Nutty Bars Ice Cream is a rich peanut butter ice cream loaded to the absolute max with chunks of Little Debbie’s classic Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars.
Over the top? Maybe a little bit, but who is going to complain when you hand them a bowl of ice cream that literally tastes like a peanut butter cup filled with chunks of nutty bars? No one. That is who.
Nutty Bars Ice Cream
A bowl of this ice cream tastes like a childhood dream come true – if your childhood happened to include Nutty Buddy Bars. Full disclosure, mine did not.
However, Sean introduced me to these irresistible peanut butter-filled, chocolate-coated wafer bars when we were first married and oh man, I made up for lost time.
Nutty Bars are his first choice for a packaged snack and have been for about as long as I’ve known him. (Side note – the bars are branded differently now, no clue why. They may be Nutty Buddy bars or just Nutty Bars where you are.)
So, naturally, when I had the idea for Nutty Buddy Ice Cream? It needed to happen just as soon as I could get to the store for a box of Nutty Bars.
With over 70 ice cream recipes here to choose from, there’s sure to be an ice cream for everyone! If you’re new to making ice cream, the best and easiest vanilla ice cream is a great place to start.
These are my favorite inexpensive containers for storing ice cream. They’re perfect for gifting (who doesn’t love homemade ice cream?) storage, re-using, etc. I write the flavors on the lids with a sharpie and it washes off with dish soap.
I have more ice cream scoops than I can keep track of at this point and I definitely play favorites. This ice cream scoop does the best job ever of cutting through firm ice cream and still delivers a pretty scoop. It gets bonus points for being one of the least expensive scoops I own as well.
Don’t miss our Ice Cream Maker Review for all the information you need to find the BEST Ice Cream Maker for your needs! Spoiler alert – our top-rated machine under $50 just might surprise you. It sure surprised me!
Nutty Buddy Ice Cream
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- creamy peanut butter
- light brown sugar
- kosher salt
- heavy cream
- milk
- vanilla extract
- Nutty Bars
Nutty Bar Ice Cream
Stir together the peanut butter, brown sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then, add in the cream and whisk until smooth.
Then, whisk in the milk and vanilla. Pour into the ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.
The most popular question I get is whether it’s possible to make ice cream without a machine. The answer is YES. You can make ice cream without a machine. Find the full directions here!
When the ice cream finishes churning, transfer about a third of the ice cream to an airtight container and sprinkle with about a ½ cup worth of chopped Nutty Bars. Repeat these layers twice more.
Cover with a lid and place in the freezer until firm enough to scoop. For an even more amazing treat, drizzle with chocolate sauce, peanut butter sauce, or hot fudge when ready to serve.
I usually get 5-6 servings out of a batch of homemade ice cream. However, this Nutty Bar ice cream is very rich, and we tend to enjoy it in smaller portions.
Peanut Butter Ice Cream
I’ve got my eye on these homemade nutty bars for the next time I play with this recipe. But, even if you don’t have nutty bars, you can still make peanut butter ice cream on its own. It’s like a bowl full of a creamy cold Reese’s cup. Absolutely divine!
And, for those of you who haven’t yet tried this chocolate peanut butter ice cream, I strongly recommend that it be added to your dessert menu ASAP. You won’t regret it.
I also recently made this amazing copycat chunky monkey ice cream. And, I’m pretty sure this nutella ice cream should come with a warning. It’s seriously delicious.
And, no post about peanut butter flavored ice cream could be complete without a hat tip to monster cookie ice cream. An ice cream filled with the best cookies in the world (according to my brother) is kind of a big deal.
Nutty Bars Ice Cream
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1⅓ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 packages of Nutty Bars chopped into ½-inch wide sections, about 1½ cups worth
Instructions
- Stir together the peanut butter, brown sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in the cream and whisk smooth. Slowly add the milk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Pour into the ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.
- When the ice cream finishes churning, transfer about a third of the ice cream to an airtight container and sprinkle with about a ½ cup worth of chopped Nutty Bars. Repeat the layers twice more.
- Cover with a lid and place in the freezer until firm enough to scoop. For an even more amazing treat, drizzle with chocolate sauce, peanut butter sauce, or hot fudge when ready to serve.
Teresa says
HI Mary,
Love your blog! I Love Nutty Buddy’s!! I live in Saginaw, MI, born and raised. There are a lot of people here that Love Nutty Buddy’s! I will have to make your ice cream! Sounds so good!
Hugs,
Teresa
Mary Younkin says
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, Teresa!
Judy Harmon says
Hi Mary, I really like all of your recipes, we buy alot of Little Debbie products…but I was just noticing on the back of my Nutty Buddy box that there is a little addition, and maybe it’s been un-noticed forever, but it says under all the ingredients-CONTAINS BIOENGINEERED FOOD INGREDIENT- Do you have any idea just what this is that you can share with us, please???? Thank you for your time.
Mary Younkin says
Hi Judy, I can appreciate your concern here. There’s a new requirement for disclosure on product packaging, per the USDA. According to the National Academy of Sciences and the FDA, bioengineered foods are safe to eat and pose no risk to your health. (This is a personal choice though, and while I don’t personally have an issue with moderate levels of processed foods in our diets, that’s something everyone has to decide for themselves.) The NBFDL and USDA’s regulations require all foods and ingredients that have modified DNA to make a disclosure. Corn and soybeans are the top 2 GMO products today. Corn syrup (found in pretty much all processed foods at this point) is a bioengineered ingredient, in that the corn has been modified over time to be completely different from corn 100 years ago. I hope that helps.