No-churn vanilla ice cream with Easter candy and pretzel mix-ins is the easy, fun cooking project that you can do with your kids to use up that holiday haul! #Easter #icecream #icecreamrecipe #nochurn #dessert #sweetandsavory

If the Easter Bunny left you a LOT of candy this year (or you stocked up on post-holiday sales), this Candy Pretzel No-Churn Ice Cream is a fun way to use it up. AND, it’s so easy that my (newly) 6-year-old can make it mostly by himself!

I’m obsessed with no-churn ice cream. Most recipes you’ll find are basically the same— a carton of heavy cream, a can of sweetened condensed milk, a pinch of salt (but not in this recipe because we’re using pretzels), some vanilla extract, and whatever mix-ins you like. Some recipes use a bit of cream cheese, but I prefer it without.

*There are two ways to make the ice cream base: You can whip the cream first and then fold in the condensed milk, OR you can combine them and whip the whole mess together. Obviously, it’s faster to do the milks together, but you risk over-mixing. Whipping the base too much can lead to a buttery texture in the final product, which is a little gross.

Whipping the cream on its own lets you see how thick it’s gotten, so you’re less likely to overdo it. If you’re a newbie or just worried, use this method.

I usually dump them both together and whip until I see tracks in the mixture that stay put for a few seconds before melting back into the gloop. Just note: When you mix the two liquids together, you WON’T achieve a stiff peak like you would with cream alone.

My favorite part of this particular recipe is the pretzel-Rolo concoction. You basically melt a Rolo (or any other chocolate and caramel candy) in the oven for 3 minutes and then smoosh another pretzel and some sprinkles on top. They’re like a chocolate-covered pretzel with a caramel sprinkle bonus! And much less messy to make!

Also, if you’re like us, you always have some stale pretzels in the back of the cabinet that no one really wants to eat. This is a great way to resurrect them.

Candy pretzel No-Churn Ice Cream

Time: 20 minutes + 8 hours of freezing
Yield: About 5 cups of ice cream

10-15 Rolo candies (or other chocolate and caramel candy)
20-30 mini pretzels
2-3 Tbsp sprinkles
2 cups heavy cream (1 pint)
14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 small can)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 cups chocolate candy, roughly chopped (I used milk chocolate bunnies and Cadbury eggs, but use whatever you like!)

Heat the oven to 350.

Spread half of the pretzels on a parchment-covered sheet pan. Top with one Rolo or other chocolate and caramel candy. Melt in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top each melted chocolate piece with another pretzel and glitz them up with some sprinkles. Put in the fridge to chill while you make the ice cream base.

*Combine the heavy cream, condensed milk, and vanilla extract in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. (See notes above for different methods for making the base.) Mix with the whisk attachment until you see visible tracks in the cream that stick around for a few seconds before melting back into the gloop.

Roughly chop whatever candy you’re using. Remove the pretzels from the fridge and roughly chop those too. Gently fold the chopped candies into the ice cream base. Pour the mixture into a metal or other freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 8 hours.

Ice cream and candy Thanksgiving pie | Me & The Moose. This genius way to use up leftover Halloween candy is also a hilarious make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert that will please the pickiest kids. #Thanksgivingrecipes #Thanksgiving #dessert #pumpkinpiealternative #icecream #leftoverHalloweencandy

This hilarious pie is a great way to use up your leftover Halloween candy AND have a kid-friendly dessert for any holiday meal.

Take me to the pie!

Ice cream and candy for dessert might seem odd after a heavy meal, but let me tell you: We had a store-bought version of this plate a few years ago (from the UConn Dairy Bar) and my family tore through it like we hadn’t eaten in weeks.

My version of this pie starts with a layer of raspberry sorbet because the sharpness of the raspberries cuts through the super sweet candy and ice cream really nicely.

I chopped up some mini Snickers for stuffing; green M&Ms are peas; Rice Krispies treats covered with chocolate and sporting a white chocolate, pretzel, and marshmallow “bone” become a turkey drumstick; vanilla ice cream with melted caramels are mashed potatoes and gravy; raspberry sorbet is sliced to look like canned cranberry sauce; and candy corn is stuck into some almond paste as a corn cob.

Extra bonus: There are many ways for kiddos to help make this pie: They can separate the green M&Ms, chop and smash the candy, unwrap the caramels, and spread the sorbet and ice cream layers. If they’re older, they could probably make the whole darn thing themselves.

And extra extra bonus: You can make this dessert now, pop it in the freezer, and be ready for turkey day in a few weeks.

