This Easy Chocolate Magic Shell comes together with just TWO ingredients. But here, I also want to share how you can make this recipe customizable by adding one extra ingredient, to give it even more depth of flavor and character!
Once you’ve tried this chocolate magic shell with ice cream, you’ll never want to eat ice cream or anything cold the same way again!
Can you still call it magic, if you know how the trick is done? I most definitely think so. I’m sure you all remember that chocolate sauce from childhood, the one that hardens into a shell when you pour it on something cold, like ice cream? Also known as the magic shell?
It sure seemed like magic to me back then, and it seems like magic to me even now. But did you also know that it’s ridiculously easy to make it yourself at home, is very customizable and also quite foolproof?
What is chocolate magic shell?
The classic Chocolate Magic Shell is made with chocolate and coconut oil (refined or unrefined). The coconut oil is the “magic” ingredient in this magic shell. The saturated fat in coconut oil hardens when it becomes cold.
When mixed with melted chocolate, it remains a pourable liquid at room temperature, but hardens into a firm, snappy, matte shell within a few seconds after coming into contact with something cold. It’s like magic! I used refined coconut oil because it doesn’t give you that strong coconut oil smell.
But you can absolutely substitute it with unrefined/pure coconut oil if you wish, but it will then have that characteristic smell though.
How to customize your chocolate magic shell
So what’s my third “secret” ingredient? Freeze dried fruit! I have used freeze dried raspberry powder here, but I’ve used passionfruit powder before too.
As long as it’s a freeze dried powder with a strong fruit flavor, it should work.
Why you’ll love this fruit flavored chocolate magic shell recipe
So why does this one ingredient make this classic sauce that much more awesome? It’s that delicious and unexpected fruit flavor that comes out of nowhere!
While there are plenty of recipes for the magic shell that you can find online, I haven’t yet come across one that incorporates fruit flavors in it. And the best way to do that, is to use freeze dried powder.
Fruit juice and syrup will not work because the liquid content in them will mess up the ratio between melted chocolate and coconut oil and will instead give you a runny, thin chocolate shell (or chocolate dip).
Freeze-dried fruit powder on the other hand doesn’t have any moisture (obviously) and also gives you an intense fruit flavor while still maintaining that perfect texture of the shell.
Even plain ol’ vanilla ice cream (which happens to be my most favorite ice cream flavor by the way) will be completely transformed with a raspberry flavored, thick, chocolate shell like this! I honestly cannot think of a better ice cream topping than this one!
Any Sri Lankans reading this… do you remember Icy Chocs? I don’t know if they are still around, but they were when I was little and it was a childhood favorite of mine. They were like the Sri Lankan version of Magnum ice cream.
Delicious creamy vanilla (or chocolate or strawberry) ice cream popsicles completely covered in a chocolate shell. It was my number one movie snack when I was little (nope, it wasn’t popcorn).
And for my Kiwi and Aussie friends reading this… how could you go to the movies and not enjoy a choc top right?? They are ridiculously expensive at the movies but you still inevitably get one. Although I did get mine free for awhile! :p
I used to work at a movie theater and would spend hours rolling and dipping ice cream in the chocolate shell sauce with my friend (shout out to Rachel!!), and every day at the end of my shift, I would take home an ice cream (double dipped in the chocolate sauce!), for my sister and myself.
Which also meant, I ALWAYS got free choc tops when I wanted to watch a movie at the theater… (how awesome is that?).
But hey, now you can make your own chocolate shell covered ice cream! 🙂 And remember the sauce turns into a crisp, snappy shell when poured over anything cold. Think of the possibilities!! 😀
How does it work?
The magic shell sauce will be shiny at first when poured on something cold and then go matte as it hardens within a few seconds. The sauce may also thicken as the volume of it goes down or if the temperature drops when you repeatedly dunk cold popsicles and stuff in it.
If this happens, just heat it for a few seconds in the microwave and you’re good to go again. Just make sure not to heat it too much, otherwise a sauce that’s too hot could melt your cold ice cream!
Recipe
Easy Homemade Raspberry Chocolate Magic Shell
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 300 g semi sweet chocolate a dark chocolate with no dairy can be used for a dairy-free magic shell sauce
- 100 g refined coconut oil
- 4 – 5 tsp freeze-dried raspberry powder OPTIONAL. Adds flavor to the magic shell. or passionfruit or strawberry – omit this for a regular chocolate magic shell
- 1 pinch sea salt
Instructions:
- Combine the chocolate, salt and coconut oil in a heat-proof glass bowl.300 g semi sweet chocolate, 100 g refined coconut oil, 1 pinch sea salt
- Microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring in between.
- Stop microwaving when there are bits of chocolate still remaining unmelted.
- OPTIONAL – Add the freeze dried powder4 – 5 tsp freeze-dried raspberry powder
- Stir to melt the powder and the unmelted chocolate bits from the residual heat.
- Use a whisk or a hand blender to blend thoroughly. This helps emulsify the sauce so that it can set smoothly.
- Store in an air-tight microwavable jar. Let it cool to room temperature, uncovered.
- Pour over ice cream, ice cream sundaes or anything cold you like.
- To dip something like a popsicle in the sauce, pour the sauce into a slim tall container.
- Make more, as needed.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
I’m not really sure which part of this magic shell is more magic. The fact that it’s a liquid first and then turns into a snappy shell in just a few seconds when poured on something cold?
That first snap and crack when you bite into it? Or how that delicious raspberry flavored chocolate shell melts in your mouth as soon as you bite it? 🙂
Every time I ate an icy choc or a magnum when I was young, I cracked and removed the chocolate shell so I could enjoy it on its own at the end. Why would this time be any different?
Plus in the picture below, you can also see how this forms the perfect shell – staying hard and snappy and assuming the shape of the popsicle even after it’s cracked and separated!
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