Peanut Butter Chocolate Sundae
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
A layered no-churn ice cream sundae featuring creamy vanilla and cocoa-infused chocolate ice creams, peanut butter chocolate shards, and a fudgy peanut butter sauce. No ice cream machine needed. Alternating scoops create texture and temperature contrasts. Includes options for whipped cream, maraschino cherries, wafer rolls, and colorful sprinkles. Recipes for shards and sauce rely on temperature cues and tactile checks rather than strict timings. Adapted with less sugar, a swap to almond flour crumbs, and salted peanut butter for a slightly savory twist. Perfect for when equipment’s slim but ice cream cravings huge.
Prep:
70 min
Cook:
15 min
Total:
85 min
Servings:
8 servings
#no-churn
#ice cream
#dessert
#chocolate
#peanut butter
#fudge
#easy dessert
No ice cream machine? No problem. Been through the frustration of icy, flavorless ice cream so many times, this method is a relief. Cream and condensed milk whipping create fluffy, creamy texture without freezing hardware. Chocolate with cocoa and salt ups the drama. Peanut butter shards are a revelation: crunchy, rich, salty-sweet bursts in every bite. Tempering chocolate is key here—skip it and shards look sad, dull, fail to snap right. The fudge sauce? Thick, glossy, deeply peanut buttery, finished with a slick that transforms scoops into a sundae fit for company. Layering is my secret weapon—each spoonful a surprise of textures and temps. Best when made ahead. Chill in freezer overnight, serve in chilled glasses. No waiting, just delicious chaos in every bite.
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Chocolate Shards
- 45 ml creamy salted peanut butter (about 3 tbsp)
- 10 ml unsalted butter (2 tsp)
- 35 g almond flour (1/4 cup, toasted slightly for nuttiness)
- 25 g powdered sugar (approx 3 tbsp)
- 85 g dark chocolate 55% cacao, melted and tempered
Vanilla Ice Cream
- 220 ml heavy cream 35%, cold (7/8 cup)
- 5 ml vanilla extract (1 tsp)
- 125 ml sweetened condensed milk (1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp)
Chocolate Ice Cream
- 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder (approx 3 tbsp)
- Pinch salt
- Sweetened condensed milk reserved from vanilla portion (see instructions)
- 180 ml heavy cream 35%, cold (3/4 cup)
Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce
- 65 g granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
- 20 g cocoa powder (heaping tbsp)
- 200 ml heavy cream (7/8 cup)
- 45 ml creamy salted peanut butter (3 tbsp)
Toppings (optional)
- Whipped cream
- Maraschino cherries
- Pirouline wafers or similar
- Colorful sprinkles
About the ingredients
Swapped powdered sugar for a lighter sweetness in shards; you could use confectioners sugar, but I like how it melts into the peanut butter mix for a slightly grainy crunch. Almond flour instead of graham crumbs gives a more elegant, less cloying base—and toast it lightly for deeper aroma, but not essential. Salted peanut butter—makes everything pop; if allergic, unsalted plus a pinch of sea salt works fine. Cocoa swapped: unsweetened for Dutch-processed means darker flavor but more chasing with sugar; adjust as suited. Heavy cream is your canvas—fresher, colder better for whipping volume. Don’t use ultra-pasteurized cream—it breaks down faster with whipping. Sweetened condensed milk buys you fat and sweetness, crucial for stability and texture in no-churn recipes. Fudge sauce sugar is granulated here instead of powdered to help it caramelize slightly during boiling, deeper flavor profile. Vanilla extract quality makes a visible difference. Toppings optional but the cherry and wafer textural contrasts lift the sundae visually and palate-wise.
Method
Shards Preparation
- 1. Line a baking tray with parchment or silicone. Use salted peanut butter for a slight hint of salt—balances the sweet and cut through richness. Melt peanut butter and butter in microwave-safe bowl on medium power, 25-30 seconds, watching closely; should be smooth and flowy, not oily-separated. Stir in almond flour and powdered sugar thoroughly. Texturally expect slightly crumbly but spreadable paste.
