If you’ve ever drizzled store-bought Magic Shell over ice cream, you know it is truly magical! But did you know it only takes a couple of ingredients to make it at home? This Homemade Magic Shell is rich and smooth and sets up perfectly over your favorite ice cream for that satisfying snap. Once you try it you’ll never go back to the bottle!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Chocolate – You can use chocolate chips or a nice bar chocolate. I prefer Semi-sweet or dark chocolate but this will work with milk chocolate as well.
- Coconut oil – This is what makes the magic, since coconut oil is solid at room temperature, and when frozen, it makes the chocolate quickly melt in your mouth. You can use refined or unrefined coconut oil. Refined coconut oil does not have any coconut flavor. If you use cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil, expect to be able to taste mild coconut flavor. It’s not overpowering though-I actually love the mild coconut taste with the chocolate.
How to Make Homemade Magic Shell
- Combine the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat in the microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring between each heating, until melted and smooth. Enjoy!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished Magic Shell Topping in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 30 days for best results.
- If your house is on the warmer side it will remain pourable. If it solidifies, just pop it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds and stir before use.
Bonus Recipe: Ice Cream Cookie Crunchies
These crunchy cookie pieces, coated in a chocolatey shell, make a great ice cream topping, mix in for homemade ice cream, or addition to an ice cream cake. You can also press them into muffin tins to make little dessert cups.
Ingredients
- 2/3 standard package of Oreo cookies (2 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs)
- about 1 cup of homemade Magic Shell Topping (or one 7.25-ounce bottle store-bought)
Instructions
- Crush Oreos. You’ll need 2 1/2 cups cookie crumbs.
- Add Magic Shell Topping just a little at a time and mix well. You may not need to use a full cup.
- Use as desired. If you’re using as a layer in an ice cream cake, Don’t make a full thick layer of these crunchies or it might be hard to cut! Instead sprinkle them so there’s some give to cut nice slices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This will work with white chocolate, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, etc. If you can find cherry chips, you’ll have a cherry dipped cone like your favorite nostalgic DQ treat. However, you may need to add extra coconut oil to achieve the desired consistency with some of these other chips. Start with what’s written in the recipe here and add more little by little until it’s smooth and drizzles nicely. It’s also helpful to smear a thin layer on a piece of parchment paper and place in the fridge for a few minutes for it to solidify. Taste it and adjust as needed!
You can certainly try! Your topping may just take a longer to set up and have a softer texture once solidified, not the snap Magic Shell is known for. While coconut oil is 100% fat, butter includes water, so it changes the consistency just a bit, but tastes super delicious.
Yes, any neutral oil will work. Vegetable oil or avocado oil. You’ll want to just add a little at a time until you get the consistency you like since it’s a bit different than coconut oil.
Yep! Add a bit of peppermint, orange, or almond extract after melting. Be careful to add just a little at a time or the mixture may seize. You could also try flavoring oils, which are less likely to affect the texture negatively.
Dipped Cones
You can also use this recipe to make dipped ice cream cones. Try making the magic shell with a variety of chips for fun flavors! TIPS:
- Make sure your ice cream is packed solid down the cone so it doesn’t fall out.
- Use very cold ice cream fresh out of the freezer.
- It’s also fun to pour down the bottom of a waffle cone for a fun surprise!
Homemade Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping
Instructions
- Combine chocolate and 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat in the microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring each time until smooth. 2 tablespoons is the minimal amount of coconut oil you'll need, but depending on your preference, you can stir in more at this point. The more coconut oil you add, the thinner the consistency and shell. My personal preference is a total of 4 tablespoons coconut oil to 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Drizzle over ice cream, dip frozen/cold treats in the chocolate, or use in the Homemade Ice Cream Cake Crunchy recipe (see Notes below).
Notes
- Store finished Magic Shell Topping in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 30 days for best results.
- If your house is on the warmer side it may remain pourable. If it solidifies, just pop it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds and stir before use.
Homemade Ice Cream Cookie Crunchies
Ingredients
- 2/3 standard package of Oreo cookies (or 2 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs)
- 1 7.25-ounce bottle Magic Shell ice cream topping (or almost 1 cup of homemade Magic Shell Topping)
Instructions
- Crush the Oreos so you get 2 1/2 cups Oreo crumbs.
