Oh lawd have mercy. We have gone down the very dangerous path of decadence! Dudes, ice cream season is upon us and there’s only one way to get ahead of the game: go big or go home! Hence I had to make this frozen treat that WILL BLOW YOUR MIND. It’s nothing more than a chill twist on a classic, but it’s scrumptious enough to skyrocket your happiness beyond belief. SO DRAMATIC. But so true.

Peanut butter ice cream – it’s as rich as it sounds, but to not worry because this recipe has a tangy homemade strawbby jam to tame it down, and a crunchy chocolate outer shell that melts in your mouth. A total impromptu orgy of flavour happening right in your tongue.

Meet your new favourite “ice cream sandwich” and get ready to join the frozen PB&J club! Recipe after the jump

Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jam Ice Cream Cups

Makes around 10 cups

Ingredients:

For the ice cream:
– 1/2 cup whole milk
– 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half
– 1 cup smooth peanut butter (well stirred so there’s no oil separation)
– 400 ml heavy cream (1 3/4 cup)
– 1/3 cup raw cane sugar
– 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the jam:
– 1 pint (500g) fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed, and chopped (get local if possible! They’re way tastier)
– 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
– 3 tablespoons raw cane sugar (use 2 if you want more tang in your jam)
– 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half

Equipment:
– Pastry brush
– Spoons
– Muffin pan
– A bit of canola oil

For the chocolate:
– 400g semisweet chocolate chips (or regular chocolate chunks)

Optional: flaky sea salt to finish for an extra touch of yum.

Notes:

*The pan I used is a muffin pan, if you use a smaller pan (e.g. cupcakes) you’ll definitely have quite a lot!
*I used chocolate chips to avoid having to spend too much time tempering chocolate, I find it really doesn’t matter to temper it as the shock of freezing will help you get a uniform coat without separation of cocoa.

Instructions:

1. Start with the ice cream: Place the milk and vanilla bean (scrape the seeds and add them in) in a small pot over medium-low heat, simmer for about 5 minutes until it bubbles a bit, then turn off and let cool.
2. In a large bowl place the rest of the ice cream ingredients along with the vanilla infused milk (remove vanilla bean), whisk until smooth, making sure peanut butter is completely incorporated. Refrigerate for about an hour. After this time place chilled mix in your ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions. When ready, place in freezer.
3. Now the jam: place all ingredients in a pot over medium heat and stir until strawberries release juice and start to thicken – about 10 minutes. Simmer on low heat (stirring to make sure bottom doesn’t burn) for another 5-7 minutes until thick and jammy. When ready remove from heat and let cool completely.
4. And the chocolate: Place chocolate chips in a bowl over a pot with simmering water (make sure bowl doesn’t touch the water). As soon as chocolate starts to melt – about 4 minutes – remove from steam bath and stir to make sure there are no lumps.

It’s time to assemble your cups!

– Bring the ice cream out the freezer so it softens a bit
– Brush the muffin pan with a little canola oil so cups don’t stick (don’t worry, canola is tasteless). Place pan in the freezer for a minute or so to get it really cold.
– Remove pan from the freezer and brush bottoms of pan with melted chocolate – be generous! Return pan to the freezer for a couple minutes for the chocolate to set.
– Bring pan out of the freezer and scoop some of the peanut butter ice cream in the chocolate cups, then spoon jam on top and return to freezer for about 15 minutes so jam hardens.
– Take out the pan from freezer and spoon a generous amount of chocolate on top to seal the cups. You can either seal them completely or drizzle with chocolate, it’s up to ya! *Sprinkle salt at this point if you choose to use some*
– Return complete cups to the freezer and freeze for at least 20 minutes so it all sets.
– To remove cups, simply place a clean rag on your kitchen table and bang the sides of the pan until cups fall out. Make sure rag is under the pan so your cups don’t fall and break. If cups don’t fall out, freeze them again for longer and try again. I wouldn’t apply heat as it would melt the chocolate and that actually makes it more difficult to remove.

That’s it! Sounds like a lot of steps but really it’s just a matter of freezing in between. So worth it!!

To serve: take cups out of the freezer and let warm at room temp for about 10 minutes so the ice cream is nice and soft (and you don’t lose a tooth).

Enjoy and eat them all at once!! MUAH HA HA!!