A variation on Dirt Cake (the layered dessert that gets its name from its top layer of crumbled chocolate cookies), Sand Cake puts a summer spin on the no-cook treat with a top layer of sugar cookies. Researchers at foodtimeline.org trace the dessert to Barbara Meyers of Zebulon, N.C., who remembers first making the dessert for a church event in 1978 but doesn't remember if the idea was all hers or not. "My husband always teases me for not following a recipe by the book," says Meyers, now 72. "I like to make it my own."
It's a Cake!
Sand Cake
Serves: 10 to 12
Hands-on Time: 25 min.
Total Time: 1 hr.
1 (5.25-oz.) package sugar cookies
1 (10.75-oz.) frozen butter pound cake, thawed
2 (3.9-oz.) packages chocolate instant pudding mix
3 cups milk
1 (16-oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 (1.4-oz.) chocolate-covered toffee candy bars, finely crushed
Garnish: chocolate candy shells (available at most candy stores)
1. Crumble cookies; process until finely crushed; set aside. (Cookies will resemble sand.) Cut pound cake into 1-inch cubes; set aside.
2. Whisk together pudding mix and milk; add whipped topping and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
3. Place half of cookie crumbs into a 3-quart sand pail; top with one-third of pudding mixture, half of cake and half of toffee bars; continue layering pudding, cake and toffee, ending with a layer of pudding. Top with remaining cookie crumbs. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Garnish with candy shells if desired.
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