chocolate covered ice cream cups.

or: what to do what you have a ruddy old carton of ice cream that’s been 85% eaten but is still lurking in the freezer.

or: what to do when you have a plain ol’ ice cream flavor in your freezer that definitely needs a dose of chocolate.

you will probably never catch me eating a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream. nuh uhhhhh.

did costco really do away with the chocolate soft serve at the hot dog shack? they just have vanilla and acai now?? hogwash.

my best friend katie and i would frequent the walk-up dairy queen in high school and just sit in the parking lot eating blizzards and watch people to see what they ordered...(super fun small town activity in 2004 when you have your driver’s license and that’s about it).

she and i are both chocolate lovvahhhhs and would always get some sorta chocolatey chocked full (chunks-o-shit as we call it - give us all the chocolatey chunks o shit) chocolate extrEme maximo mayhem blizzard. with marshmallow sauce.

i laugh now thinking about kt giving the other punkass high schooler DQ employee her sweetest eyes and telling them to “lay on the mallow sauce” as if she was asking a HUGE favor of them. that’s all we wanted out of life, man.

it is truly shocking to observe how many people at dairy queen order PLAIN VANILLA CONES. what? have you seen the DQ menu, people? it’s brimming with hot eats & cool treats.

lots of dilly bars ordered, too. that’s funny to me. kt & i would just hang our heads in shame watching old person after old person walking away from the window licking their whhhhiiiite plain vanilla cones.

[my friend whitney will see this and yes whitney i’ve noticed your love of plain vanilla cones……. interesting life choice. 😂🍦]

SO GUESS WHAT.

i do love mint chocolate chip ice cream. but i wish it was more chocolatey, of course. we had a tub of it leftover from NYE and i wanted to make something with it.

enter these mini chocolate-covered mint chocolate chip ice cream bites.

can we assume that “mint chocolate chip” is green with chips, and “chocolate chip mint” is white with chips? this always confuses me.

i would definitely make these with vanilla ice cream since any plain vanilla ice cream that makes it into my house just burns in a sad ice shard covered, dented cardboard mess in the back of the freezer for ages.

strawberry ice cream would be YUMMO in a chocolate covered cup. i have a soft spot for strawberry ice cream even tho chocolate anything is my regular go-to.

these are so easy to make. the intervals of freezer wait time are the “hardest” part.

i usually make these rocky road bars at christmas time (whoa. classic recipe, but those photos need work, lol), but i didn’t get around to it this year. so i had some hershey bars in the freezer free for the using!

you can obviously use whatever type of chocolate you prefer, there’s something about classic hershey bars that just hit the spot for me in a nostalgic way.

the maldon sea salt flakes on top are SO delightful and really round out the flavors of the cup as a whole unit. and they look pretty, too.

the possibilities and combinations are endless here. put those sad old corners of your ice cream tubs to good use!

Chocolate Covered Ice Cream Cups

Makes 12 mini cups

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 4-5 regular sized Hershey bars or chocolate bar of choice

• 1 TB coconut oil

• ice cream of choice

• maldon flaked sea salt

Instructions-

In a simmering double-boiler (I use a strong glass bowl over a small pot of simmering water), melt the coconut oil and break up the chocolate bars. Heat and stir frequently with a spatula until the chocolate is melted (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Line a mini muffin tin with mini cupcake/muffin liners and spray with cooking spray. Spoon a little melted chocolate into the bottom of the liners and brush the chocolate up the sides. Freeze for about 15 minutes.

After the bottom layer of chocolate is frozen, spoon a little scoop of ice cream on top and press down in the cup using the back of the spoon. Freeze again for 10 minutes.

Top the ice cream with another small layer of melted chocolate, spreading it to the edges and swirling it around with the back of a spoon. Top with Maldon sea salt flakes and freeze at least 30 minutes before eating.

Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

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chocolate dipped peanut butter s'more ice cream bites.

did iiiiii dooo thaaaat?

yes. i did.

and here are a bunch of photos that essentially all look the same. but. O M G.

peanut butter s'more ice cream! rolled into tiny scoops and dipped in dark chocolate! with crumbled graham cracker atop! wowowowowowwowowwww.

these came about as i was experimenting with about 6 different ice cream/frozen yogurt recipes for a project. there were a lotta little scientific containers of cream and milk and sugar of different varieties lurking in our freezer. i threw some peanut butter into one of the versions, and it became WAY more of a frozen dough-like consistency than an ice cream. but it IS ice cream! but i was like, whoa. wassuppppp.

this stuff is richhhhh. i was about to scoop up an average portion that one would eat in a casual ice cream eating sesh, and i was like, 'oh no.. no no. i can't serve this to anyone in this amount. they may pass out...' so yeah this in MEGA INDULGENT.

so then i was like hey i still really want to eat this...but how? and peter kept eating spoonfuls of it in secret.

bite-size it is! and obviously dip them in chocolate just to make it a cute little unit. top with graham cracker crumbles and freeze!

the actual ice cream is like ultra creamyyyy and thick (almost cookie dough-like) peanut butter ice cream. with a hefty swirl of melted marshmallow and chunks of chocolate. that alone is like WAAAAA YURM YURM brain explosion can't handleeee this life.

dipped in a coat of dark chocolate. & graham crumbles. i said that. but i'm saying it again. and it's cold. frozen! in a cute little 2-bite size!

YEAH YUM.

oh, and you don't need an ice cream maker and don't need to churn! mostly because it's sooo damn thick that it does not churn. ha! all of the accidents that happened along the way during the development of this particular ice cream base turned out to create a true miracle.

looking back into ye olde archives of this blog, it appears that i'm annually turning reg'lar old s'mores into something else. see: baked s'mores donuts & s'mores skillet.

this summer's s'mores creation is a very welcome addition to the collection.

luv you, little bitez of happiness.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter S'more Ice Cream Bites

Makes 12-16 ice cream bites

Active Time: 45 minutes // Total Time: 4-8 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1  1/2 cups half and half
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. xantham gum (optional)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6-8 melted marshmallows, or 1/2 cup marshmallow creme
• about 2 oz. roughly chopped dark chocolate bar
• about 6-8 oz. dark chocolate melting wafers
• 1 graham cracker, finely crumbled, for topping

Instructions-

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with half the amount of sugar (1/8 cup) and set aside.

On the stovetop on medium heat, add the cream, half & half, other half amount of sugar (1/8 cup), and salt. Whisk frequently until gently simmering and the sugar is dissolved.  Lower heat to medium-low.

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the cream mixture into the bowl of yolks, whisking constantly so the eggs do not scramble.

Add the yolk + cream mixture back to the pot and raise heat to medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens into a custard-like texture, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool about 5-10 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract and xantham gum and whisk until smooth. Xantham gum is optional, but a small amount of it helps to thicken and bind the ice cream for a smoother texture.

Once the ice cream base has cooled off, pour it into a large airtight freezer bag and freeze for about 3-4 hours.

Pour the nearly frozen ice cream base into a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter until completely incorporated. Melt some marshmallows on low with 1 TB coconut oil (or butter) and swirl those into the ice cream. Add the chopped chocolate and fold.

Using a melon baller or a spoon, roll the ice cream base into balls (smaller than a golfball). I sprayed a little cooking spray on my hands and worked very quickly to keep it from melting. Place all the ice cream balls onto a plate or tray lined with wax paper, insert toothpicks into the center of each, and freeze for about 20 minutes. 

While the ice cream balls are chilling again, melt the dipping chocolate over a double boiler, stirring frequently. I used melting wafers that are specific to candy dipping, but you could use chocolate chips or a chocolate bar you have on hand. Remove from heat once melted. Crumble up some graham crackers in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin or bottom of a mug.

Carefully dip the chilled ice cream balls into the (cooled) melted chocolate. Use a spoon to cover the top with chocolate. Set on a plate or tray lined with wax paper, and immediately sprinkle graham cracker crumbles on top. Repeat until all the bites are chocolate dipped and sprinkled with graham. Freeze for about 20 more minutes. 

Remove the toothpicks before serving, and ENJOY! Store in a parchment-lined airtight container in the freezer.

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