What is Cookie Salad?
Well, it’s a treat that’s often found in North Dakota, Minnesota, and other parts of the Midwest. Made with cookies, whipped topping, and canned fruit, it’s a “salad” in only the loosest interpretation of the word.
In order for this recipe to make sense to you, you’re probably going to have to expand your definition of salad beyond just the leafy green variety.
This salad is more in the vein of Crisco salad, or even the Snickers salad I’ve made in the past, where we used some kind of creamy, sweet, whipped topping, or a pudding-like mixture to hold fruits or nuts or sweets together in a dessert-like dish.
And though cookie salad is dessert-like, it is considered more of a side dish than a dessert. Made with Keebler Fudge Stripes cookies, buttermilk, instant vanilla pudding mix, Cool Whip, crushed canned pineapple and mandarin oranges, it can often be found at potlucks, in church basement get-togethers, and picnics.
I adapted my recipe from the Kitchn.com where the writer admits that a large part of the appeal of this dish is rooted in its nostalgia.
Cookie Salad
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- strainer
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 pkg instant vanilla pudding 3.4 oz size
- 1 tub whipped topping, thawed 8 oz size, thawed
- 1 can crushed pineapple 8.5 oz size
- 1 can mandarin oranges 8.5 oz size; reserve 5 wedges for garnish
- 10 Keebler Fudge Stripes Cookies crushed; reserve remaining whole cookies for garnish
Instructions
- Using a strainer, drain the canned pineapple and mandarin slices of their syrup. Reserve 5 mandarin wedges for garnish.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the instant pudding mixture with the buttermilk.
- Fold in the drained fruit and the whipped topping.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- When ready to serve, fold in the crushed cookies and top with reserved mandarin slices and whole cookies.
This is the same one Molly Yeh makes on Girl Meets Farm
I actually tested The Kitchn’s recipe for Cookie Salad: https://www.thekitchn.com/cookie-salad-22924043.