Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream is a rich and creamy treat that is easy to make at home in your ice cream maker.
We’re maxing out the peanut butter flavor with peanut butter in the ice cream base plus a creamy swirl of peanut butter and chunks of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Follow these keys to success for perfect ice cream results every time.
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Key to Success #1 – Pump Up the Peanut Butter
The key to Peanut Butter Cup Ice cream is, of course, peanut butter. We’ve got peanut butter in the ice cream base, in the peanut butter swirl, and in the peanut butter cups we’re throwing into the mix.
That salty sweet flavor makes this ice cream a real winner.
The ice cream base for this recipe is a classic custard base that I use for many different types of ice cream.
It’s a no-cook ice cream recipe that uses eggs. If you’re uncomfortable with this, you can cook the ice cream base over medium-low heat until it reaches 160 degrees F.
If you choose to cook the ice cream base, be sure to refrigerate it for at least 4 hours before putting in your ice cream maker to churn.
You’ll make the ice cream base by whisking two eggs very well then slowly whisk in the sugar.
Next, whisk in a half cup of peanut butter. Don’t worry, it’ll whisk right in.
After you have added the eggs, sugar, and peanut butter, start whisking in the milk and cream until the mixture is smooth.
While the ice cream is churning in the ice cream maker, you can go ahead and mix up your peanut butter swirl. Don’t overthink it.
I mix mine up in a glass measuring cup. Put a third cup of peanut butter into a microwave-safe bowl then microwave on high power for about 30 seconds until the peanut butter is melted.
Next, add in the powdered sugar and the milk then whisk until fully combined. It just takes a minute or two and you should end up with a smooth peanut butter mixture.
Key to Success #2 – Do Not Overfill the Ice Cream Machine
Every ice cream freezer is different so be sure to refer to the manufacturer’s directions for your unit to make sure your ice cream freezes properly.
I have a Whynter Ice Cream Maker that makes fantastic homemade ice cream.
One of the big advantages of this machine is that the bowl does not have to be frozen in advance. It has a compressor that does the freezing for you as the ice cream is churning.
My Whynter has a 1.5 liter capacity and I choose to divide this ice cream mix into two batches for freezing.
In my experience with pretty much all ice cream makers, the final product turns out much better when the machine is not overfilled.
Check your user’s manual for your machine to see if it can accommodate all the ice cream mixture at one time.
After the first batch finishes, I transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe ice cream container and put it in my freezer to firm up while I churn the second batch.
After the second batch finishes, I add the ice cream to the same ice cream container and give it all a gentle mix with my spoon.
Now comes the hard part – waiting for the ice cream to firm up in the freezer.
Personally, I like the ice cream just fine when it’s soft and freshly churned. But if you’ll give it a couple hours in the freezer, it’ll firm up into deliciously scoopable ice cream.
Oh, and this is by far my favorite ice cream scoop.
Key to Success #3 – Swirl It All Together
After the first batch of ice cream finishes churning, remove it from the ice cream maker and place into a freezer-safe container.
Then spoon half of the peanut butter swirl over the top of ice cream then sprinkle half the chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups over the top.
Use a knife to swirl the ice cream mixture with the peanut butter and the Reese’s. You can swirl it as little or as much as you like.
I like to cut my Reese’s miniatures into quarters so that I have bigger chunks of peanut butter cups in the ice cream but you can make yours larger or smaller depending on how you like your ice cream.
There are so many possibilities with this peanut butter ice cream. You can leave out the peanut butter swirl and the Reese’s bits if you like smooth ice cream.
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Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 16 Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures
For the Peanut Butter Swirl
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
- In medium bowl, whisk eggs for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly whisk in sugar until completely blended. Whisk in peanut butter.
- Pour in cream and milk. Whisk to combine.
- Follow instructions on your ice cream freezer to freeze ice cream. Depending on capacity of your ice cream freezer, you may need to divide mixture into batches for freezing.
- While ice cream is churning, make the peanut butter swirl. In microwave-safe bowl, melt peanut butter then add powdered sugar and milk, whisking to combine. Set aside.
- Cut Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Miniatures into quarters. Set aside.
- When ice cream is finished churning, transfer ice cream to storage container, spoon peanut butter swirl on top of ice cream, add peanut butter cup pieces. Then run a knife through the ice cream mixture to make a swirl. Place in freezer until firm, if desired.
Notes
- Try reducing sugar to 1/2 cup