Peppermint Crunch Oreo Ice Cream Cake

There are two kinds of people in the world.

Actually, there are lots of kinds of "two kinds of people" in the world.

This is not, mind you, a right-versus-wrong thing: it's just a this-way-or-that-way thing.

For instance, there are people who love camping...and people whose idea of "roughing it" is a hotel room whose breakfast bar doesn't come with one of those flip waffle makers.

There are people who love cilantro...and people who think it tastes like soap and why, oh why, would you ruin a perfectly good batch of guacamole by putting this in it?

There are people who think a 5-mile run sounds like a good idea...and people who think running is only a good idea if you're being chased by something or someone who might possibly harm you more than the running itself.

And (to the post at hand), there are people who adore chocolate and mint in tandem...and people who'd rather eat a mentholated cough drop for dessert.

If you'd pick the cough drop, I apologize for taking up your time. Actually, if that's your bent, you probably aren't reading this post in the first place. So never mind.

As an equal-opportunity chocolate lover, I appreciate chocolate in combination with almost anything, including itself. But this chocolate-peppermint power duo is one of my favorites. Parenthetically, I can tell you it did do rather a lot to spread peace and goodwill in my kitchen when I recently announced to my family that I was making it. And if there's one thing a house with two teenage daughters and a mom who is, well, me needs more of, it's peace and goodwill...at any time of the year.

Peppermint Crunch Oreo Ice Cream Cake {print}

1 package (about 14 ounces) chocolate sandwich cookies, moderately crushed* (gluten-free if desired...we do gluten around here, so I used reduced-fat Oreos)

3 tablespoon butter, melted

1.5 quarts vanilla ice cream

1 cup moderately crushed* peppermint candies (candy canes, or those round candies in cellophane wrappers some restaurants have sitting around, etc.)

8 ounces whipped topping, thawed, OR 3 cups prepared sweetened whipped cream (if you really want to power up your peppermint here, use peppermint Cool Whip when seasonally available)

hot fudge or chocolate sauce, for serving (my favorite homemade hot fudge recipe is here if you need one)

(*By "moderately" crushed, I mean medium crumbs with a few large pieces and some fine "dust" in the mix.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Round up a 9" springform pan or a 9" cake pan (the higher the sides, the better). Dump 1 1/2 cups of your cookie crumbs into the bottom of the pan and drizzle them with the melted butter. Use a fork to toss the butter and crumbs together. Press this addictive mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 6 minutes. No, it is not okay to round up to 10 here unless you want Oreo asphalt instead of a cookie crust. Remove from oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely. You can rush this process by putting the crust in the refrigerator if necessary. You cannot rush this process by not cooling the crust and proceeding with the recipe anyway.

Once your crust is cooled, scoop the ice cream into a large bowl. Add in 1/2 cup of your crushed peppermint candies and mix them in with an electric mixer or a sturdy spoon and some muscle power. Sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup crushed candies over the surface of your ice cream mixture and fold in gently. Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup crushed peppermints for decoration when you serve this masterpiece.

Spread 1/2 of your ice cream mixture evenly onto your prepared, cooled crust. Dollop on 1 1/2 cups of your whipped topping or whipped cream and spread evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 of your remaining cookie crumbs over the surface of the whipped topping/cream, and spread evenly with a fork. Repeat this layering, using up the remaining ice cream mixture, whipped topping/cream, and crushed cookies. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cake, wrap the whole thing in foil, and freeze until firm, several hours or overnight or up to a month or so. 

To serve: cut cake into slivers or slices or sections; drizzle with chocolate syrup or hot fudge sauce; and sprinkle with some of the reserved crushed peppermint candies. Serves 8-10 normal people or 4-6 of the sort who live in my house.

**This post may have been shared at some of these blog bashes.**