The Store-Bought Cookies Ina Garten Uses For Easy Icebox Cake

No-bake desserts never go out of style and when it comes to favorites, icebox cakes top the list of this no baking necessary category. This cake is comprised of luscious layers of cookies and either whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, or pudding that sets overnight and is nothing short of creamy perfection. But leave it to Ina Garten to transform this 1950s classic into modern day dessert elegance with her mocha chocolate icebox cake made with Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The Barefoot Contessa shares her "update" on this cake which replaces the traditional whipped cream with a mocha whipped cream and the chocolate wafers with one of her favorite Southampton, NY store-bought chocolate chip cookie brands. Because the cookies are going to soak-up a lot of moisture from your wet ingredients, it is important that you have a cookie that is crispy enough to soften but not disintegrate into a mushy mess, and Tate's cookies really fit the bill.

You should plan on using at least three packages of Tate's cookies if you decide to use them in place of the standard chocolate wafers. And when it comes to the creamy element of Garten's icebox cake, it is made using whipping cream and mascarpone cheese along with Kahlúa and cocoa powder. Those sweet and delectable flavors complement Tate's Chocolate Chip Cookies perfectly, leaving your taste buds wanting for more. 

The cookbook author adorns the finished product with some chocolate shavings on top so, as Garten says, your guests know that it's chocolate. But the true power of this cake, apart from the decadent taste, is how quickly it all comes together. The chef states, "... oh, my God, it makes grown men weep. And the whole thing takes five minutes to make. And you make it the day before, so it's easy when you're entertaining" (via Epicurious).