Okay, so Fall is finally here and for me that means more than pumpkin spice everything. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s so close to my birthday or just because it’s so much fun. This year, my kids have chosen some pretty random costumes, but I’m totally okay with it. We’re all going to be dolls and you’re going to have to stalk my Instagram account to see us on the big night because I don’t want to ruin the surprise.
It’s a little early for me to start posting Halloween related content, but I couldn’t help myself. So, I thought these colorful no-so-Halloween-ish Monster Ice Cream Cupcakes would be a great way to ease us into what will begin the start of our holi”daze”. Once we hit Halloween, the remainder of the year just flies on by.
I’ve been wanting to make ice cream cupcakes for quite some time now, but I just couldn’t find the time. I was caught up on most of what I needed to get done this week and the kids were long overdue for a blogging treat. As a matter of fact, when we came home from school pick-up, Bunbun walked in and said “Mommy! You did a blog today?” Then she and my little guy proceeded to eat the leftover cupcakes. I used Fruity PEBBLES™, their favorite cereal for this post and I have an awesome COUPON for you at the end of this post, so keep reading!
These Monster Ice Cream Cupcakes were so easy to make and I’m super excited to share them with you today. Let’s get started!
To begin, here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 Box White Cake Mix + Eggs, Oil & Water or Milk substitute as called for.
- 4-6 Drops of Food Coloring in a Color of your Choice
- 24 Foil Cupcake Liners
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Fruity PEBBLES™
- 3 Cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tsp. Vanilla
- 1 Cup, Powdered sugar
- 3 Tsp. Unflavored Gelatin
- 8 tsp. Water
- 48 Candy Eyes
- 48 Lollipops
Begin by preheating your oven to 375° and lining a cupcake pan with liners. I use foil liners so the cupcakes stay together well and don’t soak through if the ice cream begins to melt later.
Prepare your cake mix according to the instructions on the box. I’m a bit of a rebel and always substitute the water for milk, simply because I feel like it keeps the cake moist. It’s probably all in my head, but that’s okay!
Add a few drops of food coloring to your batter and mix until well combined and your desired color is achieved.
Fill each liner with about one tablespoon of batter and bake for about 12-15 minutes. Be careful when adding your batter and keep in mind that they will rise and we still need space for our ice cream.
When the cupcakes are done, allow them to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, take about 5 scoops of vanilla ice cream and top with a handful of Fruity PEBBLES™. Mix on low with the paddle attachment until the cereal and ice cream is well combined.
I mixed mine for about 2 mins., because I wanted my cereal to break down quite a bit and for the ice cream to become creamier.
Once you’re ice cream is mixed, you can transfer it to another bowl or scoop right from the mixing bowl.
Fill your cupcake liners to the top with the ice cream mixture and freeze for 1-2 hours or overnight.
While you’re waiting for the cupcakes to freeze, you can go ahead and prepare your monster eyes. I made these by simply adding Candy eyes to lollipops with just a drop of frosting to hold them together. So cute!!
Now, we need talk about this whipped cream topping. Delicious! I don’t think you’ll ever want to buy another tub of the store-bought stuff again after this.
Using a medium to large-sized bowl, add three teaspoons of your unflavored gelatin and 8 tablespoons of water. Microwave on high for about 20 seconds and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Allow your gelatin to cool for about 5 mins or until it’s warm. Don’t let it get too cool, otherwise it’ll begin to get stiff.
Using your mixer again, grab the whisk attachment and whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla on high until it begins to thicken. Add your gelatin slowly and continue beating on high-speed until the whipped cream begins to form stiff peaks.
Add some of your whipped cream to a piping bag or sandwich bag with a decorating tip attached. Top your cupcakes with the whipped cream and sprinkle the Fruity PEBBLES™ on top. Be generous with them, it makes them all lumpy and bumpy and adds a pretty cool effect.
Press your lollipop eyes into your cupcakes and serve immediately. Ice Cream cupcakes will hold well in the freezer for about 3 days, covered with plastic wrap. However, I would hold off on adding your Fruity PEBBLES™ and lollipop eyes until ready to serve.
Ingredients
- 1 Box White Cake Mix + Eggs, Oil & Water or Milk substitute as called for.
- 4-6 Drops of Food Coloring in a Color of your Choice
- 24 Foil Cupcake Liners
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Fruity PEBBLES™
- 3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 Tsp. Vanilla
- 1 Cup, Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tsp. Unflavored Gelatin
- 8 tsp. Water
- 48 Candy Eyes
- 48 Lollipops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° and line a cupcake pan with foil liners.
- Prepare your cake mix according to the instructions on the box.
- Add 4-6 drops of food coloring to your batter and mix until well combined and your desired color is achieved.
- Fill each liner with about one tablespoon of batter.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cake bounces back when touched.
- Cool cupcakes to room temperature.
- Add 5-6 scoops of vanilla ice cream to a large bowl or stand mixer.
- Top with a handful of Fruity Pebbles and mix on low with the paddle attachment until the cereal and ice cream is well combined to a consistency of your liking.
- Fill your cupcake liners to the top with the ice cream mixture and freeze for 1-2 hours or overnight.
- If Freezing overnight, STOP HERE and cover with plastic wrap. Then continue on from here.
- Add a bit of frosting to your lollipops and add candy eyes. Set aside.
- Using a medium to large sized bowl, add 3 tsp. of unflavored gelatin and 8 tablespoons of water.
- Microwave on high for about 20 seconds and stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
- Allow the gelatin to cool down to a "warm" temperature.
- Using a mixer and whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla on high until it begins to thicken.
- Add the gelatin slowly and continue beating on high speed until the whipped cream begins to form stiff peaks.
- Grab a piping bag or sandwich bag with a decorating tip and spoon whipped cream into the bag.
- Top your cupcakes with the whipped cream and sprinkle the Fruity PEBBLES™ on top.
- Press your lollipop eyes into your cupcakes and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Ice Cream cupcakes will hold well in the freezer for about 3 days, covered with plastic wrap. However, I would hold off on adding your Fruity Pebbles and lollipop eyes until ready to serve.
I don’t know about you, but I used to eat Fruity PEBBLES™ all the time when I was a kid, and if your little ones love them as much as I did, I have a great coupon for you! Get $1 off when you buy two boxes of PEBBLES™. Get the coupon HERE!
PEBBLES™ really knows how to transform the moment with energizing fun and I hope you enjoy these little monsters as much as we did! Which PEBBLES™ cereal is your favorite?
