Preview: Ice Cream Balls Recipe with Pecans and Hot Fudge Sauce is ice cream formed into balls, rolled in toasted pecans, and served with homemade hot fudge sauce.
Looking for a make-ahead dessert? If you have room in your freezer and a gallon of ice cream, you’re set. Make the balls ahead of time and reheat the fudge sauce at the last minute.
Normally I don’t think about Easter dinner anytime before Good Friday. But my relatively new blogging addiction has me thinking about dessert already.
Since dinner will be after church, I want something I can prepare ahead of time–as in DAYS ahead of time. I think these retro Pecan Ice Cream Balls with Hot Fudge Sauce will be perfect.
Helen Corbitt was one of the greatest influences on my cooking because of my previous job in the kitchen at The Greenhouse. She published this wonderful hot fudge sauce recipe in Helen Corbitt’s Cookbook. Her directions called for using a double boiler and cooking for 30 minutes on the stove.
Using your microwave to make the fudge sauce:
I prefer to use my microwave for the same delicious results in a third of the time.
First, I get out my trusty 2-quart glass batter bowl. Two trips to the microwave and a good beating will produce a thick, rich, glossy, fudge-y sauce you can reheat (in the microwave if you are careful) at a moment’s notice. Or pour the sauce into a pretty glass jar and give it away.
Variations:
Ms. Corbitt also gave me the idea of making ice cream balls. I usually use vanilla but coffee, chocolate chip, mint, cherry, etc. would all work. Toasting whatever nuts you decide to use will bring out the flavor. Kids will go crazy for chopped candy or colored sprinkles instead of nuts.
How to make Ice Cream Balls and cover them with pecans or candy:
Scoop out ice cream. Using plastic gloves, quickly mold ice cream into a rough ball and drop it on a pile of toasted, chopped, and cooled pecans or candy sprinkles. Roll to cover completely and return to the freezer to harden. Wrap well to store.
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Hope to see you again soon!
Paula
p.s. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can email me privately: paula at saladinajar.com.
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If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help others and myself if you give it a five-star rating in the recipe card below. 🤩 No comment required. Thank you.
Hope to see you again soon!
Paula
p.s. Questions or suggestions? Email me: paula at saladinajar.com.
Pecan Ice Cream Balls Recipe with Hot Fudge Sauce
These ice cream balls are rolled in toasted pecans and served with hot fudge sauce.
Ingredients
ICE CREAM BALLS
- 1/2 cup ice cream per person (75 gr)
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans per ice cream ball (28 gr)
HOT FUDGE SAUCE
- 1/2 cup butter (113 gr)
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar (281 gr)
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk (151 gr)
- 6 squares unsweetened chocolate (168 gr)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (1.5 gr)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 gr)
- Cream
Instructions
ICE CREAM BALLS:
- Scoop out ice cream.
- Using plastic gloves, quickly mold ice cream into a rough ball and drop it onto a pile of toasted, chopped, and cooled nuts.
- Roll to cover completely and return to the freezer to harden. Wrap well to store.
HOT FUDGE SAUCE:
- In a 2-quart Pyrex batter bowl, melt butter in the microwave for 1 minute, 15 seconds on HIGH. Stir in powdered sugar.
- Lay the chocolate on top of the sugar mixture in a glass bowl and pour milk over all. DO NOT STIR. Microwave on MEDIUM for 8 minutes. Check after 5 or 6 minutes. Chocolate should just be melted--no more. If you prefer, heat in a double boiler for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the microwave and add salt and vanilla extract. Beat--slowly at first and then more vigorously. A portable mixer works perfectly but you could also use a whisk. Keep beating until silky smooth. Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time if the sauce is too thick but never add water.
- Store fudge sauce in the refrigerator and reheat as needed.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 210Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 102mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
The nutritional information given is only for the hot fudge sauce. Check your ice cream carton for the nutritional values of the ice cream.
Pam BaiLey
Sunday 30th of August 2020
Had this just today at a up scale resturant. Tasted like the pecans had a sweet coding on them but didnt see anything in reciepe for this. .
Paula
Sunday 30th of August 2020
Hi Pam, Sugar-coated pecans would take this recipe over the top. Yum! I'm going to try it. Thanks for writing.
Lynn
Friday 22nd of April 2011
Your fudge sauce calls for bitter chocolate. Do you mean bittersweet or unsweetened? It looks so good and so easy!
Paula
Friday 22nd of April 2011
Lynn, I double checked and it's just as I thought. Unsweetened. I changed the recipe on my blog. Thanks so much for letting me know because that was confusing.
moonlace
Sunday 12th of September 2010
P. S. I left out butter and vanilla.
moonlace
Sunday 12th of September 2010
Back in the 70's, I had a Helen Corbitt cookbook that had a superb hot fudge sauce, different from the one you feature. It had regular milk, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa, sugar, salt, ... the rest I'm unsure of, maybe some corn syrup? Unfortunately, I do not recall the proper amounts of the ingredients. I had searched a number of cookbooks and tried innumerable chocolate sauces looking for one easy to make and with a wonderful thick syrupy, glossy consistency. This one was an immediate hit and I made it weekly for our family Sunday night dessert ritual. Do you by any chance know that recipe?
Steph
Thursday 10th of June 2010
YUM! I love ice cream. This is a really great way to dress up store bought ice cream - I love it! I'll be doing this at my next get together.