- 2. With an angled spatula, spread this mixture thinly, no thicker than 4-5 mm. Thickness matters—too thick, shards tough; too thin, break before freezing. Feel the gently cooled set: firm but slight give when prodded. Pop in freezer for about 7-12 minutes. Don’t rush or it won’t set properly and layers won't hold.
- 3. Next, drizzle melted tempered dark chocolate evenly over surface. Tap tray on counter gently to level chocolate layer without disturbing peanut butter beneath. Freeze again 6-8 minutes, or until solid to touch, matte but glossy sheen.
- 4. On a cutting board, use a large chef’s knife to chop shards roughly; jagged, uneven pieces better for textural bursts. Store shards in freezer until assembly. If shards soften, refreeze quickly and handle minimally.
Vanilla Ice Cream Base
- 5. Whip cold heavy cream with electric mixer to firm peaks. Vanilla extract in adds aroma but don’t overbeat or risk grainy whipped texture. Incorporate sweetened condensed milk gently folding with spatula, retaining light airiness critical for creamy no-churn texture. Set aside chilled.
Chocolate Ice Cream Base
- 6. Mix reserved condensed milk from vanilla batch with cocoa powder and pinch salt vigorously until no lumps. This step builds intense chocolate flavor, salt doubles depth.
- 7. Whip heavy cream separately to stiff peaks. Fold cocoa-condensed milk mixture in slowly. Keep folds gentle but thorough—overmixing collapses air and renders ice cream dense and icy mid-freeze. Keep this refrigerated until layering.
Assembly
- 8. In a 1.5 L airtight container, start layering vanilla and chocolate ice creams alternately by spoonfuls. Bottom layer: vanilla spooned then chocolate, spread thinly. Sprinkle shards generously between layers, pushing some pieces slightly into ice cream for a good crunch.
- 9. Repeat layers until container is full, topping final layer with shards as much as possible. Seal container tightly to avoid freezer burn.
- 10. Freeze minimum 5.5 to 7 hours; overnight recommended for firmer scoopable texture. After at least 5 hours, check firmness by gently pressing surface; ice cream should be set but scoopable within 5 min on countertop.
Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce
- 11. Combine sugar and cocoa powder in saucepan HEAVILY off heat to avoid lumps. Add heavy cream in slowly, whisking constantly. Once combined, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high, whisk continuously to break up any lumps. The boil should last about 1-1.5 minutes until sauce slightly thickens—look for it to coat spoon with thick mouthfeel but still pourable.
- 12. Off heat, whisk in salted peanut butter until satin smooth. Let rest 4-6 minutes off heat; sauce thickens as it cools but still pourable. Keep warm in thermos or double boiler if not serving immediately.
Serving
- 13. Spoon some warm peanut butter fudge into bottom of sundae glass. Layer with one large scoop ice cream. Drizzle extra sauce over. Add second scoop. Finish with shards, dollop whipped cream, cherries, pirouline wafers, and colorful sprinkles if desired.
- 14. Serve immediately. Let ice cream soften just slightly at room temp before scooping if frozen hard; too warm and shards melt. Timing crucial.
Notes and Tips
- Use salted peanut butter to amplify flavors and balance sweetness. Unsalted versions risk bland taste, add pinch salt if needed. Almond flour instead of graham powder for subtler crunch and nutty aroma; toasted it deepens flavor but optional.
- Tempering chocolate is key to glossy shiny shards. If no tempering, the chocolate may bloom and become dull or crack unevenly as it freezes. Always watch thickness of spread layers, thin spreads freeze cold enough quickly, thick layers become icy lumps.
- Don’t overwhip cream or risk grainy ice cream. Folding in condensed milk gives richness without churning. Using slightly less sugar in fudge sauce keeps sweetness restrained, allowing peanut butter flavor to shine.
- Replacing some sugar with powdered sugar in shards smooths texture. Refrigerate shards properly or risk sogginess if left out too long before assembly.
