Blue Magic Shell Recipe for the Fourth of July

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

Need a last minute dessert for the 4th of July?  One that's perfect for a hot summer day?  Something that doesn't require you to turn on the oven?  One that's just plain FUN?  Homemade magic shell!  But not just any magic shell--this is blue magic shell.  With star sprinkles.  Could it get any more perfect for the 4th of July?

Vanilla ice cream topped with blue magic shell ice cream topping and sprinkled with silver star sprinkles.  Text overlay reads "Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping."

Magic shell ice cream topping is a fun ice cream sauce that pours on as a liquid, and quickly hardens into a thin shell that is fun and delicious to crack with your spoon and eat with your favorite ice cream.  And it's so easy to make!

If you're looking for a more adult no-bake treat for the 4th of July, try making these Red, White, and Blue Jello Shots.

Ingredients for blue magic shell ice cream topping on a white weathered wooden surface.

I started seeing homemade magic shell recipes when coconut oil became trendy, but I'd never tried making it for myself.  I started doing research, and found that Serious Eats had it completely figured it out, really nailed the proportions.  But of course I wanted to use that as my starting point and experiment.    I'll have more of my very successful and delicious experiments coming up soon, but my first, basic question was if I could use white chocolate candy melts instead of dark chocolate?  How about the colored ones?  Clearly, the answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Blue chocolate melts being weighted in a white bowl on a kitchen scale to make Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping.

I followed the Serious Eats proportions:  10 parts chocolate, 8 parts coconut oil, 5 parts corn syrup.  The easiest way to do that is with a kitchen scale (I love my Taylor kitchen scale).  

Recipe for Homemade Colored Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping:

  • 100 grams colored white chocolate candy melts
  • 80 grams coconut oil
  • 50 grams light corn syrup

Ingredients for Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping in a microwave safe bowl.

Put the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, and heat in the microwave for about 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds or so.

Collage of two photos showing the melting process to make Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping.

It doesn't take long at all to transform that lumpy mess on the left into a thin, colorful chocolate coating that will stay liquid at room temperature.  You could store this on the counter for weeks, in fact.

Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping being poured over vanilla ice cream in a white bowl.

But when you pour it over cold ice cream...  the magic happens!

Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping over vanilla ice cream sprinkled with silver star sprinkles.  A small pitcher of the Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping sits in the background.

It turns into a crisp, crunchy chocolate shell.  That's awesome all on its own, but I finally just found these awesome edible silver star sprinkles (not that I was looking very hard, but I was still really happy to find them!).  How perfect are they with the blue magic shell for the 4th of July?

Bowl of vanilla ice cream covered in Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping and silver star sprinkles.  A spoon sits in the bowl, tucked under the ice cream.

Throw in a few strawberries or raspberries and you'd have the perfect patriotic red, white, and blue no-bake dessert for the 4th of July!

Cracked Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping and vanilla ice cream on a spoon, with the bowl of ice cream in the background.

It's delicious, and just plain fun, too.  

Free, Printable, One Page Version of the Blue Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping Recipe:

Want a one page, printable, PDF version of this blue magic shell recipe?  Click on the image below to print directly or download it to your device.

Nicole Wills, creator of Tikkido

Links on this page may be affiliate links. We may receive a small commission for something you buy through those links, at no additional cost to you.