I am really into icebox cake now, after coming up with two summer versions (lemon speculoos and ginger peach). It is such an easy way to create an impressive dessert. So it seemed natural to come up with an idea for the busy holiday season. Because the best thing about an ice box cake is that it can be made – indeed must be – made ahead. And it is a blank canvas for decorative flourishes. Go wild with sprinkles and sparkles and shards of chocolate and peppermint. It is an altogether fun and festive centerpiece for a holiday table.

The obvious cookie choice here would be the classic Famous Wafers, but those are no longer made. So I have experimented a little and think Oreo Thins are a good, readily available option (Dewey’s Bakery makes a brownie thin and other chocolate options that are the best choice, but they are not so readily available and a little pricey). Oreo Thins have the filling, but so little of it that it sort of fuses into the cream of the cake. If you can’t fine thin Oreos, use regular Oreos, just spin them open, remove the cream and use the naked halves. I use Ghiradelli peppermint bark, which is very readily available, from a bag of individually wrapped pieces, but I know many stores offer a version of this and those are perfectly acceptable, though I do prefer the kind with a milk chocolate layer topped with white chocolate peppermint. Andes Mint makes red and white peppermint bark version that works as well (not the green ones). This isn’t really hard and fast and you can certainly make this cake with what you can find. Start the layering with cream on the bottom (which will be the top when you unmold it) and end with cookies. I love to sprinkle some cookie crumbs and shards of peppermint bark on the top for decoration, maybe even some edible glitter or white and red shiny sprinkles. I also find mini Ghiradelli bark squares that look lovely on the top as well.