Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Cake

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

* 1 large bag Mint Oreos
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 1/2 cups thick chocolate sauce
* 1 quart chocolate ice cream
* 1 quart mint-chocolate-chip ice cream
* whipped cream, chocolate chips, extra chocolate sauce, or chocolate mint candies for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. Place about 40 of the mint chocolate cookies in a zippered plastic bag. Press out any air in the bag and seal. Crush the cookies with a rolling pin, creating cookie crumbs.
2. Remove half of the cookie crumbs and place in a small mixing bowl. Combine crumbs with melted butter or margarine and mix well. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Line the inside rim of the pan with whole cookies, pressing the bottoms into the crumb mixture to keep them standing upright. Spread crumb crust with 3/4 cup of the chocolate sauce, warming the sauce in the microwave if necessary to make it easier to spread. Freeze crust for 15-30 minutes.
3. Soften the chocolate ice cream by leaving it out for 10-15 minutes. Spread the ice cream over the crust. Top with remaining 3/4 cup chocolate sauce and the rest of the cookie crumbs. Freeze for one hour.
4. Soften the mint chocolate chip ice cream. Spread the ice cream evenly over the chocolate sauce/cookie crumb layer. Freeze cake for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
5. Before serving, decorate ice cream cake with whipped cream, mint chocolate chips, and/or chocolate sauce. Remove outer ring of the spring form pan and slice. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 servings.