Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bars (without molds)

Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bars – The coffee ice cream is extra creamy and the chocolate shell is thin and snappy. Make these dreamy Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bars even if you don’t have molds. These thick, indulgent ice cream bars are easy and satisfying. Yum.

For some helpful tips before you begin, click here.

Makes 9 thick ice cream bars (3 x 3-inch squares)

INGREDIENTS:

For the ice cream:

4.5 g (3/4 tablespoon) Nescafe instant coffee
240 ml (1 cup) half & half
240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
200 g (3/4 cup or half of a 14-oz can) sweetened condensed milk
21 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) corn syrup
2 vanilla beans (or 10 ml / 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
84 g (1/2 cup) mini-chocolate chips

For the chocolate shell:

98 g (3/4 cup) milk chocolate chips
98 g (3/4 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips
162 g (3/4 cup) refined coconut oil
5 ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract

9 popsicle sticks
1 9 x 9-inch baking pans
1 large baking sheet
plastic wrap

INSTRUCTIONS:

PREPARATION:

Place the canister of the ice cream maker in the freezer. (Do this at least the day before.)
Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with plastic wrap or parchment paper, all the way up the sides with a little overhang. Place in the freezer.
Line a large baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer.

MAKE THE ICE CREAM

1. Crush and dissolve the instant coffee in 1/2 cup (120 ml) of warm half & half.

– In a large mixing bowl, crush the instant coffee into a fine powder with the back of a spoon.
– Heat 1/4-cup (60 ml) of the half & half for 30 seconds in the microwave, or until warm.
– Pour over the crushed instant coffee and stir until the coffee is completely dissolved.

2. Combine all the ingredients and chill overnight.

– Pour the remaining half & half, the heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup into the mixing bowl.
– Scrape the seeds from the vanilla beans into the mixing bowl and drop the pods in as well.
– Stir until everything is combined well and the vanilla seeds are dispersed.
– Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least overnight and up to 3 or 4 days.

3. Pour the ice cream mixture through a sieve into the ice cream maker and churn for 25 minutes, adding the mini-chips in the last minutes.

– Pour the thoroughly chilled ice cream mixture through a sieve into a running ice cream maker.
– Churn for 25 minutes. (Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.)
– Pour in the mini-chocolate chips during the last 5 minutes of churning.

4. Pour the churned ice cream into the chilled baking pan. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours.

– Pour the churned ice cream into the pre-chilled, lined 9 x 9-inch baking pan. Spread out evenly and smooth the top as much as possible.
– Cover with plastic wrap, making full contact with the surface of the ice cream.
– Place the ice cream in the freezer for about 4 hours, or until completely hardened.

Place a cutting board in the freezer for the next step.

5. Slice the frozen ice cream into squares. Insert the popsicle sticks.

– Carefully lift the ice cream out of the baking pan with the plastic wrap and place on a chilled cutting board.
– Cut the slab of ice cream into 9 equal squares using a long unserrated knife.(Clean up the sides first, if you wish. Eat the scraps when no one is looking.)
– Carefully transfer each square with an offset spatula onto the lined, frozen baking sheet. Leave plenty of space between ice cream squares.
– Insert a popsicle stick about halfway into each square.
– Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place the baking sheet back into the freezer until the ice cream has fully hardened again, an hour or longer.

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE SHELL

6. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil.

– Make the chocolate shell after your ice cream squares are frozen hard.

Microwave method:
– Place the milk chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate chips and refined coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl.
– Heat for 45 seconds on 50% power.
– Stir until smooth. (The chips may not look completely melted at first but will continue to melt and become smooth while stirred into the refined coconut oil.)

Stove-top method:
– Place the milk chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate chips and refined coconut oil in a heat-safe bowl.
– Place the bowl of chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water.
– Stir until melted and smooth.

7. Stir in the vanilla.

– Stir in the vanilla until combined.

MAKE THE ICE CREAM BARS

8. Dip the ice cream bars into the chocolate shell.

– Pour the melted chocolate shell into a bowl, cup or other container deep enough to accommodate an entire ice cream bar for dipping. Let cool until just about room temperature.
– Grab an ice cream bar by the stick and carefully submerge into the melted chocolate. Allow the excess to drip back into the bowl.
– Hold onto the ice cream bar for a few seconds to allow the chocolate shell to harden on the ice cream bar before setting it back down on the frozen baking sheet.
– Place back into the freezer right away.

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Have extra chocolate shell?
– Store any extra chocolate shell in a jar or squeeze bottle at room temperature.
– If the homemade chocolate shell has solidified, just microwave at 50% power in 10 second bursts, stirring in between bursts.

*****

coated coffee chocolate chip ice cream bars

About this recipe

Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Bars are a smooth, creamy, delicious treat. They are easy to make and really only require patience – and lots of chilling and freezing time.

If you happen to have silicone ice cream bar molds, then your work is cut in half. (I find popsicle molds are difficult to fill with fluffy churned ice cream and really only work if your ice cream mixture is liquid enough to be poured.) But even without molds, turning ice cream into ice cream bars takes only a few extra steps and maybe a little extra space in your freezer.

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The ice cream in these bars is a light, creamy coffee ice cream. (Not too hard, not too soft.) If you want a more intense, darker coffee flavor, add up to another tablespoon of instant coffee. Or replace the instant coffee with instant espresso powder. (Omit the coffee and you have a classic vanilla bean ice cream!)

The chocolate shell has a nice balance of sweet and bitter chocolate. However, if you prefer, you can always use pure milk chocolate for a sweeter, mellow treat or pure bittersweet chocolate for a darker shell.

coffee chocolate chip ice cream bars bite

TIPS:

Here are 3 helpful tips:

Keep everything cold, cold, cold – especially if you have a warm kitchen.

1) Freeze the ice cream maker canister at least 24 hours.

– Be sure the canister from your ice cream maker is thoroughly frozen, at least 1 or 2 days. If it is not completely frozen, your ice cream will not churn to it’s fullest.

2) Make sure your ice cream mixture is thoroughly chilled.

– Allow your ice cream mixture to chill at least 12 hours and (up to 3 or 4 days) to ensure it is as cold as it can be. This will help your ice cream churn to its fullest.

3) Make sure your lined baking pan and baking sheet are frozen.

– Make sure your lined baking pan and baking sheet and even your cutting board are already freezing cold when you make your ice cream bars. This will help prevent any melting, especially if you have a warm kitchen.