Peppermint Ice Cream Truffles

These ice cream truffles make a stunning holiday or New Years presentation and are simpler to make than they look. The trick is to freeze the scooped ice cream balls before attempting to dip in the chocolate. And work quickly with just a few ‘truffles’ at a time. Another trick is to line a metal baking tray with plastic wrap, chill it in the freezer, then set it on a frozen ice pack to receive the ice cream balls while you’re scooping. I figured that out when I created this recipe for Dreyer’s Ice Cream in the middle of summer when my kitchen was a lot hotter than it is at Christmastime!

Set the dipped truffles in mini muffin papers in a box or tray, then freeze until ready to serve. Pass to guests for a bite-size dessert or nestle a few in individual dessert dishes. Enjoy quickly!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Peppermint Ice Cream Truffles

Active Prep Time: about 30 minutes
Plus Chill Time: 30 minutes
Makes about 16 truffles.

2 pints peppermint ice cream or favorite flavor- look for Dreyer’s Limited Edition Peppermint
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 ounces) white baking chips
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
Colored sprinkles (optional)

1. Line a metal baking tray or pan with wax paper or plastic wrap. Make space on freezer shelf and place pan in freezer until cold. Place a covered food storage container in freezer to receive dipped truffles.
2. Remove ice cream from freezer and soften just enough to scoop easily. Working quickly with a 1–inch diameter scoop or two teaspoons, scoop 16 balls of ice cream and place on prepared pan. Freeze 30 minutes or until ice cream balls are hard. Hint: place pan on a frozen cold pack while scooping to keep ice cream cold.
3. Place chocolate and white chips in separate small bowls. Add 2 tablespoons oil to each bowl. Heat one bowl at a time in microwave on medium power (50%) for 2-3 minutes, stirring well until melted and smooth, and bowl no longer feels warm. Repeat with the other bowl of chips.
4. Loosen one frozen ice cream ball from the pan with a small spoon and set in a bowl of chocolate. Using two spoons, quickly spoon chocolate over ice cream until completely coated. Lift ice cream ball out of bowl allowing excess chocolate to drip back into bowl. Return truffle to pan. If using sprinkles, immediately shake sprinkles over top of truffle before chocolate hardens.
5. Continue to dip ice cream balls one at a time, dipping eight balls into each type of chocolate. For chocolate drizzle, dip a fork or toothpick into the melted semi-sweet or white chocolate and drizzle over the opposite color ice cream truffle. Work in batches if needed, returning ice cream balls to freezer for 5-10 minutes to keep frozen before dipping. Place truffles in food storage container in freezer for up to 1 week.

Top photo by Eskite Photography; Styling by Kim Konecny Kissling