Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
41 comments » 
Back when I talked about my Florida vacation and all of the wonderful things about it, I included all of the ice cream that I ate. We made a habit of polishing off a cone just about every evening, which I of course loved! While on vacation, I fell in love with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup variety from Edy’s Fun Flavors line. It was my choice every night, piled into a waffle cone, thank you very much. Once we got back, I knew I wanted to try making a homemade version of that ice cream, and also knew that it wouldn’t be too difficult. It has a chocolate ice cream base, with a peanut butter swirl and lots of peanut butter cup chunks. Pretty much my dream ice cream. And now I can eat it without having to make a trip to the store!
I took my all-time favorite chocolate ice cream recipe, added a peanut swirl to it, and mixed in chunks of Reese’s peanut butter cups.
I may have also eaten a significant portion of the chopped-up peanut butter cups before they made it into the ice cream. Oops!
Next time I might try using the peanut butter patties from the Chocolate Fudge Swirl Peanut Butter Ice Cream recipe. It would be like double the peanut butter cups! Woo! I just can’t get enough of chocolate and peanut butter together, it might be considered an addiction. Now I’m going to curl up with another bowl and stick my ear to the side of a big conch shell to see if I can hear the ocean.
Do you have a favorite vacation treat?
One year ago: Raisin Bran Muffins
Two years ago: Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Brownies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
Yield: 1 quart
Prep Time: 30 minutes (active), 8 hours (inactive)
Cook Time: 20 minutes (churn time)
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
Ice Cream:
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
20 regular-size peanut butter cups, choppedPeanut Butter Swirl:
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrupDirections:
1. Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.
2. Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
3. Stir the mixture constantly over the medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (170°F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
4. While the custard cools, make the peanut butter swirl. Combine the peanut butter, whipping cream, corn syrup, and the brown sugar in a small saucepan saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring, until smooth and sugar is dissolved. Transfer to an airtight container.
5. Chill both the custard and the peanut butter swirl thoroughly, at least 8 hours.
6. Freeze the custard mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (If the cold mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisk it vigorously to thin it out.) During the last two minutes, add in the chopped peanut butter cups. When packing the ice cream into its container, alternate layers of the ice cream and peanut butter swirl, ending with the ice cream.
(Recipe adapted from The Perfect Scoop and About.com)
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One of my best friends lives for anything with chocolate and peanut butter. Her birthday lands smack dab in the middle of summer, so I am bookmarking this to make for her. Absolutely perfect!
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I love peanut butter ice cream. I used my ice cream maker for the first time this year this past weekend. I do love that this recipe is a chocolate base with a peanut butter swirl rather than a peanut butter ice cream.
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Yum, yum, YUM!!! This looks amazing. And it’s my husbands favorite combo…putting this on my list of things to make!
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If you ever make knockoff reese’s peanut butter cups, save some of that filling to use in the chocolate ice cream (it usually makes a ton). It’s like eating a big, cold bowl of Reese’s. Awesome.
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Michelle on April 28th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Oooh are they like the peanut butter patties from this ice cream recipe?
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/08/06/chocolate-fudge-swirl-peanut-butter-ice-cream/
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Shawnda on April 28th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Not quite. You mix the following together:
1 cup butter, softened at room temp
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 3/4 a sleeve)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
pinch of salt
The graham crackers give the pb filling that reese’s-like texture (gritty? ha!)
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Michelle on April 28th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Oooh gotcha. So they’re like the PB cup bars! I love those things, so addicting!
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/01/12/peanut-butter-cup-bars-recipe/
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ok, I think it’s time for me to break out the ice cream maker! This sound devine!!!
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That my friend is some dangerous ice cream…wow! Peanut butter and chocolate should always be put together…
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How could I not fall in love with this ice cream?
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This is my daughters favorite ice cream. Definitely bookmarking this one to make for her!
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Another recipe making me want an ice cream maker. I think I should put one on my gift suggestions list.
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I would love to also use those super mini reeses cups in there too. Yumm!
