Growing up in Palatine, Illinois, our winters were freezing. Christmas morning was always cold and temperatures stayed that way long into March if not April. But when your family’s favorite dessert is ice cream, that doesn’t stop you from digging into the frozen treat year-round.
I have many wonderful memories that center around sitting at our kitchen table, bundled up in my pajamas, slippers and cozy robe with a big bowl of ice cream in front of me. And during the holiday season, that ice cream was most likely peppermint ice cream peppered with crushed Oreo cookies.
This Oreo Peppermint Ice Cream Dessert is another one of my family’s holiday favorites. It’s cold and creamy and pairs perfectly with a warm mug of hot chocolate. And the best part? It’s so easy to make. We’re talking 10 minutes or less and only three ingredients: Peppermint ice cream, Oreos and butter. If those three ingredients immediately make you begin salivating, you’re in for a treat!
My mom made this dessert for our family over Thanksgiving and it disappeared faster than all of the usual holiday pies. It’s nothing fancy but it is a crowd pleaser in our house and one that everyone cannot resist reaching for the minute it’s placed on the table after dinner.
Now that we have little ones running around in our house, I also cannot help but appreciate this dessert for another reason. It’s a great one to have children help prepare because it involves crushing cookies. Chase had a ball smacking a freezer bag of Oreo cookies with the back of a spoon when he helped me make this recipe to photograph for the blog. He also loved sneaking bites of the crushed cookies but, then again, I did, too. No shame.
Oreo Peppermint Ice Cream Dessert
PrintOreo Peppermint Ice Cream Dessert
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: Overnight
- Total Time: 10 minutes + Overnight
- Category: dessert, holiday recipes
Description
Sweet, cold and creamy, this Oreo Peppermint Ice Cream Dessert is a family favorite made with crushed Oreo cookies and peppermint ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 half-gallon peppermint ice cream
- 1 14.3-ounce package Oreos
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- Optional toppings: Whipped cream, additional crushed Oreos, crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Remove peppermint ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften slightly. (Note: Do not forget about the ice cream and let it melt. You simply want it soft enough for you to scoop out so you can use a spatula to spread it across a cookie crumb crust. If it melts too much you risk the dreaded freezer burn!)
- While your ice cream is softening, place Oreo cookies into a zip-top freezer bag and crush. Remove approximately 1/4 of the crushed cookies and reserve in a small bowl. Crush the remaining cookies further, as these cookie crumbs will be forming your cookie crust and huge chunks make it a little more challenging for the crust to stay together.
- Pour the remaining 3/4 crushed Oreos into a bowl and mix with the melted butter. Spread evenly on the bottom of an 8×8 pan, forming a cookie crust.
- Spread the softened peppermint ice cream on top of the cookie crust and top with remaining crushed Oreos. (You may have a little bit of ice cream leftover, depending on how high you want your dessert to be in your pan.)
- Cover and place dessert into the freezer and freeze until solid. It’s best to give the dessert plenty of time to re-freeze so both the crust and ice cream can harden. Prepping this dessert the day before or the morning of the day you wish to eat it for dessert is best!
- Top with whipped cream, additional crushed Oreos or crushed candy canes and enjoy!
Jenny says
A great tip my mom taught me for ice cream treats, which my family loves! Cut off the ice cream container so you are left with a big ice cream block. Then just slice the ice cream and lay it on top of the cookie crust ( or other types of crust) makes it so much easier!
Julie says
Such a good tip!!! I bet that would work really well for making homemade ice cream cake which is always a bit challenging.
Brittney says
Seriously can’t wait to make this! I love peppermint and ice cream is hands down my favorite dessert! Win-win!
Sarah @ Sweet Miles says
Aahhh I saw you post about this on Insta yesterday and I couldn’t wait to see the full recipe. I can’t believe how simple it is! Oreos are 100% my love language.
Julie says
Ha!!! This made me laugh. Oreos are absolutely Ryan’s love language, too. 🙂
Becca says
I love peppermint ice cream but can never find it where I live, except seasonally at Publix. Any tips?
Julie says
It is tough to find and I can never find it except for during the holiday season as well. Publix is our go-to for peppermint ice cream (it’s what I used in this recipe when I photographed it as well) but I’ve seen peppermint gelato at Whole Foods recently and think that would work, too! And mint choc chip is great in a pinch for the minty flavor!
Christine says
When I can’t find peppermint ice cream I use vanilla ice cream and add peppermint extract and very finely crushed peppermint candies. Also add a layer of hot fudge to this dessert. YUMMY!
Kaitlyn McQuin says
Oh my goodness, this looks right up my alley! I will ALWAYS reach for the mint chocolate dessert every single time. Ben & Jerry’s Mint Cookie is one of my favs! This also reminds me of a twist on my Granny’s frozen banana split dessert that was everyone in my family’s FAV.
joseph says
This looks AMAZING !!! making method best thank for sharing
Melissa says
Looks so good! I was just scouring the internet for some dessert recipes to bring to holiday parties. This looks like it will be a hit!
Samantha says
How many would you say this feeds? I have a group of 12-13 to feed! Should I make 2?
Donna says
Question do you remove the icing in yhe oreo?
Julie says
Nope!
Sera says
amazing… yummy
Jessica says
I’ve made this every December since you first posted it and it’s one of my favorites. Simple and easy to make but so, so yummy!
Amber says
This was delicious! I didn’t see right away that it was supposed to be a 9 inch pan. I used a tiny bit less than a half gallon and put it in a 9×13. It fed my side of the family (18 people) with a little leftover!
Chennai says
Nice
Aayushie says
Nice
surbhirana says
This was delicious! I didn’t see right away that it was supposed to be a 9 inch pan. I used a tiny bit less than a half gallon and put it in a 9×13. It fed my side of the family (18 people) with a little leftover! Thanks
alice says
Easy to make and very good!
Priyanka says
Really delicious recipe. I loved it.
Rachelle says
This was SO GOOD! Made it in the summer but plan to make it around the holidays, too!
Luna says
Made this for my husband and our kids and everyone loved it. Will make again.
Alison says
Finally tried this recipe for my sisters & my nieces and nephews and it was a BIG hit.
So easy to make too! Thank you!
Julie says
Hooray!! I’m so glad you liked it!!
cerra says
sooooo good!