No-Bake Summer Dessert

It's HOT summertime, and we have a whole month of birthdays to celebrate. I wanted to do something special for those I love, but heating up the oven wasn't one of them. When the mercury rises, I think it's a good idea to cool down with an indulgent treat that you can make without the help of a hot oven.

OREO Dirt Cake is the perfect solution for summer birthdays. All ages enJOY it. It's quick and easy to prepare. You have several options for decorating it (some I'll include below in photos and URL address). It stores well for several days. And, so far, this month, I've already had two requests to make it. So, Dirt Cake, it is!

Our twin granddaughters, Madison and Emma, just celebrated their ninth birthdays this weekend, and their Pappaw will celebrate his birthday in a few days. The girls began requesting "Dirt Cake" several weeks ago, so we got together for a "Nanna Day" last week and made their cake. I expected Pappaw to request something more complicated for his birthday, but when asked, he thought about it a minute (or less) and also ordered "Dirt Cake." I'm not sure whether he made that request because "he reaaaalllly likes Dirt Cake" or because he "wants to save electricity by not heating up the house and running the air conditioner more than necessary." I won't ask, but I'm betting on the latter. :-)

I'll let the girls get you started by showing you our list of ingredients (and by the way, you can also locate this recipe on page 108 of my cookbook, "A Pinch of This ... A Smidgen of That"):

Here's what you'll need:

2 (20 oz.) pkgs. Oreo cookies
1/2 stick butter
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1-1 ½ c. powdered sugar
3 1/2 c. milk
2 sm. French vanilla instant pudding boxes
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip

Meet Sous Chef Emma (left) and Sous Chef Madison (right). They are the BEST EVER helpers in the kitchen! Cooking is lots more fun when they are helping. (Emma, you're doing a great job holding that cookbook! :-)... Now, you two, get to work and cream the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together.

Beat it until it's nice and smooth, just like this:

It really helps when you have extra hands to do the beating...

... and beating!

Add pudding mixes together with the milk.

Use a whisk to blend the milk and pudding mix until thickened. 

Be sure to sample the Cool Whip, just to be sure it's safe to use! :-)

Then, use a spatula to gently fold the Cool Whip into the pudding mixture.

Then blend the pudding mixture in with the cream cheese mixture.

And, don't forget the most important part of this recipe.... LICK THE BEATERS!

Now, licking those beaters was pretty YUMMY, but the next step had to be the most fun part of this recipe: Crumble the Oreo's in a blender (or do as we did and place all of them in 2 ziplock bags securely fastened with all the air removed. (BE SURE YOU USE TWO BAGS, SO NO HOLES FORM AND CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR CRUMBS!)

Beat the stuffin' out of them with a dough roller---or other violent object--or...

 ... step on them repeatedly, or ...

... or do a hat dance, (Emma and Madie called it a "dirt dance"), if you have to---in order to crumble the cookies. When finished, you may have to use a spatula to scrape the cream from the inside of the bag.

 Who says Dirt Cake isn't good for your heart?!! My goodness, it's not every day that you can get a cardio workout while having fun and making a great dessert!

NOW, for the next step, IF YOU WANT TO GO TO ALL THIS TROUBLE, BE MY GUEST: (This is what the "original" recipe said to do...) Line the inside of a clay flower pot with foil. Alternate layering cookie crumbs and filling, ending with the cookie crumbs on top. Top with gummi worms and a plastic flower as garnish.

PERSONALLY, I prefer to place a layer of crumbs in the bottom of a trifle bowl

and follow that with a layer of pudding mixture,

then a layer of crumbs, etc. repeating layers until you end the top with a sprinkling of leftover crumbs as garnish. Cover and refrigerate a few hours before serving. (Vanna White, watch out... these girls are pretty good! :-)

If you want, you can add gummi worms, strawberries, dollops of whipped cream, etc. as additional garnish. We just added 9 candles for the girls to blow out and make their wishes.

... and there she blows!!

(see examples below and this URL for more decorating ideas: http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/dirt-cake.html) Strawberries make a great topper for the last layer...

Or, if you're celebrating a "significant milestone" birthday, Pepperidge Farms' Milano Cookies make great headstones!

My hubby's birthday is only four days after the twins' birthday.
He loved his "Dirt Birthday Cake"...

 This was probably one of the most fun times I've had in the kitchen with the "grands." I look forward to many more birthday celebrations with them and lots more JOYful times in the kitchen.

Don't forget to save or print the recipe below for your files.

And remember ...

DIRT CAKE

(page 108 in "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That" Cookbook)

2 (20 oz.) pkgs. Oreo cookies
1/2 stick butter
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1-1 ½  c. powdered sugar
3 1/2 c. milk
2 sm. French vanilla instant pudding mixes
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip

Cream the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Add pudding mixes together with the milk, and fold in the Cool Whip to pudding mixture. Then blend in with the cream cheese mixture.

Crumble the Oreo's in a blender (or place all of them in 2 ziplock bags securely fastened with all the air removed.  Step on them repeatedly---do a hat dance (we called it a "dirt dance"), if you have to---in order to crumble the cookies. When finished, you may have to use a spatula to scrape the cream from the inside of the bag.

NOW, IF YOU WANT TO GO TO ALL THIS TROUBLE, BE MY GUEST: Line the inside of a clay flower pot with foil. Alternate layering cookie crumbs and filling, ending with the cookie crumbs on top. Top with gummi worms and a plastic flower as garnish.

PERSONALLY, I prefer to place a layer of crumbs in the bottom of a trifle bowl and follow that with a layer of pudding mixture, then a layer of crumbs, etc. repeating layers until you end the top with a sprinkling of leftover crumbs as garnish. Cover and refrigerate a few hours before serving.

EnJOY!!!