When I saw a post on SeriousEats.com for homemade Klondike bars, I knew I had to try them. I’m so glad I did! Not only was this project SUPER fun, but it also made the best ice cream bars I’ve ever eaten.
Stella Parks (aka BraveTart) is the genius behind the recipe. Her amazing recipe doesn’t require an ice cream machine. (Win! Because I don’t own one. I have an airbrush but not an ice cream maker. #priorities) The simple method she came up with makes the perfect Klondike bar ice cream texture. The end result is the fluffiest, creamiest ice cream you’ve ever bit into.
I followed her ice cream recipe to a T, but...then I went rogue. You know I love my Merckens! So I dipped the frozen ice cream squares in Merckens Milk Chocolate Candy Coatings. Since Stella mentioned thinning the chocolate with coconut oil, something that I don’t have in my pantry right now, I decided to try Paramount Crystals. Win!
I added eight tablespoons of paramount crystals to one pound of Merckens. It thinned the chocolate down to the perfect consistency. As soon as you dip the bar, it sets. If you add regular cooking oil to your chocolate it can come out too soft and grainy. Paramount crystals harden fast, giving you that signature crack shell.
The combination of fluffy ice cream and the snap of the chocolate shell made them (dare I say) better than a Klondike bar! They were so good that the team kept eating them while I tried to snap a pic for this post!
Stella mentioned wrapping the homemade Klondike bars in foil to prevent freezer burn and to give them a fancy finish. So I wrapped the bars with our 6x6 chocolate foil wrappers. Since our chocolate foil wrappers come in lots of colors, it was hard to pick. But I needed to use silver because, hello, I wanted it to look real! (Tip: Cut bars in ¾ inch thick 3 x 3 inch squares so they fit the foil perfectly)
To be honest, my bars didn’t last long--freezer burn wasn’t going to be an issue for me. But, I love the satisfying feeling you get peeling the foil off a Klondike bar fresh from the freezer. And since eating a homemade Klondike bar can be messy, I loved that the foil protected me from fallen chocolate. Who needs chocolate stains on her yoga pants? Not me!
BUT, I didn’t stop there…
I realized that I had all the ingredients I needed to make variations of Stella’s amazing recipe.
Homemade Heath Toffee Bars
1/2 cup toffee crunch, divided
1 teaspoon Lorann Caramel Flavor
1/2 teaspoon Lorann Almond Oil
Prepare Stella Park’s (BraveTart’s) Klondike Bar recipe as written. Before spreading the ice cream into the pan, stir in 1/4 cup toffee crunch, caramel flavor, and almond flavor. Taste. Add more caramel and almond flavor if desired.
Prepare the chocolate coating and stir in 1/4 cup toffee crunch before dipping bars.
Homemade Crispy Rice Crunch Klondike Bars
1/4 cup Tiny Crispy Rice
Prepare Stella Park’s (BraveTart’s) Klondike Bar recipe as written.
Prepare the chocolate coating and stir in crisp rice before dipping bars.
Homemade Cookies and Cream Klondike Bars
1/4 cup Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
Prepare Stella Park’s (BraveTart’s) Klondike Bar recipe as written. Before spreading the ice cream into the pan, stir in chocolate cookie crumbs. Taste. Add more cookie crumbs, if desired.
Prepare chocolate coating and dip as directed.
Wrap with your favorite colored chocolate foil wrappers or you can wrap different flavors in different colored foils so you don’t get them mixed up!
I used gold for toffee crunch, silver for plain vanilla, red for the rice crunch and dark blue for cookies and cream. This was such a fun project, let me know if you try them! Thanks to Stella for inspiring me!
