Mary's 'famous' Peppermint Ice Cream Dessert

Ingredients

• 11 ounces vanilla wafers (Mary's directions actually call for 2 small boxes, but my store only has one size. This seems to wor)
• 3/4 cup butter (Mary's recipe calls for margarine, but I don't keep that in the house)
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 4 ounces German sweet chocolate (Mary's recipe says 1 bar, I've only ever seen a 4 oz size for sale)
• 12 ounces milk chocolate chips
• 4 eggs (separated)
• 1 cup crushed nuts (not specified, I usually use walnuts)
• 1/2 gallon peppermint ice cream (pink looks great, softened)

Directions

1. 1

   Crush vanilla wafers.

2. 2

   Melt butter.

3. 3

   Mix wafers, butter, and powdered sugar together. Spread 2/3 of mixture in bottom of 9X13 (or slightly larger) pan.

4. 4

   Melt sweet and milk chocolate in a double boiler.

5. 5

   Beat egg yolks, add to melted chocolate and remove from heat.

6. 6

   Beat egg whites until stiff, add to chocolate mixture.

7. 7

   Pour 2/3 of chocolate sauce over wafer mixture.

8. 8

   Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

9. 9

   Carefully spread softened ice cream (Mary's recipe says to cut in sticks and lay on top of nuts, but that kind of box is hard to find anymore). I use a wide spoon and put fairly thin chunks across the surface, then smooth it out a little to make sure all the chocolate is covered.

10. 10

    Pour rest of chocolate sauce over the ice cream.

11. 11

    Sprinkle with remaining wafer mixture.

12. 12

    Freeze at least overnight or for a few days. Remove from freezer shortly before serving to make it easier to cut.