How to Make Homemade Magic Shell ~ this 2 ingredient chocolate sauce magically hardens when it touches a scoop of ice cream ~ and will transform any flavor in your freezer into a fun summer dessert.
Did you know about this? Why didn’t somebody tell me? chocolate + coconut oil = magic shell !
Magic Shell is that topping that you buy at the grocery store that squirts out of a bottle and magically solidifies into a crackly chocolate candy coating when it hits cold ice cream. It’s the same stuff that coats ice cream bars. If you have kids around, you have to make this. If you don’t have kids around, you ‘re going to want to make it anyway.
So maybe fireflies aren’t really fairies, and rainbows are just optical illusions, You have homemade Magic Shell. This is going to make up for all that disillusionment and then some.
Coconut oil comes in a jar, usually in the oil section of the supermarket, and sometimes with the international foods. It comes in solid form, refined or unrefined. I used refined; it has a more netrual taste. Don’t confuse it with coconut milk or cream.
This is one of those many examples of a do it yourself food that really makes sense to try. For one thing, it takes just minutes to make. For another, you can use really good quality chocolates and flavorings. The store bought version can’t compete.
Oh, and by the way, coconut oil is now known to be super healthy, right up there with olive oil. And of course you already know about the health giving properties of dark chocolate. So when you think about it, this decadent sauce is really a power-food.
I’m sure this has dawned on you already, but you can do all sorts of creative variations with this sauce. I tested the recipe with white chocolate and the same proportions hold. You could use all kinds of flavorings and add-ins, too. I think vanilla bean and toasted macadamia nuts would be nice with the white chocolate. Oh, and I went ahead and made a Nutella version — yep, it’s amazing!
Homemade Magic Shell Ice Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 oz (6 squares) semi sweet chocolate, broken in half or in pieces
- 3 rounded tablepsoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Put the chocolate and the oil in a glass measuring cup and microwave for about 30 seconds. Take out and stir. Microwave in short 15 second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate is almost all melted. Keep stirring until all the lumps are gone.
- Pour into a glass jar and store on the counter.
- The mixture will stay liquid at room temperature in the warmer months, and may solidify during cooler weather. No problem, just microwave it briefly before serving.
Don’t forget to pin this Homemade Magic Shell!
41 Comments
sylvia
June 27, 2020 at 4:37 amIs that six 6-oz chocolate squares?
Sue
June 27, 2020 at 5:01 amIt’s six ounces total chocolate.
Shannon
July 1, 2020 at 11:56 amDoes this have any coconut flavor at all? Thanks!
Sue
July 1, 2020 at 1:50 pmIt does have a little coconut flavor, but you can use refined coconut oil, which doesn’t have much flavor.
Tamara
June 15, 2020 at 3:50 pmI used the coating over cookies and vanilla ice cream. Yum it’s delicious ? A keeper
Holly
July 12, 2018 at 6:40 pmThis Magic Shell is AWESOME!!! My kids love that stuff and were impressed it was homemade! An absolute keeper, so good over homemade strawberry ice cream, tasted like chocolate covered strawberries! Can’t wait to use dark chocolate next, my favorite, yum!
Sue
July 12, 2018 at 7:20 pmMy kids were enchanted by this too, Holly! There’s something so special about a hard chocolate shell on ice cream, I need to do it with strawberry, that sounds really good 🙂
Jennifer
April 27, 2018 at 5:09 amCan you use liquid coconut oil and get the same effect?
Sue
June 27, 2020 at 5:02 amYes, if it’s pure coconut oil.
Linda
April 26, 2018 at 6:57 pmCould your use Carmel or chocolate mint chips or any other flavor chips in the same application?
Sue
April 26, 2018 at 7:29 pmYou can really play around with this quite a bit, Linda, and I found that most chips work!
Leslie
May 28, 2015 at 7:06 pmI’m allergic to coconut. Is there a substitute for it. It seems everyone has turned to that oil
Sue
May 28, 2015 at 7:15 pmIt’s interesting, Leslie, in this particular case the coconut oil has special properties that make the ‘magic’ happen. I think if you can’t use coconut oil, I would just melt the chocolate alone and use that. It won’t harden quite as fast, but it will still work. Let the melted chocolate cool before using so it won’t melt the ice cream.
Charissa
September 6, 2014 at 4:35 pmI made this for my family tonight and it was a BIG hit! Thanks for coming up with a better version than store bought!
