Matcha Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Bars
A professional-quality, no-churn Japanese dessert made simple. These vibrant matcha ice cream bars feature a velvety, green-tea-infused interior encased in a crisp, snappy matcha white chocolate magic shell. No ice cream machine required!
Servings: 4 bars
Calories: 425kcal
Ingredients
For the Matcha Ice Cream Base
- 300 g premium vanilla ice cream 1 pint
- 30 g smooth matcha paste
For the Crunchy Matcha Chocolate Coating
- 342 g high-quality white chocolate finely chopped
- 40 g refined coconut oil use refined to avoid an overpowering coconut flavor
- 12 g culinary or ceremonial-grade matcha powder
Optional Toppings & Decorations
- Freeze-dried strawberry bits for a beautiful red-and-green contrast
- Crushed Oreo cookies or toasted almond slivers
- Mini marshmallows or toasted coconut chips
Instructions
Soften & Infuse the Ice Cream Base
- Stand Mixer Method (Highly Recommended): Place the cold pint of vanilla ice cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-low speed for 1 to 2 minutes until it becomes smooth and uniform.
- Manual Bowl Method: Alternatively, place the sealed ice cream pint into the main body of your refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer the softened ice cream to a medium mixing bowl and stir vigorously with a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon until smooth.
- 2. Add the 2 tablespoons of smooth matcha paste directly to your softened vanilla ice cream.
- 3.Using your spatula (or running the stand mixer on low), fold and beat the mixture rapidly until the matcha paste is completely integrated. The ice cream should be a striking, uniform green with no white streaks remaining. Proceed immediately to filling your molds before the mixture warms up.
To get a perfectly uniform green color without pockets of white vanilla, you need to soften the ice cream just enough to workable "soft-serve" consistency without letting it melt completely into liquid.Work quickly to keep it cold.
Mold and Deep-Freeze
- Spoon or pipe the matcha ice cream into your silicone popsicle cavities, filling them just under the top rim.
- Slide a wooden popsicle stick into the designated slot of each cavity, ensuring it sits squarely in the center of the ice cream bar. Smooth the top surface with an offset spatula if necessary.
- Transfer the mold flat into the deepest, coldest part of your freezer. Let freeze for at least 8 hours, though overnight is best to ensure they are solid enough for dipping.
- Carefully peel the silicone mold away from the bars. Place the unmolded bars on a parchment-lined tray and return them to the freezer while you prepare the glaze.
Prepare the Matcha Chocolate Glaze
- Place the chopped white chocolate and refined coconut oil into a heatproof bowl. Melt gently using a double boiler over barely simmering water (or in the microwave in short 20-second bursts, stirring frequently to prevent scorching).
- To avoid lumps in your glaze, ladle a few tablespoons of the warm, melted white chocolate into a separate small bowl containing your 2 ½ tablespoons of matcha powder. Whisk vigorously until a completely smooth green paste forms.
- Stir the smooth matcha paste back into the main bowl of melted white chocolate until uniform.
- For effortless dipping, pour the warm glaze into a tall glass, jar, or measuring cup that is just wide enough to accommodate the width of an ice cream bar. Check the temperature with a digital thermometer—it should read between 85°F and 91°F.
Dip and Decorate
- Take one ice cream bar out of the freezer at a time. Holding it by the wooden stick, submerge the bar completely into the tall container of matcha chocolate glaze in one swift motion.
- Pull the bar straight up immediately. Hold it over the container for a few seconds, letting any excess glaze drip off the bottom tip. Because the ice cream is frozen solid, the magic shell will set and turn matte within 5 to 10 seconds.
- If you are adding crushed almonds, freeze-dried strawberries, or cookie crumbs, sprinkle them on immediately after lifting the bar out of the glaze, before the chocolate shell fully hardens. Alternatively, you can mix chopped almonds directly into the tall container of glaze before dipping for a textured finish.
- Place the finished bar back onto your cold, parchment-lined tray in the freezer and repeat the process for the remaining bars. Keep them frozen until you are ready to serve!
Notes
Note on gram weight: A standard pint of premium ice cream yields roughly 280g of softened base once infused with your matcha paste. Combined with the portion of the chocolate magic shell coating that clings to each bar (about 35g to 40g per bar), a single finished serving weighs approximately 145g
Nutrition
Serving: 145g | Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 65mg | Calcium: 140mg