For the love of Magic Shell

[funholidaygirl]

I am an ice cream lover and one of the convenience foods that I love is Magic Shell. It is underrated and underappreciated. When I get it people often muse that they didn't know that they still sold it.

I am unaware of where else you can get the ice cream hardening chocalate qualities anywhere else other than that little bottle.

One of my bitches through the years is the dearth of the old flavors and the addition of the new. Back in the day they had caramel, butterscotch (think they still have this but it may not be at my grocery stores), chocolate mint, chocolate fudge and many others. Now they have chocolate but they have tried to introduce these new flavors like twix and turtle. When you add chunky materials to the magic shell it stops it up and it is generally not as good. Just my two cents.

Any other magic shell fans out there? Someone also told me of an ice cream cake recipe using Magic Shell that sounded delicious. I may have to search around for that. I think it should appear in more dessert recipes. :) LONG LIVE MAGIC SHELL!

[Hue]

I always heard there was some parafin in there to cause that "shell"...
but I've had my legged pulled more then once

[Rogsmom]

I still love Magic Shell. I actually bought new bottle the other day when I was grocery shopping. I just love that crunchy, chocolaty shell on my ice cream. So it's bad for me but it tastes sooooo goooood.

[scorpioscuba]

I grew up on Magic Shell! My mom used to buy orange sherbet and we would cover it with chocolate magic shell. I was just craving MS the other day and thinking that I have to go and get some.

[Chowpatty]

That sounds like a good combo, particularly if it was a good quality orange sorbet. It would approach the flavor of Baskin-Robbins mandarin orange chocolate sherbert which I would love to find again.

[sashimi73]

I loved Magic Shell when I was a kid and I still do!
I made the mistake of reading the label once so now it's a once in awhile guilty pleasure for me...(I have mental issues with trans fats)

I love the chocolate, butterscotch, and had forgotten about the chocolate mint for a long time until I read this thread...I haven't seen that flavor anywhere around here.
Good memories!

[potterybliss]

the formula for homemade magic shell chocolate topping from recipezaar is 4 oz. chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons butter melted together. the reviews were most positive when the chips were chocolate, not as much with butterscotch chips.

[shellyesq]

Magic Shell is quite yummy with ice cream, but, for a slightly healthier treat, put a banana on wax paper, pour Magic Shell over it, and put it in the freezer.

[funholidaygirl]

I bought some Chocolate Fudge last night with some Edy's Vanilla Bean. I should have bought regular vanilla. HOwever, now that someone has mentioned the Reeses' with the saltiness, I have to try that. Good point, it is not made by Smuckers, kind of an off-shoot but I am buying it! Also, way back when they did have Krackel magic shell, that wasn't bad.

[taryn]

this used to be my secret treat, but i only like the reese's one. i used to squirt extra on the bottom of the bowl to scrape off with my spoon when i got the the bottom. the saltiness is what makes it lovely.

[tatertotsrock]

Oh My Goodness!
Magic Shell is another guilty pleasure that only one person knows I indulge in...the person I dog-sit for always seems to have it along with Tator Tots and Fishsticks...notice my name.
It's so funny, when I stay with his dogs, it feels like 20 years ago when my brtoher and I would stay with our not-so-healthy cousins and get to eat all this crazy frozen stuff...such good-grooss-ness.
I get to watch the pups starting Friday till the 7th and I always hope there will be the treats I love but wouldn't be caught dead eating in front of anyone else.
Buying Magic Shell would be like buying condoms in front of your grandmother at 16...but I just may have to do it if there isn't any this time.
Thanks for starting your post and reminding me.
Hooray for Magic Shell!!!

[tatertot]

Nice name, tatertotsrock :-)

Do you put Magic Shell on your tater tots and fish sticks? Tater tots and magic shell sounds like it could be a good combo.

[tatertotsrock]

Hi tatertot!
Well, I've managed to get halfway through a bag o' tots in 6 days...wow, thank goodness for all the Spinning classes I've been taking.
I must go get that magic shell...I bet it could be an interesting combo considering, right after eating the tots, I've been having ice cream w/Hersheys syrup...they didn't have the Magic Shelll this time...sad.
You know, the fishstick thing has lost its excitement...they just aren't as good as when you're 12 and think frozen food is a treat compared to home cooked meals..can you believe it.
Off to hunt for Magic Shell in a few hours...I'll let you know...might have to let them tots cool first or the "shell" may not happen.

[Chowpatty]

I love Magic Shell too, and so do my kids, but I try not to buy it too often, both becaus of the saturated fat and because it just leads to more ice cream consumption! But all these posters talking about having it "when they were kids" -- they must be very young, no? I still think of this as a newish product that they didn't have when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s. Back in my day, the only way to get chocolate coated ice cream was to go to Dairy Queen. When do you think it was introduced?
Oh and also, one brand is made with real chocolate, one with artificial flavoring, so it's worth reading the label...

[starlady]

I'm 28 is that young? I remember it from the late 80's and 90's.

[Chowpatty]

Yes, that's very young! I don't remember seeing it before the late 80s or so, to me everything that came out after I was in college is still "new"!

[wino22]

It is pretty new, but it WAS around in the early 80's. I think you can make it by stirring a concoction of Nestle Quik with vegetable oil, but don't quote me on that, and you'd have to experiment. Starlady - I'm going to have to try the homemade peanut butter cup idea... and I agree that the chunks don't do it justice.

[themis]

Oh, making your own is simplicity itself. Melt a bag of chips with a half stick of butter. Done!

[Chowpatty]

Yeah, but there's something compelling about the silkiness and the saltiness of the artificial variety, the squirt bottle and the way it stays liquified that would be pretty hard to duplicate. Maybe melt the chocolate with oil instead of butter, and add some salt?
My kids love making homemade peanut butter cups, but they don't use shell -- they just melt chocolate chips in the microwave and layer with peanut butter. But the key to getting the right texture to the peanut butter is to mix it with some powdered sugar, otherwise you have a greasy, gloppy mess.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

I certainly recall having Magic Shell (which was a pretty new product at the time) while living in a house that we moved out of in 1983, so I would guess that it was introduced in the early '80s, *maybe* the late '70s.

[rossinyc]

The Smuckers website says Magic Shell was introduced in 1982

[starlady]

Love Magic Shell!!!! I get my Mum to send it to me as the only ones I have found in Cdn are the new fangled versions. I love just regular Chocolate and Chocolate fudge, but can't find them! I used to love putting some in ice cube tray top with some peanut butter and then more magic shell and toss them in the freezer. Home made peanut butter cups! :) Haven't done that since I wa about 14 LOL

[tatertot]

Do you have the recipe for that ice cream cake with magic shell? That sounds awesome! I love magic shell too!

[tatertotsrock]

Hey tatertot, notice my name...hmm.
Anyway, just wanted to let y'all know, I WILL be enjoying some magic shell this weekend...can't wait!

[Oh Robin]

MAGIC SHELL ROCKS! But only with Dreyer's Double Vanilla. OMG I haven't had that in so long.

[addiegirl]

I agree, it is soo good... but then I read the label and recognize that the "magic" comes from al the saturated fat... and I just can't do it. Oh, but the memories.

[cheftori]

Wow, I loved that crispity, crunchity, goodness when I was a kid.
I think you are right about the chunky additions - not the same.
I am going to go out and look for some, today!