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cupcakes on a large serving plate with sprinkles scattered around

Ice Cream Cupcakes

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
Prep Time 40 minutes
Freezing Time 8 hours
Total Time 40 minutes
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.