
7. 7Whip the cream — Pour the cold heavy cream into a large bowl and whip to soft peaks. Add the chilled condensed milk and keep whipping until stiff peaks hold. Spoon it into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with a large round tip.
8. 8Stack the cake — Set one big cookie on a serving plate and pipe cream over it. Repeat with the remaining three cookies and finish with a layer of cream on top. Keep any extra cream for the garnish.
9. 9Chill at least 4 hours — Cover loosely and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. The cookies should feel soft when you press the side of the cake.
10. 10Decorate the top — Pipe a little cream onto a small cookie and sandwich it with another. Make 10 of these. Put the rest of the small cookies in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Stand the sandwiches around the top edge and scatter the crumbs over the cream.
11. 11Slice and serve — Cut with a warm, dry knife and wipe it between slices.

Cook's note: The cookies must be fully cool before you stack them, or the cream will melt and the layers will slide. If the cake looks wobbly after chilling, give it another hour.

Servings: 12

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

RecipesCooker45 minutes30 minutes315 minutes

Written by Marta Kowalczyk
Muffins & quick breads are my whole kitchen philosophy: one bowl, a whisk, and a batter that goes from counter to oven before the coffee cools. I write for cooks who want banana bread and blueberry muffins that work on a Tuesday, with ingredient swaps and bake times tested in an ordinary home oven. My angle is making quick breads forgiving, so a slightly overripe fruit or a forgotten timer still ends in something worth slicing.