Labor Day may have been the biggest day for grilling, but that doesn’t mean that Southerners have put our grills aside. In fact, many of us leave them out the year round.
However, whether you’re firing up the grill for burgers or dogs, chicken or ribs, dessert is de rigeur. But you don’t want to turn on the oven and heat up the house because even in autumn, it can still be hot as the blazes outside, and your air conditioner is running ragged trying to keep the inside cool.
I’m talking about making a no-bake dessert, preferably one that combines creamy ice cream with one of America’s favorite cookies: Oreos.
This recipe is one I’ve made often, having found it on Taste of Home and changing it up a little using different ice creams other than the vanilla the recipe originally called for. I’ve found that mint chocolate chip ice cream is wonderful, as is cookies and cream. Cold Stone Creamery has a good chocolate peanut butter ice cream that works deliciously well in this recipe, too. To really change things up, use vanilla Oreos with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce instead of hot fudge. This dessert is a versatile one, but one of the best things is to make it the day before, put it in the freezer, and it’s ready to serve when you are. Just pull it out of the freezer 10 or 15 minutes beforehand for easier cutting.
Oreo Ice Cream Dessert
1 package (15-1/2 ounces) Oreo cookies, crushed, divided
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 gallon vanilla or cookies and cream ice cream, softened (or your favorite flavor)
1 jar (16 ounces) hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
In a large bowl, combine 3 cups cookie crumbs and butter. Press into a greased 13- by 9-inch dish. Spread with ice cream; cover and freeze.
When ice cream is set, remove from freezer and drizzle with fudge topping; cover and freeze until set, then spread with whipped topping and sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. Cover and freeze 2 hours or until firm. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving.
Let them eat cake … for free!
Mark your calendars now for Tuesday, Sept. 15, when Nothing Bundt Cakes starts the autumn season with its new 10 Million Bites of Joy celebration, a day when the bakery gives away 300 free Bundtlets — no purchase necessary — at each of its locations.
There are two in Chattanooga: 2321 Lifestyle Way in the Hamilton Place neighborhood and 5760 Highway 153 in Hixson. Stop by early and get your free Bundtlet, and while you’re there, check out the return of the fan-favorite Biscoff cookie butter cake, as well as the new Apple Pie Cake Pop-Up flavor.
Contact features writer Anne Braly at annebralychatt@gmail.com.