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These layered Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Bars are the go-to summer dessert to keep stashed in the freezer. The base is a fudgy crinkle top brownie. It’s then layered with vanilla ice cream and creamy peanut butter. Each bar is finished off with a dip into homemade “magic shell.” Put everything together and you have an ice cream bar that’s chocolatey, peanutty, and layered with deliciousness. These bars are everyone’s favorite. The perfect summer dessert to keep stocked in the freezer for the hottest days of the year.
This post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.
What is it about sweet summer that always brings back my favorite childhood memories? For whatever reason, the summer season inspires me to recreate the foods I enjoyed as a kid. Chicken fingers by the pool, my Nonnie’s ice cream cake, simple lemon butter pasta, and today?
Homemade ice cream bars…but all done up with a few layers of my favorite sweets…crinkle top brownies, rich vanilla ice cream, creamy peanut butter, and chocolate.
These are a LAYERED ice cream bar, and they’re every bit as delicious as they sound.
A very simple tip.
With any ice cream recipe, be sure you plan in advance. While ice cream is delicious, it takes time to freeze, so plan accordingly.
And guys, don’t skimp on the freezing times. Trust me, I’ve tried to “shorten” it many many times. It never ends well. So be sure to plan ahead when making these. For best results, start baking the day before you’d like to enjoy the bars.
The Details.
Start with the ice cream. Find your favorite vanilla ice cream, spread it out into a baking pan, and freeze. You’ll add the ice cream to the brownies in a just bit…
On to the brownies! Of course, I always use my favorite crinkle top brownies recipe. It’s simply the very best brownie recipe. The key to this recipe is all in the butter. I love using Land O Lakes® Salted Butter. You may not know this, but the variety of butter you use can really make a difference, especially when baking. I love the rich buttery flavor and hints of salt in Land O Lakes® Salted Butter. It creams wonderfully into a batter and always turns out the best pan of crinkle top brownies.
Since I wanted a slightly thinner brownie base, I baked the brownies in a Jelly Roll pan. If you don’t own a Jelly Roll pan, use a 9×13 inch baking dish, but note your brownie layer will be a little thicker.
Once you’ve baked the brownies, let them cool, then it’s time to layer everything together.
First, add the vanilla ice cream to the top of the brownie. Next, trim the edges of the brownie, but be sure to reserve those crumbs. We’re going to use them for topping the bars.
Now freeze for thirty or so minutes, then add a thick layer of creamy peanut butter. Freeze again.
Once frozen, cut the brownies into bars. You can make giant ice cream bars, normal-size bars, or minis. I mixed and matched mine, but will say that the mini-bars are the easiest to work with. They’re also the least messy to eat.
Insert a popsicle stick into each bar. Freeze again.
Dip, dunk, eat…enjoy.
Next, make the “magic shell.” Mix melted chocolate with coconut oil until smooth. You now have a “magic shell.” Dip each bar in the magic shell, then sprinkle the reserved brownie crumbs on top.
You can now eat…or keep in the freezer to enjoy later.
And trust me, you should always have these stashed away in the freezer. They are a very delicious summer ice cream bar to enjoy on those extra-hot days when nothing but frozen sounds good.
Ice cream bars all summer long. So very delicious…enjoy!
Looking for other ice cream desserts? Here are a few of my go-to’s.
Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pretzel Cake
No Churn Minted White Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream
Browned Butter Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Toast “Crumbs”
Lastly, if you make these peanut butter brownie ice cream bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Peanut Butter Brownie Ice Cream Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 653 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 1.75 quarts vanilla ice cream
- 2 sticks (1 cup) Land O Lakes® Salted Butter
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 (16-ounce) jar creamy peanut butter
- 12 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
- 1. Let the vanilla ice cream soften 5 minutes. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Spread the ice cream out in an even layer in the prepared pan, freeze 1 hour, until firm. 2. To make the brownies. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 1/2 x 14 1/2 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper.3. In the microwave, melt together the Land O Lakes® Butter and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (stir at 30-second intervals) until melted and smooth. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and instant coffee. 4. In a small bowl whisk the eggs for 1 minute until bubbly on top. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mix. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Stir until just combined. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the brownies are just set. Let cool completely.5. Remove the vanilla ice cream slab from the freezer and invert it onto the center of the brownies. Trim the edges off the brownie around the ice cream, reserving the scraps for later. Transfer the pan to the freezer. Freeze 30 minutes, then spread the peanut butter over the vanilla ice cream. Freeze until firm, 1-2 hours.6. Lift the ice cream slab out of the pan using the parchment. Working quickly, cut into 12-16 square bars or 24 mini rectangles. Insert a popsicle stick into one end of each bar. Return to the freezer until frozen solid, at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. 7. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave until melted and smooth. Let cool 10 minutes. Remove the bars from the freezers and cover in chocolate. If desired, top with the reserved brownie crumbs. Keep in the freezer until ready to eat!
