Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, on medium speed for about 3 minutes, then scrape the bowl and mix 30 seconds more. The mixture should look completely smooth and creamy, with no visible lumps clinging to the sides or paddle.

If using a stand mixer, switch to the whisk attachment and slowly add about 1/2 cup of the cream while mixing on medium-low, then stop and scrape the bowl before mixing again. This step loosens the cream cheese base so it turns light and silky instead of dense.

Pour in the remaining cream and add the vanilla extract, then beat on medium-high for about 4 minutes until fluffy soft peaks form. The cream should hold a soft curl that bends over at the tip and look thick enough to spread easily without running.

Spread 1 1/4 cups of the cream mixture in a 2-quart baking dish, such as an 8-by-8-inch square pan or 9-inch round cake pan, then cover it with a single layer of cookies. That base layer keeps the first cookies from sliding and helps the cake set up evenly from bottom to top.

Spoon about 2 1/2 cups of the cream mixture over the cookies and smooth it out, then add another layer of cookies and finish with the remaining cream. Try to cover the cookies fully so they soften at the same rate and the top stays neat.

Cover the pan and chill for at least 8 hours, then crush the remaining cookies and sprinkle them over the top before serving chilled. Once ready, a knife should slide in with light resistance, more like a tender sheet cake than a stack of crisp cookies.