Sue
September 6, 2014 at 8:55 pmSo glad everybody enjoyed it!
jam bartlett
September 19, 2012 at 5:38 pmthat looks amazing! i’m sure i’m going to be disappointed, but is there anything you can substitute the coconut oil for and still get the same effect? i’m allergic to coconut and it’s so frustrating, almost all the diary free substitutes have either coconut oil or milk in them 🙁
Erin
July 12, 2012 at 3:45 pmThis is so cool! Genius!!!!
grace
June 9, 2012 at 8:47 pmi’m thrilled by the idea of a white chocolate version! ah, coconut oil, is there anything you can’t do? 🙂
MyFudo™
June 8, 2012 at 2:36 pmI never thought something as magical as this can be homemade! Must try, indeed!
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen
June 8, 2012 at 7:37 pmWhat a perfect treat for the summer – I truly believe there is nothing better than vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce – until I saw your chocolate ice cream and the white choc sauce!! Sensational!
Mary x
Stephanie
June 8, 2012 at 6:23 pmThis is amazing!! How did I not know this? I love coconut oil. Must try! Thanks Sue! This is probably so much better than that weird artificial stuff.
Magnolia Verandah
June 8, 2012 at 7:41 amDon’t think I have ever used coconut oil for anything! But this certainly changes things – how can I not try it!
Angie's Recipes
June 8, 2012 at 4:29 amDark chocolate and white magic shells…beautiful and delicious combo!
Kitchen Belleicious
June 8, 2012 at 2:05 amummm.. what rock have I been hiding under. I thought I knew all the tricks in the book but obviously not because this has to be the most awesome (yes that is a word) thing in the world! LOVE IT!
From Beyond My Kitchen Window
June 8, 2012 at 12:48 amI really like your reasoning. I just bought coconut oil at Trader Joe’s on Monday. I will be giving this one a try for sure.
Cathy at Wives with Knives
June 7, 2012 at 10:03 pmMagic shell was a real treat for my kids when they were little. Don’t know if my grandkids have ever tried it but they soon will get the chance. I bet its wonderful with good chocolate. Thanks for bringing back an old favorite.
hobby baker
June 7, 2012 at 6:12 pmHomemade magic shell is one of our favs! I have a bowl on the counter right now. But we’ve never tried the white chocolate version; my hubby would probably clean the kitchen for me if I offered that to him. 😀
Jacquelyn Grandy
June 7, 2012 at 5:04 pmI am so making this for the kids (and me). I have all the ingredients on hand and this is so much healthier than the magic shell stuff.
Great post!
Blond Duck
June 7, 2012 at 5:57 pmI love the white chocolate and sprinkles!
Sulpicia (III)
June 7, 2012 at 4:34 pmThe white chocolate on chocolate ice cream looks delicious!
A Trifle Rushed
June 7, 2012 at 4:10 pmWow! And with chocolate and coconut oil, you don’t have any nasty additives, I’ll be making this during the summer, wonderful for garden lunch puddings.
Tricia @ saving room for dessert
June 7, 2012 at 4:09 pmNobody told me either! Oh my gosh – it is so funny the things that make me happy! I’m already thinking about what you can do with this! You could also layer a ribbon of chocolate in homemade ice cream, dip a frozen banana, oh my gosh! Rolled in nuts before it hardens! – we’re bonding here 🙂
Sue/the view from great island
June 7, 2012 at 10:32 pmThe one ice cream treat that I am literally addicted to is premium ice cream bars like Haagen Daz and Dove. This tastes exactly like those.
Mary
June 7, 2012 at 3:36 pmWhoops! I forgot to ask you what kind of ice cream is in the last picture?! I’ve never seen such a dark chocolate color! I NEED to try it!
Tricia @ saving room for dessert
June 7, 2012 at 4:10 pmYeah – what Mary said – I need to know too 🙂 Please and thank you!
Sue/the view from great island
June 7, 2012 at 10:30 pmOh, yeah, I looked specifically for a really dark ice cream to set off the white sauce, and all I could find was Breyers ‘1/2 the fat’ Dark Chocolate.
Mary
June 7, 2012 at 3:34 pmI had forgotten all about this combination! I LOVE coconut oil. Combined with chocolate, it is truly a wonder food for all that you can do with it!
From the Kitchen
June 7, 2012 at 2:54 pmThis looks delicious! I love chocolate and will feel even better knowing that it’s as healthy as can be!!
Best,
Bonnie
DNT57 in St Louis
July 16, 2012 at 7:01 amBonnie,
Sorry to burst your bubble but coconut oil is NOT healthy. It has more saturated fat that an 8 oz steak.
Jen
September 5, 2012 at 2:32 am@DNT57 Sorry to burst YOUR bubble but coconut oil IS GOOD for you! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html
hj
July 31, 2016 at 5:41 pmDr mercola is not exactly considered a mainstream scientist. Coconut oil is still considered to be problematic to the american heart assoc, harvard health review, and the mayo clinic. Go to pubmed to see research articles on this.