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Mini Oreo Icebox Cakes are a simple, no-bake dessert, perfect for hot days when you don’t want to turn on the oven. OREO cookies, flavored whipped cream, and fresh berries are all you need to make this quick and easy dessert!
Thank you to International Delight for sponsoring this post. This year I’m pleased to partner with them to bring you fun and creative dessert recipes.
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Mini Oreo No-Bake Cakes
Icebox cakes, also known as no-bake cakes, are the lazy girl’s best friend. Craving a rich, creamy, cake-like dessert but also craving quality Netflix-and-couch time? Icebox cakes to the rescue!
With just a handful of common pantry ingredients, you can throw together an icebox cake in 10-15 minutes, and have plenty of time left afterwards to binge watch an entire season of Nailed It.
These cakes are incredibly simple to make, so they’re great for when you’re short on time or cooking with kids. But unlike some quickie recipes, they don’t taste like you took any shortcuts, and they’re fabulously rich and satisfying–not to mention adorable!
How to Make Icebox Cakes
Icebox cakes are most traditionally made in the shape of a round or rectangular cake, and cut into slices to serve. (This Chocolate Raspberry No-Bake Cake is a perfect example!) But they work equally well in smaller serving sizes, and mini cakes have the added advantage of looking cute and helping with portion control, if you’re into that sort of thing. Make them in nice glasses or ramekins for parties, in lidded jars for picnics–or in any small containers you have on hand!
The two main components you need for an icebox cake are thin, crunchy cookies, and a moist frosting, like whipped cream or cream cheese frosting. The cookies and cream are layered together, then left to sit overnight in a refrigerator. The cookies soak up the moisture from the cream, and you’ll be amazed at how your crispy cookies transformed into soft, cakey layers, as if by magic.
The Best Cookies for Icebox Cakes
There are lots of possibilities when it comes to no-bake cake ingredients. The most common cookies are probably either chocolate wafers or graham crackers, but any thin, crunchy cookie or sweet cracker should work. Gingersnaps, sugar cookies, vanilla wafers–even crunchy chocolate chip cookies are delicious!
For these mini cakes, I used just the cookie portion of OREO cookies, and they worked beautifully. They softened after a few hours in the refrigerator and became like thin layers of chocolate cake. I took out the cream filling, because I thought it might be too much with the whipped cream, but if you don’t want to go to the trouble of disassembling your OREO cookies, I think OREO Thins would work well in icebox cakes, no cookie surgery required.
I used an assortment of different fruits in my mini cakes (another advantage to making lots of little ones instead of one big cake!). I made raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, and cherry variations, and they were all delicious in their own way. So just use whatever is fresh and seasonal where you live!
The Perfect Whipped Cream for Icebox Cakes
Because whipped cream is such an intrinsic part of this recipe, it’s important to make it properly! Whipped cream seems like it should be a no-brainer (after all, the name is basically the recipe!), but there are some steps you can take to ensure successful whipped cream, every time.
—Use heavy cream. Make sure you buy heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, which has more fat than light whipping cream. More fat means a more stable, more flavorful whipped cream. I actually like to use manufacturing cream, which has even MORE fat, around 40%, and makes a gorgeously thick, rich whipped cream. I find it at Costco or Smart & Final.
—Keep it cold. Use cream straight from the refrigerator, and chill the mixing bowl and beaters for at least 15 minutes before you use them. Cold ingredients and tools produce a more stable whipped cream.
–Stabilize your whipped cream. Why do I keep talking about “stable” cream? Because there’s nothing worse than whipped cream that is too runny, or that has separated! It doesn’t look good, or taste good, and it will ruin your icebox cake, too. Stability is KEY to success, so to stabilize my cream in this recipe, I mix in a little cream cheese at the very beginning. You can’t really taste it in the final product, but it makes a really thick, gorgeously textured cream.
–Add flavor! I never make whipped cream without adding a little sumthin’ sumthin’. Sometimes it’s just vanilla extract, but sometimes I get more adventurous. This time, I used a new-to-me flavor–International Delight OREO coffee creamer! I don’t know how they managed to make a creamer with the unmistakable taste of OREO cookies, but they did, and I wholeheartedly endorse this culinary witchcraft. It added the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor to the cream, and I loved the one-two punch of OREO flavor when I layered the cream with the cookies.
If you can’t find International Delight OREO coffee creamer, you can certainly substitute another flavor, but if you can track it down, I highly suggest you give it a try.
For More No-Bake Desserts, Check Out:
- Chocolate Raspberry No-Bake Cake
- Easter No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
- Fresh Peach Tart
- Pastel Rainbow Gelatin Cups
- Strawberry Rose Tarts
Mini Oreo Icebox Cakes
Ingredients
- 18-24 OREO cookies
- 6 oz cream cheese at room temperature. (Do not use low-fat)
- 2 oz powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup International Delight OREO creamer
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups fresh berries coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Twist apart the OREO cookies. Scrape out the frosting and discard it (or eat it!).
- Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix them together until the mixture is smooth and creamy, without any lumps.
- Stop the mixer and add the heavy cream, International Delight OREO creamer, and vanilla extract. Whip on medium to medium-high speed until the cream is dense and thick and holds firm peaks when you remove the whisk. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Pipe a dollop of cream on the bottom of 12 ½-cup glasses or jars. Place an OREO cookie on top of the cream, and press down gently to embed it in the cream. Depending on the size of your glasses, you may need to break apart a second cookie to fill in any blank spaces around the edges—just try to fill in all the space with a single layer of cookies.
- Pipe a swirl of whipped cream on top of the cookie layer, then press chopped fresh berries into the whipped cream. Add a second layer of cookies on top of the berries, and repeat this process until you’ve reached the top of the cup. Finish with a final swirl of whipped cream on top.
- Add any additional garnishes you’d like—I used chocolate curls, fresh berries, and mini OREO cookies. Refrigerate the icebox cakes for at least 4-6 hours to soften the cookies, then serve and enjoy!
What can I use instead of International Delight OREO creamer? I cannot get this where I live.
Janet Schager
Hi Janet, you can replace it with an equal amount of heavy cream.