Blend creamy peanut butter into a simple, egg-free ice cream base. Dip into velvety smooth melted chocolate to create a rich and elegant ice cream bar. Each bite you take shatters the chocolate shell and reveals the salty sweet peanut butter ice cream underneath. With all the classic flavor of a peanut butter cup, these chocolate peanut butter ice cream bars are ideal for a refreshing summer treat.
2cups (400 g, 14 oz)semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used chocolate with 65% cocoa)
1cup (200 g, 7 oz)coconut oil
Instructions
PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM
In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter and sugar. Stir using a whisk until well blended.
Gradually add the heavy cream and whisk slowly until the cream is completely blended in.
Add milk, vanilla and salt and whisk until combined.
Cover and chill ice cream base in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.
Prior to churning ice cream, prepare ice cream molds. Place molds on a rimmed metal baking sheet and insert popsicle sticks. If your molds came with lids, have them ready nearby.
Churn according to ice cream machine manufacturer's instructions.
Spoon ice cream into molds. Using the spoon, tamp down the ice cream so that it reaches the underside of the popsicle stick and extends to the corners of the mold. Place lids onto molds (cover with plastic wrap if your molds did not come with lids) and place baking sheet with filled molds into freezer for a minimum of 4 hours to set completely.
CHOCOLATE COATING
Place the chocolate and coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl.* Melt in the microwave using 15 second bursts. Stir well between each burst. There should be no lumps of chocolate or coconut oil remaining. Once completely smooth, set aside to cool slightly. *If you do not have a microwave, you can melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the top of a double boiler.
Pour the chocolate mixture into a wide-mouth pint glass jar (see photos for reference) or a container with similar dimensions. It should be taller than it is wide in order to accommodate the length of the ice cream bar.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set next to the container of chocolate.
Remove the ice cream bars from the silicone molds and place back on the frozen baking sheet. One by one, hold the ice cream bar by the stick and dip into the chocolate mixture. Make sure to coat the ice cream all the way up to where the ice cream meets the stick. Lift the bar back up and hold it over the glass jar while the extra chocolate drips off. As you hold the bar, you'll see the chocolate firming up before your eyes. Magic!
Set the ice cream bar flat side down onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Promptly dip the remaining bars. If the chocolate mixture cools too much and gets thick, heat it for 10-15 seconds in the microwave and stir well before resuming. As you dip the last of the bars, you may need to tip the jar of chocolate on an angle and spin the ice cream bar in order to obtain full chocolate coverage.
Place the ice cream bars (on the baking sheet) into the freezer. After they've had a chance to firm back up for 60-90 minutes, serve or wrap them individually in aluminum foil and store in a freezer-safe container.