Notes
Jelly Roll Pan: this is the jelly roll pan I use. If you don't have a jelly roll pan, you can bake the brownies in a 9x13 inch baking pan, but you will have a thicker brownie layer.
I have made these several times over the last couple of years and they are a hit with the kids in the neighborhood. It has now become a tradition for me to make these delicious and easy treats for them on their last day of school. It’s a great summer treat!
Hey Sandra,
Awe love to hear that your family and friends have been enjoying these:) What a great end of the year tradition! xTieghan
These are delicious but I did learn a few things making them the first time:
1) Give even more time to freeze each layer than she recommends. The more time the better.
2) Don’t make the ice cream layer too thick; it makes them difficult to eat. I had a full half gallon of vanilla ice cream so I used it all, even though the recipe only called for 1.75 quarts, and I regret it.
3) You will need more chocolate to coat it than it calls for. I used probably double what it called for just to allow for an easy dip. Also, I learned the hard way that you want to have the melted chocolate and coconut oil in a container that allows you to dip them fully and easily. You don’t want your ice cream melting into the chocolate. I used a giant glass beer stein.
4) Cut these smaller than you think. They are rich and amazing and I found cutting them into 16 bars resulted in them being too big for our family.
Hey Kelsey,
Happy Friday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xTieghan
Hi! Any recommendations for a coconut oil sub? Thank you! Can’t wait to make these.
Never mind! I see it was already answered below. Thank you!!
Hey Elissa,
You can use butter in place of the coconut oil. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I have to say, this recipe was a lot of work for just a mediocre dessert. I’d much rather make a hot brownie and top it with ice cream and PB.
If I were to make these again, I’d skip the last batch of chocolate chips in the brownies. When frozen, it just makes the brownie part more difficult to eat.
I think I’ll be purchasing Dove bars from the store in the future, but it was fun to give a go.
Hey Kristin,
So sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Do you have a video even if its in sped up motion or additional pics of the steps? I’m a visual person and like to see what I’m getting into 🙂 THese look so good!
Hey Mary,
So sorry I do not have a video for these. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give them a try! xTieghan
This was a show stopper! My advice, is to make the bars small…They are really rich and filling!
Love that! Thank you so much Joanne! xTieghan
I’ve made these twice and wanted to share my findings. I will say that they are delicious and definitely worth the work.
I don’t own a jelly roll pan so I made the brownies in your standard 9×13. The brownie layer was much thicker, as is mentioned in the recipe. The end result is a bar that is a little bit difficult to eat. The brownie layer in the bar freezes no matter how thick it is, so if you have a really thick layer, it’s pretty hard to bite into. The second time I made them I baked the brownies in a rimmed cookie sheet and reduced the cook time. It was definitely the better brownie layer to use.
Also, if you aren’t someone who has had a lot of experience dipping frozen items into chocolate, I would strongly suggest you cut these bars small. You have to work pretty quickly and the larger bars are harder to manage. These are so rich anyway that I found a smaller bar a better portion for eating. The bigger bars are also heavier and we found that they tended to fall off the popsicle stick and break apart as it defrosted while you eat it. The ice cream layer doesn’t fully adhere to the brownie base when it freezes, so the weight will pull it all apart when you go to dip it or eat it. At least, this is what happened to me both times I made them.
All in all, an awesome recipe. After the dip hardened I put them in individual wax paper bags and they traveled very well. I made them as written with the vanilla/peanut butter layers and with a strawberry ice cream layer (no peanut butter). Both were a hit!
Hi Amanda! Thank you so much for trying these and sharing your experience making them! I am really glad they ended up turning out so well for you!! xTieghan
What can you use instead of coconut oil for a kid allergic to coconut?
Hi Lisa,
You can use butter in place of the coconut oil. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These sound amazing and am trying to make them tonight! Do you think I could layer them with the peanut butter in the middle and slightly thinner or would this mess anything up? Thanks!
Hi Rachel,
Sure that would totally work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan