Video: How To Make A Chocolate Chip Cookie Torte

Layer Kahlúa-kissed Chips Ahoy! cookies in a sea of Cool Whip

When you'd eat your afternoon milk and cookies, were you on Team Dunk or on Team Smash and Soak? Imagine if Mom let you bring out the Cool Whip and construct a cake. Basically, this chocolate chip torte/trifle/icebox cake mash-up is the stuff of childhood dreams.

Store-bought ingredients work better in this recipe than homemade. Start by mixing ⅔ cup of whole milk with ⅓ cup of Kahlúa. Then pull out 2 packages of original Chips Ahoy! cookies and a whole container of thawed Cool Whip. Dip 1 cookie at a time into the Kahlúa-milk mix and begin lining the bottom of a serving dish, then top with a layer of Cool Whip. Repeat, alternating between layers of dipped cookies and Cool Whip, until you get to the top. Then dust with unsweetened cocoa powder.

We built ours in a 6-inch trifle dish, because we love the art of presentation, but you could use any size-appropriate baking dish, cake pan or bowl for your layers. Once your cake is complete, let it chill overnight to really let the cookies soften and the flavors meld. (OK, we'll come clean: We let ours sit in the fridge for maybe an hour before we dove into cookies-and-cream heaven, and we were not disappointed.)

When the trifle dish emerges from the fridge in its cocoa-dusted glory, it looks strikingly elegant despite its store-bought ingredients list. It hits those nostalgic milk-and-cookies notes and also has a hint of booze reminiscent of tiramisu.

Get more icebox cake recipes:

- Try Your Hand at a Classic Icebox Cake

- Use Oreos in an Icebox Cake

- Make a Chocolate-Hazelnut Icebox Cake