Frozen Cookies n' Cream Pie Recipe

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Photograph: Lauren Weisenthal

It's not often that I go semi-homemade, but when I do, odds are good that Oreos and vanilla ice cream will be involved. Given the popularity of cookies n' cream, I'm sure I'm not alone. It's become such a ubiquitous combination that people request it by name, right up there with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. When it's a cookies n' cream lover's birthday, what do you do to celebrate? You make them a pie of ice cream and Oreos of course!

I designed this pie to make a grand gesture for just such an occasion. It's chock-full of Oreo cookies, some ground up with dark chocolate, salt, and butter to form the crust, others divided and placed between layers of ice cream to form stripes, and more still on top, which leaves just enough room for the candles. This fast, simple recipe is destined to make the cookies n' cream lover in your life smile.

Recipe Details

Frozen Cookies n' Cream Pie Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 4 hrs
Serves 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 25 ounces Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies (this is shy of two standard packages)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 quart vanilla ice cream (I recommend Bryer's Vanilla Bean for its white color and fluffy texture), softened

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulverize 15 1/2 ounces of the Oreos until they make uniform crumbs, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and salt. Process until the crumbs have the consistency of wet sand, loose but can be pressed into a shapes, about 15 seconds.

  2. Pour the pulverized mixture into the springform pan and use your fingertips to press it into the bottom and sides to form a crust that rises two inches from the floor of the crust. Chill for at least 20 minutes. While the crust chills, twist to separate the remaining cookies and set aside.

  3. Using an offset spatula, spread a 1/2 inch layer of the softened ice cream on the bottom of the crust. Cover with cookies, then a thin layer of ice cream, and repeat. Place the remaining cookies over the top. Freeze for 3 hours to solidify. 10 minutes before serving, release from the springform pan and allow the pie to sit out. Serve immediately.

Special equipment

9-inch springform pan with 3 inch sides