No-Churn PB Choco Sundae
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
A layered no-churn ice cream dessert mixing homemade peanut butter chocolate shards, vanilla and chocolate frozen creams, topped with a luscious fudge-peanut butter sauce and optional festive garnishes. No ice cream maker required. Uses whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk for texture, with a crunchy chocolate peanut topping to cut richness.
Prep:
70 min
Cook:
15 min
Total:
85 min
Servings:
8 servings
#no-churn
#peanut butter
#chocolate
#dessert
#frozen treat
#fudge sauce
Stuck without an ice cream maker but craving layers of peanut butter and chocolate crunch? Tried frozen blocks that turn icy? Been there. This layered frozen cream sundae skips churning in favor of folding whipped cream with sweetened condensed milk. The trick? Homemade peanut butter chocolate shards—thin, crispy, sweet, salty—and a fudge sauce that sings peanut butter notes but stays shiny, not grainy. Watch those layers. Mix flavors evenly but don’t overwork; air is your friend. I swap almond butter when allergies hit peanut season. Timing is feeling, not strict. Freeze bumps are normal. Taste cocoa mix mid-step; you control bitterness. Expect rich, creamy jumps from vanilla to chocolate to crunchy breaks under teeth. Party food, yet nostalgic. Play with dwell time and doneness. This sundae’s personality depends on patience and a watchful eye.
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Chocolate Shards
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) creamy peanut butter substitute: tahini or almond butter works; adjust sweetness to taste
- 20 ml (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) unsalted butter
- 25 g (3 tbsp) crushed graham crackers or digestive biscuits
- 25 g (3 tbsp) powdered sugar
- 90 g (3 oz) tempered 55% semisweet dark chocolate alternative: use milk chocolate for less bitterness
Vanilla Frozen Cream
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) heavy whipping cream at cold temp
- 5 ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) sweetened condensed milk (full fat is best)
Chocolate Frozen Cream
- 30 g ( heaping 1/4 cup) natural cocoa powder
- 1 dash fine salt
- same amount vanilla frozen cream base, adjust as below
Fudge Peanut Butter Sauce
- 70 g (5 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 20 g (1/5 cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder for richer flavor
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) heavy cream
- 50 ml (3 tbsp +1 tsp) creamy peanut butter smooth
Optional Toppings
- Whipped cream or coconut whip for dairy-free
- Maraschino cherries or fresh raspberries
- Chocolate wafer rolls or pirouettes
- Sprinkles or edible glitter
About the ingredients
Started with classic peanut butter but switched to almond for subtler flavor and fewer allergy worries. Tempted to go crunchy with peanut butter texture? Use smooth for shards so spread thin and breaks cleanly. Graham cracker crumbs bring gentle nuttiness and moisture absorption; digestive biscuits swap easily but watch flavor impact. Powdered sugar sweetens shards discreetly; adjust for prefered sweetness or swap with coconut sugar for depth. Chocolate: tempering eggs you out? Use good-quality melting chocolate or chips, melt slowly. For the frozen creams, whipped cold heavy cream is foundation; cold equipment helps whip faster and holds peaks longer—don’t skip chilling bowls. Sweetened condensed milk adds fat & sugar to mimic ice cream’s creaminess without freezing rock-hard. Cocoa powder is unsweetened; Dutch-process preferred in sauce for mellow notes, natural cocoa sharper, needs more sugar. Using salty pinch with cocoa cuts bitterness, intensifies chocolate tone. Peanut butter in fudge sauce must be creamy for smooth texture; stir in last with heat off to prevent oily separation. Top it off anytime; all optional but familiar garnishes bring color and festive crunch.
Method
Peanut Butter Chocolate Shards Preparation
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat. Mix peanut butter and butter in glass bowl; nuke 25 to 30 seconds until just melted, avoid overheating or it’ll separate. Stir in crushed biscuits and powdered sugar; mix until paste-y but still spreadable. Use offset spatula to spread 4 mm thick layer (about 1/6 inch). Thicker means longer freeze, thinner may shatter too easily.
