Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Kathleen who loved to bake cookies. But, what started out as a small shop in Southampton has since transformed into a multi-million dollar business known today as Tate's Bake Shop. Everyone in my family loves Tate's, and our snack bowl is constantly stocked with their crunchy chocolate chip cookies. I'm actually not a huuuuge fan (yes, I understand I'm in the minority) because I like my cookies soft and chewy, however, I do make one very special exception to the rule for Ina's Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake.

The weather has been ridiculous lately, and while I'm ready for a little chill in the air so I can live on butternut squash soup for the next three months, these temperatures have me holding onto summer for a bit longer than usual. Enter: this chilled slice of heaven. PEOPLE. This "cake" is TO-DIE-FOR. It's a mix between an ice cream cake, cookie, and regular cake, plus it's chocolate and coffee-flavored. Need I say more? If you're thinking to yourself, "Oh, this must be healthy since it's under the 'Wellness' section." Eh... sorry. It's definitely not the healthiest, BUT it has been known to "make grown men weep" so it's good for the soul, okay?!

Mocha Chocolate Icebox Cake

• 2 cups cold heavy cream

• 12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Pernigotti

• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (I sometimes make w/o if I don't have this around - tastes the same!)

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 3 (8-ounce) packages chocolate chip cookies, such as Tate's Bake Shop*

• Shaved semisweet chocolate, for garnish

*Good news if you're GF... Tate's started making a GF version of their famous chocolate chip cookies, so you can use those instead if you need to!

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, coffee liqueur, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla. Mix on low speed to combine and then slowly raise the speed, until it forms firm peaks.

To assemble the cake, arrange chocolate chip 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 fifth of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the cookies. Place another layer of cookies on top, lying flat and touching, followed by another fifth of the cream. Continue layering cookies and cream until there are 5 layers of each, ending with a layer of cream. Smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight (1-2 days is best because it allows the cookies to soak up the cream and soften!)

Run a small, sharp knife around the outside of the cake and remove the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate, cut in wedges, and serve cold.

All credit goes to my main gal, Ina: 2010, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That?

I'm moving to NYC on Saturday for work, and we're having a little farewell dinner with the fam at home on Friday night, so I thought it was the perfect excuse to whip up this special treat. It's sitting in the fridge taunting me as we speak... I CAN'T WAIT to dig in!

grace xx