Peanut Butter and Pretzel Ice Cream Cake

This week's recipe is dedicated to my roommate, Alexa, who celebrated her 22nd birthday this past Friday. Alexa loves ice cream cake and what says, "Happy Birthday" better than rich and decadent layers of ice cream, pretzels, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? Drizzle with homemade chocolate and peanut butter "Magic Shell" toppings and you have just made someone's birthday extra special. The great thing about this recipe is that it is easily adapted to individual preferences. Simply substitute other flavors of ice cream and different toppings to create your own unique combination. Visit Nectar for the best selection of basic ice cream flavors or virtually any of the other markets to pick up a few pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. All other ingredients may be purchased in either Varsity Morgan, Varsity Towers, or Varsity Marketplace with the exception of butter which may only be purchased in Varsity Morgan or Varsity Towers. Although this recipe requires only six ingredients, the total cost of the ingredients is over $20 which equates to $1.88 per slice. The high cost is due largely in part to the $5.99 per pint cost of ice cream. However, I believe the total cost of this recipe could be drastically reduced with the purchase of a half-gallon of ice cream from the grocery store. 

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Ice Cream Cake
Yield: 12 slices
Total Cost: $22.51

• 3 pints vanilla ice cream
• 6 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped
• 3/4 cup pretzels, chopped
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and allow to chill in freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and crush pretzels. Set aside.

Remove from the freezer and press remaining 1 1/2 pints of softened vanilla ice cream on top of the crushed Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Sprinkle with broken pretzels and return to freezer for an at least 1 hour or until firm.

Prepare chocolate "Magic Shell" topping by combining chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon butter in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power until just melted. Remove and stir until blended. Repeat procedure with 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter to prepare peanut butter "Magic Shell" topping. Allow both toppings to sit for about 1 minute.

Remove cake from freezer and pour Magic Shell toppings over the top to create a drizzled effect. Return to freezer for 10-15 minutes or until Magic Shell topping has hardened. Remove from pan. Slice into 12 pieces and serve immediately.



Reviews
"It's like heaven in my mouth."
"Can I have more?"