The younger mancub celebrated his 8th birthday yesterday. He requested a chocolate chip cookie ice cream cake that our local grocery store sells in their bakery. Of course, when I went to buy one, they didn't have any available. Determined to fufill his request, I decided to make one myself. :)
I know it doesn't seem possible that a self-proclaimed foodie doesn't own any springform pans, but they haven't made their way into my cupboards yet. This baking project would be way simpler with two or three of them on-hand. They've been added to my Christmas wish list. ;) For this project, I used disposable pizza pans.
The ingredients - there are only 4 of them!
Chocolate chip cookie dough mix (2 pouches)
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 eggs
Ice cream (I used vanilla, but chocolate would be tasty, too!) - allow it to sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to make it easier to spread.
Sidenote: Don't forget to clip the box tops and save them for your kiddo's school!
Follow the instructions for the cookie dough mix. I doubled the batch in one bowl and just divided it in half to bake the cookie cakes.
Using springform pans
If you are using springform pans, this is where it will get easy. You will need to adjust this process based on how many pans you have.
For the cookie cakes, simply spread the dough in the pan and bake according to the package. Once the cookie cakes have cooled to room temperature, you can remove them from the springform pans.
Refrigerate the cookie cakes, so they are firm and won't break when you assemble the cake.
For the ice cream filling, fill one pan with the desired amount of ice cream. (I used about half of a 1/2 gallon container for my cake). You might want to line the pan with plastic wrap first, to make it easier to separate from the bottom of the pan. Place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
Using disposable pizza pans
If you are using disposable pizza pans, then spread 1/2 the dough out on each pan, leaving about a 1 inch space from the edge of the pan. This will let the cookie expand as it bakes. Bake until the cookie turns a nice golden brown. I ended up cooking mine for about 12 minutes, so your baking time may vary.
Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, you can remove them from the pizza pans. First, you will need to resize them to the size you want the finished cake. I used a 9-inch baking round. Just flip it over and press firmly, rotating slightly to make sure you cut all the way through the cookie.
Refrigerate the cookie cakes, so they are firm and won't break when you assemble the cake.
For the ice cream filling, fill the 9-inch baking round with the desired amount of ice cream. (I used about half of a 1/2 gallon container for my cake). You might want to line the pan with plastic wrap first, to make it easier to separate from the bottom of the pan. Place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
Once the ice cream is firm, you are ready to assemble the cake!
Assembling the cake
Place one cookie cake on the cake plate. Place the ice cream on top. Top with the second cookie cake. You will need to work quickly so the ice cream doesn't melt.
Once the cake is assembled, place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes to allow the ice cream to firm back up. Then you are ready to serve the cake.
The cake!
Enjoy!
