7 Candy And Ice Cream Pairings That Would Make Ben and Jerry Jealous

We've all done it. You're at the grocery store and want a frozen treat for the evening, so you head right to the Ben and Jerry's section of the freezer. But you find yourself paralyzed. There are so many choices, and so many treats mixed into each batch that you could spend hours agonizing over the decision.

Part of the problem, in our humble opinions, is that they don't fold enough candy into their batches. Sure, you'll find Heath bar chunks in some of them, but in terms of candy their flavors are seriously lacking. Thankfully, recipe bloggers have remedied this problem. Thanks to them we can bring you a wonderful roundup of seven ice cream and candy combinations that Ben and Jerry missed.

Plus: some bonus ideas at the end.

Many of these recipes involve chopping candy bars. Here's a tip we picked up: lightly freeze the candy bars before chopping. That way you don't get caramel and other gooey stuff all over your cutting board. It even helps with drier bars like Twix and Butterfingers. The freezing process means less crumbling when chopping.

Snickers Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Every word in the name of this treat makes us hungrier. There are no fluffy adjectives telling us how awesome it is. The nouns speak for themselves.

Isn't it weird that Ben and Jerry's never put bits of ice cream sandwiches in an ice cream? Chocolate-covered almonds? Sure. Peanut-butter-filled pretzels? Naturally. They even put bits of fortune cookies — fortune cookies! — in an ill-advised promotional batch. But bits of ice cream sandwich? Perish the thought.

Monique from Divas Can Cook gives us the recipe that Ben and Jerry's never delivered. It calls for 14 ice cream sandwiches, a few of which you'll have to cut. Of course, you can change up the number used depending on the pan size. (She notes they look great in a loaf pan.) The only downside of putting this first on the list: you might go make it now and not see the rest of these amazing candy and ice cream pairings.

Get the recipe at Divas Can Cook.

Candy Bar Ice Cream Cake

After reading this recipe on Tablespoon, we realize the secret has been out: ice cream cakes are not difficult to make. Stephanie shows us that all you need is some softened ice cream and something to layer it with. She chose brownies. We cannot argue with that decision.

So it's basically layer of brownies, layer of ice cream, layer of brownies, layer of ice cream, topping. The twist here is how she folded candy bits into the softened ice cream before spreading it. Anyone can sprinkled chopped-up candy onto an ice cream cake. It takes some skill to soften the ice cream and fold in some candy, giving you crunchy goodness with every bite.

Check out the easy-yet-delicious recipe at Tablespoon.

Marshmallow Kit Kat Ice Cream

Another candy overlooked by Ben and Jerry: Kit Kats. Why? Maybe they couldn't get the right deal with Hershey? Because seriously, Kit Kats and ice cream go perfectly together. If you've never eaten a Kit Kat alongside a bowl of vanilla ice cream, you're missing out.

Jocelyn of Inside BruCrew Life takes a recipe she found for two-ingredient ice cream and gives it a candy-filled twist. Seriously, all you need for the ice cream base is heavy whipping cream (a whopping two cups' worth) and a can of sweetened condensed milk. From there you can add in your fillings. She made no mistakes going with chopped Kit Kat bars and marshmallow ice cream topping. A nice ol' can of Fluff would work just as well, we're guessing.

Get the recipe at Inside BruCrew Life. The only disappointment is that it'll have to solidify in the freezer, meaning you can't enjoy this immediately after making it — although we assume the "batter" is delicious.

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Hey! There's already an ice cream sandwich cake on this list! What gives? This gives, folks. Christy, The Girl Who Ate Everything, put together something a bit different. Yes, it's mostly ice cream sandwiches. but it's also full of Cool Whip, fudge topping, and of course M&Ms. Yes, M&Ms are another candy Ben and Jerry have dropped the ball on.

Seriously, you ever had frozen M&Ms? They're addicting. You'll eat the entire bag — and we're talking about a 5-pound bag of M&Ms! Put them into ice cream, and especially this ice cream sandwich cake, and it's a combination made in heaven.

This one will take you no time at all. Check it out at The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Rolo Ice Cream

Caramel and ice cream simply go together. You can't really make a bad combination as long as you add caramel. (Ben and Jerry have tested this theory extensively, as far as we can tell.) Since Rolos are some of the best caramel candies out there, it only makes sense to put them into ice cream. Jamie at My Baking Addiction does just that, making the ice cream from scratch. Yes, she does it hard way, complete with ice cream maker. So if you want to make this, you might as well go out and get one.

The recipe involves making the ice cream, folding in the Rolos, putting half the ice cream in a container, drizzling caramel syrup, and then layering on the rest of the ice cream. But how's this for a twist: instead of the caramel syrup, use a double boiler to melt more Rolos. Add in a little cream, so it's a sauce and not just hardened chocolate and caramel. Will it work? We think and hope so!

Even if you don't like our twist, make sure to try Jamie's recipe from My Baking Addiction.

Whoppers Malted Milk Ice Cream Cake

Whoppers are an unsung hero in the candy world. They have a distinctive taste that doesn't appeal to everyone. But once your palate adjusts, you just can't stop popping them. We'd never have thought to make an ice cream dish using them, but that's why we have people like Cathy at Noble Pig. Just look at that cake. You can't tell us you don't want to make it right now.

And yes, you'll probably want to buy ice cream for this. You could make it, sure, but it would add to the already considerable ingredients list. Also, she used semi-sweet chocolate chips for a topping. We think you could go a bit more candy-heavy. Maybe some M&Ms, or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Even if you do go with the chips, this recipe is sure to be a winner with the family.

Get the recipe at Noble Pig.

Peppermint Ice Cream

Don't let the short name fool you. This ice cream packs a punch. And it's one of the only homemade ice cream recipes on this list that uses egg yolks — and there's a whopping eight of them! You'll have quite a time making this ice cream, but the results will be well worth it.

Best of all, you can try it in one of two ways. Ree goes through the recipe using crushed peppermint candies (which you could substitute for candy canes if you're making this around the holidays). But if you're more of a chocolate chip mint person, you could substitute Andes mints, which provide a wonderful ratio of chocolate-to-mint. Whip that stuff together and create your own twist on a classic flavor.

Check it out at The Pioneer Woman blog.

Bonus: Candy Bar Sauce

We kind of mentioned this earlier, with the Rolos, but The Kitchn has a nice and easy recipe for creamy sauce using candy. You can use it with that recipe, sure, but you can really use it to top any of the ice creams on this list. Even the cakes. Maybe especially the cakes.

As we mentioned, it's just candy plus heavy cream. Make sure to read the whole recipe at The Kitchn.

Bonus: Homemade DQ Blizzards

Everyone knows that the best candy-ice cream combination comes in a strange form. Dairy Queen introduced the Blizzard in the 80s and it has been a staple ever since. Part of it is the allure of the ice cream. How is it so soft, yet won't fall out of the cup? Part of it is that you can put anything into it. So chop up your favorite candy and get cracking on this recipe.

Just a quick note: this involves Frangelico, not for the alcohol, but for consistency's sake. There's a substitute in the comments, in case you want to make this for the kids. But if it's just for the adults in the household, the Frangelico will help hold together the blizzards nicely, apparently.

Check it out at BraveTart blog.

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