I’ve been on a magic shell kick recently. Ever since I made this Sara Lee ice cream cake. I’ve been drizzling it on ice cream, obviously, but the fast-setting chocolate sauce has other uses. It will freeze onto any cold food, including fruit (like frozen bananas) and peanut butter.
Using it on peanut butter requires the least amount of skill. So little skill, in fact, that I first made this dessert at around 11:30 p.m., and after ingesting far too much THC. I smeared some peanut butter into a bowl, covered it with store-bought chocolate magic shell, and popped it in the freezer for 20 minutes, until the chocolate was set, no tempering required. (Such is the magic of magic shell.) I ate half of it—it was a big bowl—then popped it back in the freezer until the next night, when I finished it off.
You are only limited by the size of your ramekin:
You do not even have to use store-bought chocolate magic shell. You can make your own quite easily, with either coconut oil or duck fat (to make the pervert’s magic shell). You can also make a magic shell topping with peanut butter, though a peanut butter shell on top of more peanut butter wouldn’t offer much contrast. You can also switch out the peanut butter for any nut butter, including almond, cashew, or sunflower.
One you have a butter and a shell, the only thing you’ll need is a small bowl or ramekin. Spread a layer of peanut butter in the bowl. It can be as thick or as thin as you want; just make sure it’s in an even layer.
Photo: Claire Lower
Pour the magic shell on top. Use just enough to cover the peanut butter with a thinnish layer. If you want to make it extra special, garnish it with sprinkles, chopped nuts, or a few flakes of Maldon salt.
Photo: Claire Lower
Pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes. Depending on how cold your freezer is, the size of your bowl/ramekin, and the thickness of your chocolate, that might be all it needs to set. If not, give it another 10 minutes or so.
Photo: Claire Lower
Once the chocolate is set, you can dig in. Store any extra or leftover peanut butter cups in the freezer, and let warm at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.
