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You GUYS. ย This is my summer for all things ice cream.

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Between blog recipes, freelance recipes and book recipes, my two freezers have been jam-packed with homemade ice creams, popsicles and bars for a solid month now. Itโ€™s sort of a problem, but only because I have zero room left in my freezer for anything else. Itโ€™s a really good thing I hike daily and am on my feetย most days of the week, cause I swear itโ€™s the only reason Iโ€™m not three-hundred pounds. Itโ€™s kind of been A LOT of food the last few months, both sweet and savory.ย Iโ€™m not complaining, but my dad is probably way over his daily trips to the grocery store, and the massive piles of dishes upon dishes, upon DISHESโ€ฆupon DISHES.

Literally.

Also, I donโ€™t know what I would have done without him this last year. Life saver and bestest dish washer known to man, guy has got skills.

Can you tell I am nearing the end of this whole book thing? Well, not really the end-end, but the end of the planning, recipe development, recipe testing, and writing the manuscript part. I hopefully have only about a week left, then itโ€™s time to send the manuscript off to my editor. Trust me, you will know what day this happens because I will not be able to contain my excitement. So ready to move on to the next stageโ€ฆthe photos!

Weโ€™ll talk more about the book next week though, after I get like a full nights sleep and can reflect on the process with a bit clearer head. Today letโ€™s talk about these layered caramel Buster Bars. These EPIC bars that are easy, and possibly one of my favorites of the summerโ€ฆor well, until I make a new favorite that is! ๐Ÿ™‚

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestLayered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

So you guys all know about Dairy Queen Buster Bars, right? Actually, I never orderedย them, I was more of a classic chocolate soft serve kind of girl, but every time I would go to DQ with my Nonnie, sheโ€™d always get the Buster Bar. To be fully honest with you guys, I am not sure Iโ€™ve ever actually had a DQ Buster Bar. Oddly, thatโ€™s what inspired these bars I am sharing with you today.

Theyโ€™re kind of like a DQ Buster Barโ€ฆbut better (or so Iโ€™m told). I mean, obviously.

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Hereโ€™s how these go.

โ€ฆstart off with a layer of caramel. You can make your own or use store-bought. If youโ€™re looking for a good homemade caramel, I used this salty one fromย my caramel cake recipe.

โ€ฆfrom there, add a layer of vanilla ice cream.

โ€ฆthen a layer of fudge sauce and a sprinkle of roasted peanuts. I used my homemade fudge sauce, but store-bought works too!

โ€ฆfinish with a layer of chocolate ice cream.

โ€ฆfreeze, freeze, FREEZE.

โ€ฆpeel away the paper Dixie cup.

โ€ฆdip that caramel layer in chopped peanuts.

โ€ฆnow dip the whole bar in homemade magic shell.

โ€ฆEAT. ๐Ÿ™‚

DONE. Homemade caramel Buster Bar! So fun, right?!?! And like I said, way better than DQ, cause I mean, salty caramel. Duh.

Buster Bars for the win!!! Isnโ€™t summertime the BEST? Gotta love it. ๐Ÿ™‚

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestSIDE NOTE:ย I tried so hard to have my younger brother, Red help me capture some action shots, because one, he happened to walk in my door at just the right time, and two, because little Asher was โ€˜too busyโ€™ to help me out (no, for real, sheโ€™s getting too cool for her big sis).

Let me just say this, using Red to promote anything other than say, Burton luggage, is a BAD idea. Kid cannot stand still for even a second. All the photos I got of him where blurry, and weird. UGH. That kid needs to learn some focus or something. YIKES.

That said, he loves these bars, but then, who wouldnโ€™t?

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvestLayered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Okok and now I will stop my Friday rambles, and demand that we all go make Buster Bars. Ahh, maybe not demand, because that sounds a little harsh, BUT I highly recommend it. I mean, itโ€™s Friday after all, and you can have these prepped and into the freezer in just about thirty minutesโ€ฆthen theyโ€™ll be ready for an epic Friday night dessert.

DO IT.

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Layered Caramel Buster Bars.

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
5 from 2 votes
12 Bars
calories 592kcal
Prep30 minutes
Cook5 hours
Freeze/Rest5 hours
Total5 hours 30 minutes
They're kind of like a DQ Buster Bar...but better (or so I'm told). I mean, obviously.
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Ingredients 

Chocolate Shell

Instructions 

  • Layer on the softened vanilla ice cream into the bottom of 10-12 (3 ounce) dixie cups. Freeze 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Spoon 2-3 teaspoons of the fudge sauce and 1-2 teaspoons of caramel over the vanilla ice cream and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Layer on the chocolate ice cream and then over the ice cream, spoon another 1-2 teaspoons of caramel. Freeze 15 minutes and then remove and insert popsicle sticks. Freeze until completely firm, at least 4-6 hours or overnight.
  • Combine chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir frequently until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool 15-minutes before dipping the bars.
  • Remove the bars from the freezer one at a time. Peel away the dixie cups and dip the bottom caramel layer of each bar into the remaining chopped peanuts, pressing the peanuts firmly into the ice cream to adhere.
  • Working quickly, hold the bar by the popsicle stick and dip it into the melted chocolate until the ice cream is completely covered. Let any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Allow to set 1-2 minutes. Eat or return to the freezer. Keep bars stored in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1.8mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Hehe. Happy Friday! Hope itโ€™s filled with hot weather and a dozen ice cream bars!

Layered Caramel Buster Bars | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Meet Tieghan Gerard

I'm Tieghan, the recipes you'll find here are inspired by the people and places I love most. I try to live simply, eat seasonally, and cook with whole foods. My hope is to inspire a love for amazing food, as well as the courage to try something new!

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5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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38 Comments

  1. Renee Roush says:

    I just made these and, while they are totally delicious inspire of it, the caramel stuck to the top of every single Dixie cup. When I look at your photos, I don’t see the caramel layer in your two cross section photos either. Did the caramel stuck for you, too? If not, how do you keep it from sticking? I love caramel and was so bummed to toss it all in the garbage!

    1. halfbakedharvest says:

      OH no! I am so sorry the caramel stuck to the top, I had some issues with that, but for the most part, it stayed on pretty good. Was your caramel super runny? That is where I had issues, so I thickened the caramel up a bit. I think I will adjust the recipe so that you end with a layer of ice cream. That way there should be no issues. SO SORRY! Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks and happy 4th of JUly!

  2. Gina says:

    Oh wow……these look amazing! Must. Make. Now.

    1. halfbakedharvest says:

      They are so yummy!! Thanks so much Gina I hope you enjoy!

  3. Naturally Healthy says:

    I MUST try these, they look awesome !

    1. halfbakedharvest says:

      Thank you!! Hope you love them!!

  4. Laura | Tutti Dolci says:

    My weekend so needs these bars, gorgeous!!

    1. halfbakedharvest says:

      Yes it does!! Hope your weekend was great!! Thanks Laura!!

  5. Eva De Henauw (foodbasedonemotions) says:

    Wauuuuw this is so amazing, if you ever consider making a video of the making, I’d love it ๐Ÿ˜€

    Maybe cause I’m soooo clumsy making these, I mean, they melt soooo fast ???

    Have a great weekend!!!

    1. halfbakedharvest says:

      I will totally try to as some point!! So happy you like them though!! Thank you!

  6. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says:

    Yay for Dad! And yay for these Popsicles Tieghan! Loving the layers! Perfect summer treat!!

  7. Anna says:

    They look awesome!!! I can so see myself eating a whole batch of them!