Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake

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This homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake is a simple and perfect recipe to make with kids for a special occasion or birthday.

Made with ingredients we all love, it is full of chocolate and vanilla flavors with a crunchy, fudgy cookie crust. This is an easy homemade ice cream cake that is a perfect dessert any time of year.

This homemade ice cream cake is one of my mom's specialties. She makes it for her grandkid's birthdays and it is always a hit and gone in a flash.

She adapted her version from a recipe titled Cookie Ice Cream Cake found in a Taste of Home Dessert Cookbook that she picked up years ago.

There are several steps to building the cake, but the recipe is simple enough to make with young kids. This cake can be made up to a week in advance which will help free up time prior to your special event.

Perfect for a birthday or other special occasion.

Ingredients

• miniature chocolate chip cookies

• vanilla soft serve

• chocolate soft serve

• hot fudge sauce

• butter

• nut topping

Instructions

There are several steps to put this recipe together, but when followed in order, it is a simple recipe that produces a big visual impact.

For this recipe, I used Famous Amos Mini Chocolate Chip cookies. You can also use a cookie alternative with a crunchy texture. If you can't find Famous Amos, I have also used Chips Ahoy crunchy chocolate chip cookies with M&Ms.

Step 1. Take 25 cookies and place them in a zip-lock bag. Close the bag and crush with a rolling pin or the side of a saucer until you have fairly large crumbs.

Step 2. Melt the butter and mix it with the cookie crumbs. Press crumbs into the bottom of a springform pan. #ad Cover the pan with foil and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Step 3. Heat the fudge topping in a glass cup for 15-30 seconds until pourable. Mix fudge with a spoon and spread it over the cookie crust. Spread evenly to the edge of the pan. Place the remaining cookies on end, side by side, on the outside edge of the pan to create a cookie edge. Return the pan to the freezer for 15 minutes.

Step 4. Remove the chocolate ice cream from the freezer to soften. Stir the ice cream and spread evenly over the fudge layer and cookie crust to the edge of the pan. Place the pan back in the freezer for30 minutes.

Step 5. After 15 minutes, set out vanilla ice cream to soften. Stir and spread vanilla ice cream over the chocolate layer to the edge of the pan.

Step 6. Cover and return to the freezer for at least 30 minutes until the ice cream has hardened. Set out for 10 minutes before serving.

Step 7. Before serving, heat the remaining hot fudge sauce in the microwave until pourable. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle chopped nuts or sprinkles around the outside border of the ice cream.

What to Serve with Ice Cream Cake

This Ice Cream Cake can be a stand-alone dessert for any special occasion. For additional chocolatey flavor, serve with a spoonful of hot fudge sauce or with marshmallow cream. Can't eat nuts? Skip them and add sprinkles instead.

Another moist and flavorful cake that would work well with Ice Cream Cake is my recipe for Coconut Refrigerator Cake. This moist and flavorful cake is another make-ahead cake that will free up time as you prepare for your special occasion.

Looking for more dessert recipes? Take a look at Meal Plan Mondays by Southern Plate Big Bear's Wife for a variety of new recipes every Monday.

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January 2026 Update: minor recipe post updates and tips.