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Thanksgiving dinner pie

Time: About 45 minutes-1 hour, all active + freezing overnight
Yield: 10-12 servings

10-inch oreo pie crust
2 pints vanilla ice cream (or 1 quart)
1 pint raspberry sorbet (IN A PAPER, NOT PLASTIC, CONTAINER!!)
2-3 Tbsp caramel bits or 4-5 wrapped caramels
1-2 tsp heavy cream
Flaky sea salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 large pretzel rod
1 large marshmallow, cut into quarters
3-4 Rice Krispies treats
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips or 2 mini milk chocolate bars
1 cup candy corn
1/8 log of marzipan or almond paste
½ cup mini green m&ms
6-7 fun-sized snickers, chopped

Step 1: Make the “cranberry sauce“
Using a serrated knife, cut off about 1 inch from the bottom of a paper container of raspberry sorbet. Place on a bit of parchment and return to the freezer.

Step 2: Spread the sorbet layer
Let the sorbet and ice cream sit out for a few minutes to make them easier to spread. Starting with the sorbet, drop a few scoops (I use 2-3 large scoops) into the pie shell and gently smoosh and spread the raspberry into an even layer. Put back in the freezer.

Step 3: Make the “mashed potatoes”
Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream onto a small parchment-covered plate and smoosh it out with spoon or spatula until it looks like mashed potatoes with a deeper well in the middle.

In a small bowl, combine the caramels with the heavy cream. Melt by microwaving for 10 seconds, stirring, and heating for 10 seconds more, as needed, until the caramels are just melted. I usually only need 1, 10-second burst.

Let cool slightly and pour into the well in the middle of the ice cream. Sprinkle with sea salt. Store in the freezer.

Return the ice cream container to the freezer for now as well.

Step 4: Melt the white chocolate
Combine the white chocolate and coconut oil.. Microwave for 30 seconds on high. Stop and mix. Microwave for another 30 seconds on high. Stop and mix. Microwave for 10 second bursts, stopping to mix until the chocolate is melted.

Step 5: Make the “turkey leg”
Snap a large pretzel rod in half. Cut a large marshmallow into fourths. Dip the non-broken end of the pretzel rod into melted white chocolate and press one quarter of the marshmallow on either side of the rod and hold in place for 10 seconds. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate until set, about 3 minutes.

Smoosh 2 Rice Krispies treats together into an oval shape. Add bits of Rice Krispies treat and smoosh to make it look like a turkey drumstick. With a chopstick or something similar, push a hole into the Rice Krispies treats where the “bone” of the drumstick will go. Set aside.

Remove the “bone” from the fridge. Dip the marshmallows and pretzel into white chocolate about halfway up the pretzel rod. Tap off the excess chocolate and set down on a sheet of parchment. Return to the refrigerator. Let set for about 5 minutes.

Add a little bit of milk chocolate to the melted white chocolate and microwave for 10 seconds. Stir until melted. Add more chocolate to achieve the light brown color you desire. Set aside.

When the “bone” has set, remove from the fridge and gently push into the Rice Krispies treats that are shaped like the meat of the turkey. Place back onto the parchment and brush the light brown chocolate over the Rice Krispies and any remaining pretzel that isn’t covered with white chocolate. Return to the fridge to set.

For more, see this tutorial.

Step 6: Make the “corn cob”
Pinch off roughly 2 Tbsp of marzipan or almond pasta and roll into a small log about the size of a thumb. Place on a small piece of parchment. Gently stick the white end of the candy corn pieces into the marzipan in a straight line going lengthwise. Add another row not he opposite side. Repeat on each side until there’s room for one more row straight down the middle. Add another small snake of marzipan in the open space and add a final row of candy corn. Put in the fridge.

For more, see this tutorial.

Step 7: Prep your candy
Take the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer again. Let warm up to make spreading easier.

Chop the snickers and separate the green M&Ms.

Step 8: Assemble
Scoop 1/2 pint of vanilla ice cream onto the sorbet layer of the pie. Gently smoosh and spread the ice cream into a thin layer.

Arrange the rest of the pie elements.

Peel the “mashed potatoes” off of the parchment and place on the pie. Do the same with the “turkey leg” and the “corn cob.” Add the chopped snickers “stuffing” and the M&M “peas.” Add the sorbet “cranberry sauce” in the center. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Let freeze for about 24 hours and then wrap more tightly with either plastic wrap or tin foil (or both).

Me & The Moose

Me & The Moose

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Candy pretzel no-churn ice cream

Candy pretzel No-Churn Ice Cream

Thanksgiving dinner pie

Thanksgiving dinner pie

Me & The Moose