Butterfinger Ice Cream – rich and creamy vanilla based ice cream filled with chunks of Butterfinger candy bars. A crowd pleasing ice cream recipe!
HOMEMADE ICE CREAM FOR THE WIN!
If I had to pick just one dessert that I had to eat for the rest of my life, it would probably be ice cream. Especially high quality ice cream from an ice cream shop, or even better – homemade ice cream! I’ve shared almost two dozen recipes, but I’m always up for trying a new one. 🙂
I actually tried this recipe a couple years ago at my cousin Tami’s house. Since it makes such a large batch, she likes to make it for family gatherings. She calls it butter brickle ice cream. Whatever you call it, it is absolutely incredible!
The base of the ice cream is so smooth and creamy it would be good on its own. But then you stir in pieces of butterfinger bars. Oh my. Every bite is creamy, crunchy, and just heavenly.
When I have it at my cousin’s house, she likes to make it fresh and serve it soft serve, right out of the ice cream maker. People can’t get enough of it.
When I made it for my family, we ate some of it soft, but froze the leftovers. It’s just as tasty the next day, and the day after that! After you freeze it (or let it ripen) in the freezer for a few hours, it is nice and scoopable. Either way, it is sure to be a hit.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BUTTERFINGER ICE CREAM
(To skip my tips and just see the full recipe card, simply scroll to the bottom of the post.)
Ingredients needed:
- heavy cream (whipping cream will also work just fine)
- evaporated milk (adds rich flavor and creaminess to the ice cream)
- sweetened condensed milk (adds sweetness and creaminess)
- whole milk (I have also made it with 2% milk. I was the only one who could tell a difference.)
- vanilla instant pudding mix (Adds sweetness, flavor, and texture to the ice cream. Both vanilla and French vanilla are fine.)
- sugar
- vanilla extract
- Butterfinger candy bars (You can use any size of candy bars, as long as they amount to about 10 ounces total.)
BUTTERFINGER PIECES: Basically the only thing that takes any time at all is breaking up the candy bars. We like a combination of finely crushed and large chunks. I pound half of them with a rolling pin while they are still in the wrapper. For the other half, I cut them into larger chunks on a cutting board.
My cousin actually breaks all of her candy bars into small pieces. You can do whatever your family likes!
ICE CREAM BASE: With sweetened condensed milk, pudding mix, and heavy cream, you know this ice cream is going to be the creamiest! Just whisk all of your ingredients together (except the butterfingers) till smooth.
CHILL: The ice cream will freeze much faster if the mixture is very cold before you churn it. You can chill it for a couple hours, but overnight is great too.
CHURN: I have found that it works best to add the butterfinger pieces at the end of churning. If you add them too early, all of the larger chunks get smashed.
I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker, and an extra freezer bowl, which I need for this recipe. If you have a smaller ice cream maker and no extra bowl, you will need to make this ice cream in two batches.
SOFT OR HARD SERVE: We actually love this ice cream recipe served soft, right out of the ice cream maker. But it is also tasty after a few hours in the freezer.
LEFTOVERS – This recipe does make a large batch, so unless you are feeding a crowd, you will probably not finish it off in one sitting. It will keep in the freezer for up to a month if stored in an airtight container.
PRO TIPS
– To speed up the freezing process, chill your ingredients ahead of time. Yes, you can even chill the pudding mix, cans of milk, and candy bars.
-When storing leftover ice cream, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface before covering with a lid. This prevents the ice cream from getting an icy layer on it, and keeps it a little softer.
MORE RECIPES FOR HOMEMADE ICE CREAM:
- Milky Way Ice Cream
- Rocky Road Ice Cream
- Tin Roof Ice Cream
- Burnt Almond Fudge
- Chocolate Cookie Dough Ice Cream
- Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- No Churn White Chocolate Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream
RECIPES FEATURING BUTTERFINGERS:
- Frozen Butterfinger Pie
- Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies
- Butterfinger Trifle
- Chocolate Butterfinger Poke Cake
BUTTERFINGER ICE CREAM RECIPE
Homemade Butterfinger Ice Cream
Extra creamy vanilla based ice cream loaded with chunks of broken up Butterfinger bars.
Ingredients
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 3.4 oz box vanilla instant pudding
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 Tablespoons vanilla extract
- 5 1.9 ounce Butterfinger Bars, crushed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together cream, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, pudding mix, sugar, and vanilla.
- Cover and chill for 2-3 hours, or until very cold.
- Pour chilled mixture into an ice cream maker, and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.
- During the last 5 minutes of churning, add the crushed Butterfinger pieces.
- Serve immediately, or pour into an airtight container and freeze for two hours or more.
Notes
We like to reserve some of the butterfinger pieces to serve on top of the ice cream.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 411Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 156mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 0gSugar: 41gProtein: 8g
Inge
Please could you clarify the amount of chocolate pudding, and butterfinger amounts in metric as I donāt think I am reading it correctly / from South Africa
Kara Cook
Sorry, I don’t know how to convert it to metrics. š
Delana
I made this with 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract because I didn’t have enough and it tasted fine. Is 4 tablespoons of vanilla extract correct? That seems like too much.
Kara Cook
It just depends on how strong your vanilla extract is, and how much vanilla flavor you like. For ice cream, the alcohol in the vanilla also prevents the ice cream from turning icy, so since this makes such a large batch, it needs more vanilla. But vanilla is definitely one of those ingredients that can be added to taste, so if you like it with just 2 tablespoons, stick with that!
Lisa Elliott
We have a 4-qt make, so I would need to double the ingredients, right? Please and thank you – can’t wait to try this for my son’s birthday this weekend!
Kara Cook
No, you shouldn’t need to double it, it makes about 3 quarts. I had to use both of my 1 1/2 quart freezing containers for my Cuisinart.
Gail McWilliams
First time using my ice cream maker in years – tried this recipe and it turned out great!! I am a chocolate fan and wonder how chocolate pudding will be… may try it next time.
Kara Cook
I love chocolate too, so I think that would be a tasty variation!
brenda J McManus
I’d just like to clarify the amount this makes. Do you use your 1 1/2 qt maker AND and extra 1 1/2 qt bowl? So this recipe makes 3 qts total?
Kristyn
You better believe I will be making this, this weekend!! Love butterfingers & love ice cream, so together is the perfect match!!
Kara Cook
I agree, it really is a perfect match! š
Suzy
This is so great! Love how creamy it turned out!
Kara Cook
So glad to hear you loved it Suzy!
Aimee Shugarman
Just made this for our dessert tonight and snuck a taste. SO GOOD, I know my family will love it.
Kara Cook
Haha, it’s hard not to sneak a taste when something is this yummy!