Ice Cream Cupcakes

Easy, no bake, and totally customizable, these ice cream cupcakes will be your new go-to dessert for summer parties. Use any flavor of ice cream and make them exactly the way you want!

How excited am I today? ALL CAPS EXCITED!!! Because ICE CREAM! And because it’s spring and summer is right around the corner. And because I may or may not have just eaten hot fudge sauce for breakfast. . .

These ice cream cupcakes are basically individual ice cream cakes. Sweet, creamy, nestled in an Oreo crust, filled with hot fudge sauce, topped with more hot fudge. . .they’re impossible to resist.

One bite and I think you’ll feel the same way!

How to make your cupcakes

Start with your crust:

• Place the Oreos in a food processor
• Crush until they’re a fine powder, then stream in melted butter to combine
• Press into the bottom of your cupcake liners and freeze

Then you’ll move on to the filling. Once your crusts have frozen, take the ice cream out of the freezer and let it sit for about 20 minutes to soften a bit.

• Spread a couple of tablespoons of softened ice cream over the frozen crust
• Top with a teaspoon of hot fudge sauce
• Spread a couple more tablespoons of ice cream over that

Then you’ll freeze until you’re ready to serve!

When you’re ready to serve your cupcakes, make the whipped cream:

• Beat cold heavy cream until it begins to thicken
• Add powdered sugar and vanilla
• Beat until the cream holds stiff peaks
• Dollop onto the cupcakes

After that you can top them with sprinkles, cherries, hot fudge, whatever you like. Then serve and enjoy!

Notes:

• If you want to save a little time, don’t crush your Oreos. You can just put a whole Oreo in the bottom of each cupcake liner.
• If you don’t have a food processor you can put the cookies in a couple of large zip-top bags and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the melted butter.
• You want your ice cream to be soft enough to spread but not totally melted; for me it took about 20 minutes at room temp but it will depend on the ice cream you use and the temperature of your kitchen. Just keep an eye on it.
• To store the cupcakes longer than a few nights, I recommend freezing them to set the whipped cream on top. Once it’s set, wrap each cupcake in layers of plastic wrap and foil. That keeps them nice and fresh for a couple of months.
• See below for a few ideas to change up the flavors in your cupcakes.

Possible variations

• Strawberry ice cream and Golden Oreos for Valentine’s Day
• Gingersnaps and eggnog ice cream for Christmas
• Mint chip ice cream for St. Patrick’s Day
• Pumpkin ice cream and vanilla wafers for Thanksgiving

Just use your imagination and favorite flavors!

You can use other ice cream sauces in the middle if you want—hot fudge just sets up the best without leaking out of the final cupcakes.

But if you eat them quickly, if won’t matter if a little caramel sauce starts to leak out of your cupcakes!

A few more recipes you might enjoy:
Easy Funfetti Cookies
Chocolate Coconut Bars
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Easy Peanut Butter Balls

Did you make these ice cream cupcakes? That’s awesome! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. Then post a pic on IG–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your beautiful creations!

5 from 8 votes

Print

Ice Cream Cupcakes

Prep Time

40 mins

Freezing Time

8 hrs

Total Time

40 mins

 

Ice cream cupcakes are an easy, no bake dessert that's perfect for summer parties. You can use any kind of ice cream to customize them to your own taste!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

Crust

• 12 Oreo cookies
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Filling

• 1 quart* ice cream any flavor (I used vanilla)
• 1/4 cup hot fudge sauce

Finishing

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• hot fudge sauce for drizzling
• sprinkles
• Maraschino cherries

Instructions

Crust

1. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
2. Crush the Oreos in a food processor. (Or in a couple of zip-top bags with a rolling pin.)
3. Add the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly saturated. (You can do this in your food processor or in a mixing bowl.)
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared muffin cups. You’ll use 1 heaping tablespoon of crumbs per cup.
5. Use your fingers or the bottom of a tablespoon to press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of each paper liner.
6. Place the pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Filling

1. Once the crust has been in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (or up to a couple of hours), remove the ice cream from the freezer to soften.
2. For me the ice cream took about 20 minutes to come to the right temperature; yours will depend on the ice cream you use and the temperature of your kitchen. You don’t want it fully melted but it should be soft enough to smooth over the Oreo crusts so just keep an eye on it.
3. Remove the crusts from the freezer and spoon about 2 tablespoons of ice cream into each muffin cup. Smooth into an even layer.
4. Scoop about 1 teaspoon of hot fudge sauce (cold or at room temp, NOT HOT!) and smooth it out a bit, trying to leave a little perimeter around the edge of each cupcake.
5. Top with another 2 tablespoons of ice cream and smooth again.
6. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and return to the freezer for at least 8 hours (overnight is fine).

Finishing

1. Beat the heavy cream in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until it thickens slightly.
2. Add the powdered sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Top each cupcake with a dollop of whipped cream, then top with hot fudge, sprinkles, and a maraschino cherry (if desired).** Serve.
4. Uneaten cupcakes can be stored in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for 2 months.

Recipe Notes

• *You won’t quite use all the ice cream but 1 pint isn’t enough.
• **I froze my cupcakes again (for 2 hours) after adding the whipped cream and cherries and before topping with hot fudge. The extra freezing time is optional; it will allow the whipped cream to maintain its shape when you add the hot fudge.
• This recipe is easily doubled or tripled if you're making dessert for a crowd.