What is better than your favorite candy bar or ice cream for dessert? Both of them combined for the ultimate frozen treat- Candy Bar Ice Cream!
This recipe is great in summer when ice cream cravings hit. It is also great to make after any holiday when you have an abundance of candy - Halloween, Valentine's Day, Christmas, or Easter.
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Ingredients
This recipe has a vanilla base and uses traditional ice cream ingredients. It is eggless and no custard is cooked for making this recipe. It only takes 5 simple ingredients.
For the candy bars, use whatever your favorites are. If you make one of my homemade candy recipes like Snickers Fudge or English Toffee, they work great in this recipe too.
- Heavy Cream - Do not substitute, you want the full fat ingredient for a rich flavor and texture.
- Whole Milk - for creamy results & do not substitute.
- Sugar - to sweeten the base.
- Vanilla - for a flavorful vanilla ice cream base for this recipe.
- Candy Bars - any such as Snickers, Milky Way, & 3 Musketeers. But Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kat, 100 Grand, Hershey's, Butterfinger, Almond Joy, or Nestle Crunch.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Ice Cream with Candy Pieces
*** Ensure your ice cream maker will be ready to freeze the mixture in about an hour. This usually means the insert should be in the freezer the night before. ***
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make candy bar ice cream.
- Make the Vanilla Base
- Churn the Ice Cream
- Add the Candy
- Freeze
1 - Make the Vanilla Base
In a medium bowl, add the cream, milk, vanilla, and sugar.
In a medium bowl, use a whisk to combine the ingredients for the ice cream base. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
2 - Churn the Ice Cream
Add the chilled vanilla base to the ice cream maker per the instructions for your model. Let it run for 15-30 minutes, times will vary based on your ice cream machine.
While it is running, chop up the candy cars into small pieces. For the mini-size candies, as you give at Halloween, it is perfect to cut those into 4 tiny pieces.
It should be the consistency of soft-serve ice cream and look similar to the photo above.
Chop up the candy pieces to be this size.
Hint: Keep in mind the candy will be hard when frozen in the ice cream. Do not make the pieces too large or they will be hard to bite. The size shown above works best.
3 - Add the Candy
Once the ice cream is creamy and ready, scoop out half and place it into a freezer-safe container. The container needs to be big enough to fit all of it. This recipe makes about 6 cups or 48oz of ice cream.
Sprinkle the top with chopped candy bar pieces. Using a spoon or spatula, mix and swirl in the candy to distribute evenly.
Top with the remaining half of the ice cream. Add candy and again mix in. Top with the last bit of ice cream and candy. Mix to combine.
4 - Freeze
Place the container in your freezer to chill. It needs to freeze this for about 3-5 hours. When it reaches the firmness you desire, scoop it into bowls or onto ice cream cones. ENJOY!
Store leftovers for up to a month in the freezer. It may be quite solid & need to be at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften.
Variations
This is a versatile recipe. But you can add more to personalize it.
- Twix or Kit Kat- for a cookie crunch, add these candy bars to the ice cream.
- Candy-Coated Pieces - small M&Ms or Reese's Pieces are great too.
- Fudgy - add jarred hot fudge sauce swirled into the layers.
- Caramel - add store-bought caramel sauce swirled into the layers.
If you want a chocolate ice cream version try my Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream. Instead of the mini marshmallows add chopped candy bar pieces instead.
Equipment
The Cuisinart is what I have had for almost 20 years and it is still going strong. Plus some great scoops & cute dishes too.
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FAQ
Yes, this recipe has been created for making in a small household ice cream machine. It has not been tried or tested as a no-churn recipe. The ingredients for this recipe do not lend to the no-churn process of making ice cream.
If you have churned your ice cream according to the manual and it is still not freezing, there can be a few things that are going on. The first possible answer is that the freezer insert for your machine was not frozen properly. If it is not frozen solid, the ice cream will not thicken and become frosty.
Another possibility is that you do not have enough ice and/or salt. This is the case when you have a machine that requires these for making ice cream.
Candy Bar Ice Cream
Equipment
- ice cream maker
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate-covered candy bars chopped
Instructions
- Ensure the ice cream insert has been frozen to the model's instructions. This is usually 12-24 hours minimum.
- In a medium bowl, use a whisk to beat cream, milk, sugar, & vanilla and beat until combined.
- Place the bowl in the freezer for 30 minutes. The more chilled the ice cream base is, the faster it will churn.
- Get your ice cream machine ready and slowly pour the chilled vanilla mixture into the cold insert. Let your ice cream maker do all the work. While it is churning, chop up the candies per the next step. Run the ice cream maker for about 15 minutes or until it is ready. It should be the consistency of soft-serve ice cream and look similar to the photo above.
- Chop up the candy bars into small pieces. If you have the mini candy bars often given as Halloween treats, those cut into 4 pieces are a good size. Keep in mind the candy will be hard when frozen. Do not make the pieces too large or they will be hard to bite.
- Scoop out ⅓ of the fresh ice cream and place it into a freezer-safe container. Sprinkle the top with chopped candy bar pieces. Using a spoon or spatula, mix and swirl in the candy to distribute evenly. Top with another ⅓ of the ice cream. Add candy and again mix in. Top with the last bit of ice cream and candy. Mix to combine.
- Freeze this for about 3-5 hours. It will then be ready to serve after it chills for hours.
- When it reaches the firmness you desire, scoop it into bowls or onto ice cream cones. ENJOY!
- If the ice cream is not consumed all on the first day, it can be stored in the freezer for up to a week. Store in an air-tight container in your freezer. Remove the ice cream about 5 minutes before you want to eat it as homemade ice cream tends to be more solid and dense once frozen all the way through.
Notes
Nutrition
More Cuisinart Ice Cream Recipes
Here are other ice cream recipes to make in your Cuinsinart (or other brand) machine:
May says
Loaded with snickers and kit kats is how we made it. Really good. We did have to leave it out to scoop it as it was hard but was soft and yum.