This peanut butter ice cream dessert is going to be your new best friend any time you have to feed a crowd. And yes, it's made with ice cream, but I argue that it's a year round specialty, since the savory and salty flavour of the peanut butter makes it feel pretty luxurious.
Ok, maybe luxurious is the wrong word. It's literally made with, like, three ingredients, and magically, the come together to be more than the sum of their parts.
Let's start from the bottom shall we?
Crust:
It's a pretty basic graham cracker crust. The best part? No need to bake it! Just throw some graham crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl and your pretty much good to go.
Vanilla Ice Cream:
This makes up the bulk of the body of the (ice cream cake?) dessert. We're going to both add some substance while lightening up the texture.
Cool Whip/Dessert Topping:
This gives the dessert more of an airy feel, so you don't think you're literally just eating a block of ice cream atop some crust (although, really, that's exactly what's happening.
Peanut Butter:
Here for the flavour of course!
Crispy Crunch Chocolate Bars:
No, I'm not being sponsored (but Crispy Crunch, hit me up. This dessert is bomb). These crumbled chocolate bars provided the all important texture factor for this dessert, as everything else is pretty soft and creamy.
I'm telling you, this peanut butter ice cream dessert is the best. My mom has been making it for us since childhood, and every time someone new has it, they rave about it. It's so delicious, and you can prep it in under 15 minutes, and make it up to a week ahead (if you think it's going to stick around in your freezer for that long. It won't.)
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Ice Cream Dessert
Ingredients
- 3 C graham cracker crumbs
- 1 C melted butter
- ⅓ C granulated sugar
- 2 litres vanilla ice cream soft
- 1 tub Cool Whip thawed
- 1 C peanut butter
- 5 Crispy Crunch chocolate bars, crushed divided
Instructions
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Prepare a 9"x13 baking pan with parchment paper on the bottom. Press the crumb mixture evenly across the bottom of the pan.
- In a second large mixing bowl, combine the ice cream, Cool Whip, and peanut butter until thoroughly mixed. The mixture should be quite soft, but not melted. Add three of the crumbled chocolate bars, reserving the rest.
- Add the ice cream mixture to the pan on top of the crust. Spread evenly. Crumble the remaining chocolate bars over the top. Cover and freeze for at least 3 hours before serving.
Hi, I'm Cara! I'm a food writer, journalist, and recipe developer. I'm obsessed good food, good wine, good cocktails and entertaining. I've picked up a few tips over the years, and love sharing them with others.
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