- Pop into freezer for 7 to 12 minutes. Look for surface firm to touch, no fingerprints left if you press lightly.
- Quickly spread tempered chocolate evenly over peanut layer. Keep a gentle swirl or smooth, thinner coverage gives crisp snap. Freeze again 7 minutes or until fully firm and glossy.
- Flip onto cutting board; chop roughly into shards. Keep in airtight container in freezer till serving. Note: If shards soften, refreeze; brittle shards soften near room temp fast.
Vanilla Frozen Cream
- Chill mixing bowl and beaters. Whip cold cream with vanilla on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Starts soft, keep whipping past soft peak stage but don’t overwhip or get clumps.
- Gently fold in sweetened condensed milk with spatula, folding only to keep air in. Texture should be creamy, shiny with no lumps. Set aside chilled. Don't whip after adding condensed milk—turns oily.
Chocolate Frozen Cream
- In separate bowl, mix condensed milk with cocoa powder and pinch salt until uniform paste. Taste mixture before mixing with cream; adjust sugar if cocoa is sharp.
- In another chilled bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks again.
- Fold cocoa-condensed milk mix into whipped cream carefully. The chocolate cream will be slightly denser and less shiny but scoopable.
- Chill both creams briefly while assembling layers.
Assembly
- Use a 1.5-liter (6 cup) airtight container, clear if possible to see layers. Start with tablespoons of vanilla frozen cream, spread gently but cover whole bottom without gaps.
- Follow with chocolate cream spoonfuls, then scatter some peanut chocolate shards for crunch.
- Alternate vanilla, chocolate, shards until container is full, ending with a layer of shards. Push shards lightly into cream so they don’t float up while freezing.
- Cover tightly. Freeze at least 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Ideal texture is creamy with slight bite, fully firm but scoopable. Let temper 3 to 5 minutes at room temp before scooping for that creamy scoop without melting immediate puddles.
Fudge Peanut Butter Sauce
- Off heat, whisk sugar and Dutch cocoa in small saucepan thoroughly to avoid clumps.
- Add cream, whisk then bring to gentle boil over medium-low heat. Watch carefully; don’t let boil over or scorch. You’ll see bubbles along edges and smell deep chocolate aromas.
- Remove from heat immediately once boiling; swirl in peanut butter until smooth and glossy sauces forms. Do not overheat after adding, sauce will seize or separate.
- Let cool 5 minutes, keep warm in small container or thermos for serving alongside.
To Serve
- Spoon a generous splash of warm fudge sauce into sundae dishes.
- Add one gelato scoop from vanilla-chocolate frozen creams.
- Drizzle more sauce on top, then another scoop on top.
- Slap on dollops of whipped cream or coconut whip.
- Finish with maraschino cherries, pirouettes, and colorful sprinkles.
- Serve fast before shards soften and sauce chills.
Pro Tips
- Sub tahini for peanut butter for less sweetness; add a tsp honey to fudge sauce to balance bitterness.
- If shards melt too fast on slicing, chill knife in freezer before cutting.
- You can skip shards for simple layered frozen cream sundaes.
- For dairy-free: coconut cream for whips; use coconut condensed milk alternatives.
- Press folding gently in creams to keep air-light, use wide spatula or balloon whisk for fluff.
