I miss Carvel’s so much. My whole family does. It still exists, apparently, but all the store outlets where everyone lives have dried up and the supermarkets stopped carrying it so we make our own bare-bones versions. No interesting shapes or decorations. Pre-pandemic we used to have at least one, usually two or three, summertime family get-togethers every year (the family reunion, summer birthdays, some sprout would hit some religious upbringing or academic milestone, so we all insisted on going; I come from a large family…)

Anyway, this recipe doesn’t require mint chocolate chip ice cream but that’s my favorite.

================================

At least 1 cup heavy cream, some sugar, a little vanilla extract, beaten to make whipped cream

1 lb. bakery or supermarket bakery plain chocolate cookies, the large, crunchy, sugary kind preferably

1 1/2-stick butter, melted

1 1/2-gallon tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened. You can use any ice cream really. I wouldn’t use a sorbet.

1 jar hot fudge sauce, but get a good amount, like 12 oz. or more. It should be room temperature or maybe even a little warmer, so leave it in a sunny spot or near an oven or something.

---

Take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften. Make the whipped cream and put it in the fridge. Put the cookies in a big bag and smash them into crumbs. This is amazingly cathartic. Put about 3/4 of the cookie crumbs in a bowl and add the melted butter. Mix this so it forms a paste.

Line the bottom a large pan, I use 9″ X 13″, with the cookie/butter paste. Spoon or scoop the softened ice cream on top. Smoosh this down so it forms an even layer. Cover this with cling wrap and freeze.

After a couple of hours take out the pan and smear on the hot fudge sauce. Re-cover the pan and put back in the freezer. After about two hours take out the pan, smear on the whipped cream in an even layer, sprinkle with the remainder of the cookie crumbs, re-cover the pan, and put back in the freezer. After another hour or so serve.