Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake

This chocolate peanut butter icebox cake is entirely make-ahead, easy enough for the kids to pitch in, and doesn’t require an oven.

Wondering what to make for Father’s Day this weekend? May I suggest one of the simplest but most impressive summer desserts I know? This chocolate peanut butter icebox cake is entirely make-ahead, easy enough for the kids to pitch in, and doesn’t even require an oven. You simply layer store-bought chocolate wafers with peanut butter-flavored whipped cream in a loaf pan and then chill the dessert overnight. In the fridge, the cookies soften and meld with the cream, creating a dessert that resembles a fancy layered mousse cake. Can’t beat that!

What you’ll need to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake

The hardest part about this recipe (other than waiting for it to set in the fridge) is finding Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. My local supermarket, Giant Food, stocks them near the Oreos, but they can be tough to spot; be sure to ask if you don’t see them. Some grocery stores don’t carry them, so it’s a good idea to call ahead to be sure. And, though not pictured here, I always buy two boxes for one recipe because the cookies break easily.

How to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Icebox Cake

Begin by whipping the cream to stiff peaks; set aside. In another bowl, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt.

Beat until smooth and creamy.

Add about a third of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture.

Beat until well combined. This lightens the mixture so you can fold in the remaining cream.

Add the remaining cream.

Fold into the peanut butter mixture, turning the bowl as you go.

When the mixture is even in color and texture, it’s ready.

Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap so that it hangs over the edges. Fill the pan with about two-thirds of the cream.

Starting at a short side of the pan, arrange 12 cookies in the cream, standing them on their edge in a row. Do the same with a second row of cookies, slightly overlapping the cookies from the second row with the cookies in the first row. Continue with two more rows for a total of four rows.

Cover the cookies with the remaining cream.

Pull the plastic wrap over the edges and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

Unmold the cake onto a serving platter.

Decorate with cocoa powder, crushed wafers and peanuts.

Slice with a sharp knife and serve cold.