Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake

I think this was the first icebox cake I’ve ever made, despite years of clipping recipes for them from Southern Living magazine, and admiring them in all of their 1950s glory. I’ve wanted to make this particular cake for a while. The recipe, from How Easy is That?, really is that easy. For months, I had a plan to make some crisp chocolate chip cookies instead of buying cookies from Tate’s Bake Shop that the recipe recommends. To be fair, I didn’t really search for them in Minnesota, but these cookies seem to be available for sale everywhere here in Houston.

I first found them with our 6-year-old on a regular grocery shopping trip. He’s not usually my grocery guy – my 3-year-old is much happier shopping for food than his older brother is – but we were on a special mission to Buy All The Things That Rowan Wants to Eat. He lost 4 pounds in our first month here, which may not sound like a lot, but it’s approximately 10% of the poor little guy’s body weight. He’s much better now, thanks be to God and the Texas Medical Center. So, when he showed interest in these cookies, these cookies are what he got. In the past month, I think he’s eaten more than what can be contained in this cake. Behold the healing power of the cookie.

So, once I knew where to find the cookies, I dug up this recipe, which might just be the Perfect Summer Dessert: Non-Fruit Category. No oven, simple ingredients, easy-setup, and beyond delicious. And, there’s mascarpone, which makes this like a (much better, in my opinion) version of tiramisu, without the creepy “ladyfingers” ingredient.

I replaced the Kahlua with regular coffee, because I’m not into boozey desserts. The frosting/mousse/filling would have been good slurped off of a spoon, but even better with the layers of cookies. I was really glad that I replaced my rusty, bent springform pan at the Nordic Ware factory. Isn’t the red snappy?

Now I want to make all of these!

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