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Ah, PB and chocolate: a winning combo. I’m wary of making this, given my history of addiction to Ben & Jerry’s PB-choco-pretzel Chubby Hubby ice cream…but I think I’m going to give in soon. Mmmm…
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Ohhhh ahhhhhh ummmmmmm….yeah, that just about says it all!!!!
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All of your ice cream recipes are amazing!! Can’t wait for the weather to get above 60 to make this!
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This looks delicious! I can’t wait to break out the ice cream maker this Summer.
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Wow this ice cream looks amazing! I love anything chocolate and peanut butter. Def need to get myself an ice cream maker!
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This recipe is trouble! It looks amazing! Now I HAVE to get an ice cream maker, ASAP!
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Yum!
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This is my hubby’s favorite ice cream flavor… I have attempted to make it before, but I have never gotten the peanut butter swirl quite right. Looking forward to giving your recipe a try!
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Michelle, this looks so awesome and I am linking it up in a post of mine later today
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OMG- this is my FAVORITE ice cream hands down! Thanks so much for the recipe!
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YUM I love peanut butter and chocolate anything. I really need to buy an ice cream maker!!
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Hey what if you dont have an ice cream maker? I don’t really know the reason why they’re used either. I’m new to ice cream. Something I wana try though. Thanx
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Michelle on May 2nd, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Hi Aisha, I actually did a post last summer on making homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker, here it is! Enjoy!
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/06/21/how-to-make-homemade-ice-cream-without-an-ice-cream-maker/
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My 16 yr old daughter makes ice cream as a hobby, and this recipe just KILLED it. I was amazed at the super rich creaminess of the final product. I wonder if just placing peanut butter as ribbons in the ice cream would work, it seemed like too much of a caramel instead. Has anyone just used regular peanut butter instead?
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Who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter together? I am bookmarking this now for when I actually get my ice cream maker out this summer! It can get warm any day now! Thanks!
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Hey there! awesome recipe, but I was wondering if you could do a recipe on how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker? I don’t have one and I really want to make my own ice cream =]
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I love chocolate with peanut butter, i never thought of making an icecream!! that sounds great, i’ll make it soon.
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Hey there! Can you gently mix the peanut butter with the ice cream to create a swirl look rather than just separating the layers? Will the peanut butter mixture still be distinguishable from the ice cream?
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Michelle on October 25th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Sara, It would all depend on how much mixing you actually do. By layering it you do actually create a swirl when you scoop it.
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Sara on October 26th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Thanks Michelle! I asked about swirling the peanut butter sauce because I want to make a vanilla-based peanut butter cup ice cream with a fudge and peanut butter swirl. Do you have any suggestions on how to add in both of the swirls?
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Michelle on October 26th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Ooh that sounds good! You could alternate layers of peanut butter and fudge, or you could do this: layer of vanilla ice cream, drop dollops of fudge and peanut butter scattered on top, another layer of ice cream, repeat, and then gently swirl.
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Sara on October 26th, 2011 at 11:46 am
The second idea sounds fantastic! I will definitely have to try it and let you know how it turns out! Happy baking!
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I happened upon your site when searching Google for a chocolate pb cup ice cream recipe, and I will be visiting quite often! I made this for my husband’s birthday, and he declared it the best ice cream he’s ever had. I did leave out the pb swirl, only because I ran out of heavy cream, and I used half the pb cups but added an equal amount of brownie chunks. Wonderful!
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I always loved that flavour of ice cream–and anything else with peanut butter and chocolate–so I definitely would love to try making this ice cream, especially since there is no way I would find it here in Australia. (I’m originally from Ohio.) The only issue would be how expensive PB cups are here.
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i love this recipe but it becomes chalky & a lot chocolaty in taste when i add corn syrup ! once i made it for my cousin on her birthday & she spited it out & i felt so ashamed
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Michelle:can I substitute honey for the corn syrup if so do I use the same measurement? Please reply
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Michelle on June 11th, 2013 at 10:25 am
Hi Naomi, I don’t think I’d use honey because of the flavor that would come through. I would use something like Lyle’s Golden Syrup.
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Just made this today and it is incredible! I’m not a huge chocolate fan, but I can’t keep my spoon out of the ice cream container
good thing I’m giving most of it away tomorrow because I would eat it all in short order!
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