- If shards thaw, they will soften and lose crunch. Handle only when cold or return promptly to freezer.
- To speed freezing, spread ice cream layers as flat as possible, maximizing cold surface contact.
- Storage: Keep leftover sundae covered airtight; refreeze only once to preserve texture. Long storage leads to ice crystals.
- Pirouline wafers are just fun textural contrast; swap with any crunchy rolled cookies or skip. Maraschino cherries provide juicy bursts, opt out for allergy considerations.
- This is a hands-on dessert. Timing shifts slightly by freezer strength; learn your freezing space by touch and eye over the clock.
- Adjust sweetness based on personal palates, especially if peanut butter or chocolate is bitter or very sweet.
Cooking tips
Peanut butter shards require watching texture; spread thinly, freeze fully before adding chocolate layer; otherwise, layers meld or shards chip badly. Temper chocolate for sheen and proper snap—if no temper, ice shards won’t cut well. Folding whipped cream and condensed milk crucial for delicate air retention—overmix and you end with dense icy block. Chocolate ice cream base involves mixing cocoa and salt into condensed milk before folding to disperse cocoa evenly and enhance chocolate’s bitterness balance. Assemble with alternating layers, pressing shards slightly to anchor them. Freeze fully overnight; thinner layers freeze faster but can dry out. Sauce needs constant whisking to prevent burning; bringing to a hard boil thickens it just right—but if boiled too long, sauce becomes too dense or grainy. Let it cool but keep warm; if sauce cools too much, peanut butter clumps may form. Serve with iced bowls or glasses to prevent premature melting. Timing your scooping according to ambient temperature is key; too cold, ice cream too hard, too warm, shards soften. Practice and patience make all the difference.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Watch shards closely when spreading—too thick and they freeze into tough bricks, too thin and chips snap before freezing. Texture changes from glossy spread to matte firm tell when ready to freeze. Needle-like cracks mean too cold too fast, warm slightly if brittle immediately.
- 💡 Whipping cream for base? Cold cold cold is key, but don’t overdo peaks. Firm enough that folds hold, but still pliable. Vanilla added too early loses aroma. Fold condensed milk gently or air collapses, end up icy, chalky ice cream; patience here.
- 💡 Mixing cocoa into condensed milk before folding helps dissolve lumps and bursts chocolate flavor. Salt balances bitterness but pinch only. Whip chocolate ice cream base to stiff peaks separately before folding for airy texture. Overmix = dense block, less scoopable.
- 💡 Tempering chocolate shards means heating and cooling repeatedly to set glossy, snap-ready shards; no tempering yields dull, cracked shards. Heat slowly; chocolate sheen is a cue for readiness. Tap tray gently to distribute chocolate evenly, avoid thick puddles. Refreeze shards quickly when softened.
- 💡 Sauce thickens during boil; does not need long simmer or becomes dense, pasty. Whisk constantly off-heat when adding peanut butter—lumps form fast if temperature drops. Serve warm but not hot to keep flow and mouthfeel; keep in warm container for reuse.
Common questions
How to avoid icy texture?
Whip cream well cold, fold condensed milk slowly. Air retention is everything. Overmix collapses air pockets. Freeze layers thinly for quicker cold contact. Check texture by gentle press, not poke hard.
Can I swap almond flour?
Yes try graham crumbs but flavor dulls. Toast flour lightly if you want nuttier notes; skips overly sweet. Salted peanut butter preferred but unsalted plus pinch salt works fine. Adjust sweetness accordingly.
What if shards melt before serving?
Keep shards frozen until last min. Handle quickly. Return shards to freezer if soft. Serve in chilled glasses to slow melting. Timing of serving crucial, shards soften fast at room temp.
How to store leftovers?
Cover airtight, refreeze max once. Long term leads to ice crystals and flavor loss. Sauce best stored cold in sealed jar, reheat gently. Shards fragile so freeze separate from ice cream to prevent sogginess.