Cooking tips
Step 1 shard base: microwaving peanut butter and butter melts fats to bind crumbs. Don’t overheat or you’ll get oily puddles. Spreading evenly aids freezing good crisp texture; too thick and you’re chewing fudge paste, too thin and shards crumble. Freeze timing centered on tactile cues: firm to touch, no stickiness. Chocolate layer second, thin and glossy, signals readiness for chopping; brittle bluish cracks appear when perfect. Chop shards on cold board using serrated knife chilled if needed so shards don’t smoosh. For frozen creams whipping, cold ingredients and gear is key for sharp peaks. Adding condensed milk after whipping keeps air in freshly formed peaks, folding preserves volume. Separate chocolate cream with cocoa paste mixed into condensed milk first to prevent lumps. Folding preserves that light texture—no overmix! Assembly in container; layering with shards in between prevents clumping; shards could float up, so push lightly. Freeze should be at least 6 hours—longer chills solidify milk fats so ice cream isn’t slushy but still scoopable; tempering warms and softens slightly before serving. Sauce needs constant watch once heating. Sugar+cocoa dry mix avoids clumps. Sauce boils briefly, remove before thickens or scorches, add peanut butter off heat or it’ll curdle. Sauce thickens once cooled but stays pourable; keep warm but not hot for topping. Garnishes optional for visual and textural contrast. Patience makes difference here: rushing freezes ice crystals, sloppy layers melt into each other.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Peanut shards must be thin but not paper; thickness controls freeze time and bite. Freeze till surface firm but not too hard. Chocolate layer spreads fast, keep swirl gentle or smooth; cooling changes gloss and snap. Knife chills help chopping crisp shards clean, no smoosh. Adjust sweetness in shards with sugar or coconut sugar; tahini swap cuts sweetness but adds nuttiness. Watch microwave timing; overheat makes oily mess instead of bind.
- 💡 Cold bowl and beaters mandatory for whipped creams; air bubbles pop easy if not chilled. Whip to stiff peaks with vanilla, then fold condensed milk gently to keep air. No re-whipping or oils separate. Cocoa mix tastes sharp if sugar low; add pinch salt to cut bitterness before folding. Chocolate cream denser, less shiny, scoopable texture depends on folding speed and mixing. Chill creams before layering, helps hold structure under shards.
- 💡 Assembly needs patience; container choice matters for layer visibility + neat stacking. Start vanilla base with spread spoonfuls, cover full bottom no gaps or shards clump. Alternate layers carefully, push shards lightly so no float up. Freeze min 6 hrs for firmness but scoopable; temper 3-5 min room temp before serving to soften edges. Timing impacts texture, rush and get icy or smeared layers.
- 💡 Sauce needs constant watch on heat; sugar cocoa dry mix avoids clumps. Boil gently, bubbles along edges signal near done; remove heat before thick. Peanut butter last, off heat to stop seizing or oily split. Sauce thickens cooling but stays pourable; keep warm not hot in thermos or small container. Add honey for bitterness balance if tahini used. Sauce aroma deepens while simmer, smell cues near perfect doneness.
- 💡 Shards soften fast at room temp; serve fast or refreeze brittle ones. Skip shards for simpler sundae layers if time tight. Knife cold or warmed helps slice shards clean shapes. Coconut cream and dairy-free condensed milk swap well for vegan version. Folding technique key: use spatula or balloon whisk, gentle motions preserve fluff and volume; avoid vigorous stirring which kills air bubbles and changes texture.
Common questions
How to tell when shards layer is ready?
Surface firm not sticky touch test key. Press lightly no fingerprint stay. Chocolate layer glossy and firm means done. Too soft melts shards. Freeze times vary but focus touch and look cues instead.
Can I skip peanut butter shards?
Sure option if layering time crunch. Texture change big—no crunch but keeps creaminess. Use extra chocolate cream or sprinkle crushed cookies instead. Makes simpler sundae but less bite contrast.
Why does fudge sauce separate sometimes?
Usually peanut butter added while sauce hot. Add off heat, stir smooth. Overheat breaks emulsion, oily or grainy textures appear. Sugar cocoa dry mix thorough avoids lumps, boil gentle bubbles edge, remove promptly.
How to store leftovers?
Keep airtight container freezer best. Shards keep longer frozen no moisture. Sauce refrigerate in sealed jar, warm gently before reuse. Cream layers refreeze but texture softens, best eaten fresh. Quick thaw then scoop works okay.
