Ingredients

21 fudge mint cookies, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
4 drops green food coloring, optional
Additional fudge mint cookies, cut in half, optional
Fresh mint leaves, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Finely chop cookies; place in bowl. Add butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of 8-inch pan. Bake 8 minutes. Cool completely.

Place ice cream in refrigerator 20 minutes to soften. Chill bowl in refrigerator at the same time. Place cooled crust in freezer.

Scoop ice cream into chilled bowl. Stir until softened and blended; gently fold in 2 cups of the whipped topping, peppermint extract and food coloring, if desired. Spread ice cream mixture evenly over cold crust. Cover with aluminum foil; freeze 6 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Cut dessert into squares with knife dipped in warm water. Garnish each square with remaining whipped topping. Add cookie half and mint leaves, if desired. Serves 9.

Nutritional information per serving: 240 calories, 13 g fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 28 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 105 mg sodium, less than 1 g fiber.