- Pour the Magic Shell topping over the cookie crumbs a little at a time (you may not use all of it) and mix well to combine. Use as an ice cream topping or the filling for ice cream cakes or pies.
Questions & Reviews
I have made this several times. I tried it with butterscotch chips and it worked great! I’ve also heard you can do it with peanut butter chips, but alas, my son is allergic, so we sadly will not be trying that one. Cinnamon chips would probably be really good–especially on something like your snickerdoodle ice cream!
This looks really good! Where would I find coconut oil? I live in Salt Lake and haven’t seen it. Does it add flavor? Would shortening work as well if I can’t find it?
You should be able to find it anywhere, just with the other baking ingredients/oils. If you’re in SLC, go check out Whole Foods (although I’m able to find it at Walmart in rural Louisiana, so I’m betting it’s in SLC, too! 🙂 )
Shortening won’t get the chocolate as hard.
I was just in Walmart yesterday and saw coconut oil in the baking aisle. It was the same brand in the pic so no need to hunt our a store.
You can buy coconut oil online from coconutreat.com or Honeyville Grains in Utah sells this brand as well. =0)
Look in your organic asile…you will be sure to see it there with the natural oils!!
The crunchies in Carvel cakes are made from the cookies used in their Flying Saucer ice cream sandwiches. There is no other ingredient.
i work at a Dairy Queen and that’s all ours is too…
Actually I worked at a Carvel for a couple of years and they taught us to make them with the cookie crumbs, as you mentioned, but stirring them well WITH a can of the chocolate coating we dipped soft serve ice cream in- just like the Magic Shell.
Curious to know if you can keep the homemade magic shell in the cabinet just like Smuckers brand MagicShell or if it would have to be refrigerated to stay “good”. Any thoughts? Thank you times a MILLON for this recipe by the way. My husband will be a very happy guy tonight! 🙂
Yep–since both products are shelf-stable, it’ll do fine outside the fridge. 🙂
This is great! I have tried to make ice cream cakes at home with just the oreos crushed up. Ah – haaaah. The magic shell! I’m thinking bottom of a spring form pan, top with ice cream. more cruhchies, more ice cream. some kind of frosting. just like the real thing. THANK YOU!
LOL! I have to do the same thing with chocolate chips. I’ll buy a bunch of packages when they go on sale, but when I get the urge to bake cookies they’ll be gone due to husband pilfering if I just put them in the cupboard. So they’ll go inside an old oatmeal container, in the laundry closet, a drawer of my craft room, etc. Only I’ve tended to forget where I hide them… What we won’t do for Chocolate Chip Cookies.
YUM!
Maybe this is a stupid question but we are a small family and are sure to have leftovers…what would you store the extra chocolate magic shell in? I have s smucker’s bottle that is almost empty so maybe i’ll hold on to that 🙂 Any other recommendations? Peppermint is also one of my favorite flavors from Article Circle (would be a great idea for the holidays…i’m just saying) Do you think white chocolate, some peppermint flavoring and some red food coloring would still work? I’m sure you could so the same for cherry?
You could use an empty bottle or just an air-tight container. 🙂
As far as flavoring goes, you can definitely do that (colors, too), BUT. You need to make sure the flavorings and colors don’t have alcohol in them or they’ll make the chocolate seize up and clump.
Try the Wilton alcohol-free flavors:
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E3103E7-475A-BAC0-56CDA3C3D9B7A669
And you can use their gel/paste colors, too; just keep in mind that they’re WAY more concentrated than regular food coloring.
To make a flavored hard shell, such as cherry, do you use white chocolate instead of milk chocolate and add the cherry flavoring to it, or…? I’m sorry, but I’m a complete dunce at what is the correct thing to do.
Laura B there is no right/wrong way. Milk chocolate and cherry would be as good, but more chocolatey than white chocolate with cherry. You’re not a dunce, I’m sure.
Oh my goodness!! What fun recipes!! And on my birthday, to boot!! 🙂 I think we’ll have to try them!! Thanks! 🙂
Oh, this reminds me… Do you have a version for a cherry hard shell? My husband ADORES the hard shell from Dairy Queen, but I have never been able to find one in the stores to buy. You would make me an absolute hero!
Check out my response on Comment #3. 🙂