Make a homemade magic shell in 3 flavors - chocolate, peanut butter and vanilla, using chocolate, any oil and a microwave. The perfect coating can be made in 2 minutes and used on ice cream or cupcakes, or even overnight oats.
This homemade magic shell recipe in three flavors is the perfect topping that pours like a liquid but hardens fast in a thin shell as soon as it hits a cold surface including ice cream, popsicles and even on my chocolate dipped cupcakes. Once it hardens, tap it with a spoon, and it gently cracks.
This chocolate hard shell melts like a cool fudge in your mouth. This recipe provides three flavors, chocolate magic shell, chocolate peanut butter magic shell and plain or white magic shell. Use this delicious topping on my chocolate ice cream, cherry ice cream, and even my cauliflower ice cream. And don't forget the desserts and breakfasts including my easy basic overnight oats.
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How Does It Work?
This easy magic shell recipe is made of only melted chocolate chips and oil. Any oil works, not just coconut oil. Use magic shell on ice cream, as a cookie dip or filling, on cakes like my swiss roll, or any frozen desserts. It's a wonderful topping just like my chocolate sauce recipe, or even my caramel date paste.
What Is Magic Shell?
Magic shell was introduced by The J.M. Smuckers Company in the 1980s, and is still for sale where you find ice cream toppings. But homemade magic shell is simple to make and needs only two ingredients.
Scientifically, magic shell hardens because of the oil contains saturated fat that turns to liquid when heated, but solidifies when it turns solid. Lots of recipes use coconut oil, but any oil works, including avocado oil and olive oil and vegetable oils.
Ingredients
For the original Chocolate Magic Shell, you'll need:
Chocolate - Use quality chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, at least 70% cacao
Oil - Use coconut oil (liquid), or olive oil. Use refined coconut oil for a non-coconut flavor.
For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Magic Shell, you'll need:
Chocolate - Use quality chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, at least 70% cacao
Peanut Butter - Use a runny quality brand that has only nuts as ingredients.
Oil
For the White Magic Shell, you'll need:
Shredded Coconut - Be sure to buy a quality brand, and fresh blends better. You'll be using my homemade coconut butter recipe to blend this single ingredient into a delicious white shell. Magically, it too solidifies as soon as it hits a frozen surface.
Step by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
The white magic shell is explained above. To make the 2 chocolate magic shells:
1. Melt the chocolate in a microwavable measuring cup. Zap for 60 seconds. Stir until all chocolate is melted.
2. Add in the oil, and stir until all is melted into a shiny wonder. Let it cool off to just warmer than room temperature.
3. Now pour or dip! Pour on the shell, and add sprinkles while it is wet. Be quick, it turns solid fast as soon as it hits a cold surface. (within seconds)
Flavors & Variations
Here are more details regarding the three flavors of magic shell this recipe makes.
1. Chocolate is exactly like the commercial flavor however healthier.
2. Peanut Butter is a peanut butter flavored chocolate magic shell.
3. Vanilla tastes like vanilla coconut, because it is homemade coconut butter. It is easy to make by simply blending shredded coconut into coconut butter. Takes a few minutes in a high speed blender. And since it is naturally sweet, no sweetener is needed.
More flavors. With the additions of extracts, flavor variations are endless. Add peppermint extract for mint, add lavender for calming lavender, add almond for a marzipan flavor. And how about a pinch of cayenne for a double snappy Mayan chocolate flavor.
Recipe Tips
It's pretty easy to make this shell, but there are few areas to watch out for:
1. Be sure the container that you use to melt the chocolate is dry. If there is a single drop of water, that will make the chocolate seize as it melts and turn crumbly and you'll cry.
Here's a fix: If this happens, there is a way to fix seized chocolate - set the container into a pot of boiling water and keep stirring until it's smooth again.
2. Regarding the peanut butter chocolate magic shell, be sure to use a natural peanut butter that don't have added sugar and merely contain just peanuts and oil such as Barney Butter, Justins or 365 brand. Don't use Jif or other brands that are full of sugar.
3. Regarding the white magic shell, be sure to use shredded coconut, not flakes. It must be unsweetened and have only coconut in the ingredients. And it should be fresh. Here is my more detailed post on coconut butter.
How to Store
Homemade magic shell needs to be stored at room temperature. Do not refrigerate or else it will turn rock hard and be unusable. In a sealed container, it can last two weeks. It will still solidify slightly, even at room temperature so just pop it in the microwave and reheat for 15-30 seconds to prepare it for serving. If the seal is loose however, mold can grow so check for mold.
Recipes to Coat
FAQS
No, my magic shell has only chocolate and oil, and even the store bought version does not have paraffin wax as an ingredient.
No, magic shell needs to come into contact with a frozen surface to form a hard shell.
Magic shell hardens on any frozen surface, not just ice cream. Try it on frozen cookies, fruits, even the frosting on a cupcake.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Magic Shell (3 flavors)
Equipment
- microwave
- measuring cup
Ingredients
Chocolate Magic Shell
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon oil (coconut, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil)
Peanut Butter Chocolate Magic Shell
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon oil (coconut, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil)
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter (Use a quality butter such as Barney's or Justins or 365 brand. Or use Sunbutter, sunflower butter, for nut free)
White Magic Shell
- 1 cup shredded coconut (Should be unsweetened, fairly fresh, quality brand such as Bob's Red Mill) (Not coconut flakes)
Instructions
To Make Chocolate Magic Shell
- Melt the chips in a glass pyrex measuring cup at 60 seconds in the microwave. Add in the oil and stir until all is melted.1 cup chocolate chips, 2 tablespoon oil
- Pour onto your ice cream, or dip your popsicle or chilled cupcake.
To Make Peanut Butter Magic Shell
- Melt the chips in a glass pyrex measuring cup at 60 seconds in the microwave. Add in the oil and peanut butter and stir until all is melted. Return to microwave for 15 second increments if the peanut butter is not quite melted.1 cup chocolate chips, 2 tablespoon oil, 2 tablespoon peanut butter
To Make White Magic Shell aka Vanilla Coconut
- Blend the shredded coconut (not coconut flakes) in a high speed blender until it turns to liquid coconut butter.1 cup shredded coconut
- Drizzle the liquid coconut butter onto ice cream, or dip a popsicle or chilled cupcake.
Storage
- Magic shell needs to be stored at room temperature. Do not refrigerate or else it will turn rock hard and be unusable. In a sealed container, it can last a month.
Maruja Shelton
If you add another liquid flavor like coffee or vanilla how much would you add
Dee Dine
Add a teaspoon of coffee instant granules, or 1/2 teaspoon of alcohol-based vanilla. This magic shell recipes needs to be stored in a sealed container at room temperature.