Strawberry “Shortcake” Icebox Cake

For the cookies:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl cream butter and 1 cup of the sugar until well mixed. Add egg and the first amount of vanilla and mix again, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is combined. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Finish mixing with a spoon or your hands.

Scoop 1-2 tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving a few inches in between each scoop. Flatten slightly.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Over-baking slightly is okay here since you want the cookies to be crunchy. Remove pan from oven. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.

For the cake
Wash them and then cut the stems off of the strawberries. Then slice them into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place them in a bowl and cover with 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Stir gently and set aside to let the berries macerate while you make the whipped cream.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, and the remaining amount of vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed. Continue until the mixture forms firm peaks.

To assemble the cake, arrange a layer of cookies flat in an 8-inch springform pan, covering the bottom as much as possible. (I break some cookies to fill in the spaces.) Spread a fourth of the whipped cream mixture evenly over the cookies. Place an even layer of strawberries on the cream, fitting as many as possible without overlapping. Place another layer of cookies on top, laying them out flat and touching, followed by a layer of strawberries and another fourth of the cream. Continue layering cookies, strawberries and cream until there are 4 layers of each, ending with a final layer of strawberries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Run a small sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Use two large spatulas to remove the cake from the bottom portion of the pan. Place on a serving dish. Cut the cake in wedges and serve cold.

Note: If you don’t make your cookies from scratch, look for thin store bought sugar cookies.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa.