Amy's Vegan Day: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Ice Cream

I think that chocolate and peanut butter are the greatest flavor combination ever to be discovered. Aaron and I created this flavor together so even though the chocolate peanut butter covered pretzels are a pain. in. the. butt. to make and the peanut butter swirl is equally as frustrating, they're worth it sometimes for tastiness such as this. I modified the pretzel part slightly from this recipe (which I have made in its entirety, the verdict from Aaron being that it was as good as if not better than the "real thing"). Allow plenty of time to prepare this ice cream. I promise your hard work and patience will be rewarded.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Ice Cream

2 recipes chocolate ice cream
1 cup peanut butter, divided
1 Tbls. PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (can't find it? Just add in an extra tablespoon of powdered sugar instead)
2 Tbls. powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
5 pretzel rods

Make the ice cream batter. While it is cooling, make the chocolate peanut butter covered pretzels, as they take some time. Prepare a small baking pan or plate by lining it with parchment paper. The pan should be small enough to fit in a large Ziploc bag. Make sure there is room in your freezer to lay the pan flat.

Crush the pretzels into large chunks and set aside. Melt 1/2 cup of the peanut butter for 20-30 seconds and stir in the pretzels. Spread in a single layer on the baking tray and cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Seal in a large Ziploc bag and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Melt 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and spread evenly on top of the peanut butter covered pretzels. Cover again with the parchment paper, seal in the bag, and freeze for at least 30 minutes. Then melt the remaining 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, flip the pretzel block over, and repeat the chocolate layer on the other side. Freeze until it's time to make the ice cream.

Make the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's directions. Once it has started, remove the pan and parchment paper from the plastic bag of pretzels and crush the pretzel block. Place back in the freezer until the last few minutes of churning.

You should still have time to make the peanut butter swirl while the ice cream is churning. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of peanut butter for 15-20 seconds and stir in the PB2 and powdered sugar until it is smooth. Set aside to cool at room temperature.