The Key Ingredient For A Homemade Magic Shell On Your Ice Cream

As far as nostalgic ice cream treats go, a spiral of dreamy soft-serve vanilla covered in a sweet shell of chocolate ranks as one of the best. Often known as magic shell chocolate sauce, it took only seconds for this liquid condiment to transform into a smooth cocoa-flavored ice cream shield that you got to crack into with your first bite. We think it's time for this childhood treasure to make a comeback.

Despite its magical characteristics, a chocolate shell is easy to create at home and only requires two ingredients. The first ingredient is obvious: a cup of rich dark chocolate, chopped and ready to be melted in the double boiler. But the second ingredient is the miracle worker, helping transform your melted chocolate into something that hardens quickly but still maintains a velvety texture and glossy shine. Enter coconut oil, a plant oil that's so rich in saturated fats that it remains solid at room temperature. Melted and mixed with dark chocolate, coconut oil helps create an at-home magic shell that replicates the star of all of your sweetest childhood memories.

So how do you go about turning these two ingredients into a DIY magic shell sauce? Start with selecting high-quality dark chocolate for your base. Why dark chocolate? The ice cream already packs plenty of sugar, so a less sweet alternative like dark chocolate will help balance the flavors. Next, reach for some coconut oil. You can use either refined or unrefined, just know that the unrefined oil will impart a stronger coconut flavor.

From there, you'll chop your chocolate (roughly 1 cup) and add it to a double boiler. You'll then add in 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and allow both to melt, stirring occasionally to make sure the oil is smoothly incorporated with the chocolate. Once melted, you'll want to use your sauce immediately, so make sure you have your ice cream already waiting in the wings. Just like that, you'll have recreated the perfect accompaniment for your next summer ice cream social.