This peanut buster parfait dessert is a no-bake, layered classic made with chocolate, peanuts, and a creamy filling. It’s easy to make ahead, perfect for potlucks and holidays, and tastes just like the old-fashioned peanut buster treats many of us grew up loving.
If you need a retro dessert that feeds a crowd and doesn’t require turning on the oven, this one delivers every time.
There are legitimate reasons this dessert beats what you buy at your local Dairy Queen. Reason one is there's no waiting in line! Most importantly, though, DQ soft serve can't be called ice cream because the butterfat content is too low.
Let's hear it for butterfat! This peanut buster parfait dessert can be made with rich premium ice creams, such as Kemps, Ben and Jerry's, Blue Bunny, or Häagen-Dazs. Yes, please!
It's easy to make ahead, even weeks in advance, and keep it in the freezer until you are ready to serve. It cuts into tidy squares, and a pan can easily serve 16 people!
Begin by crushing a regular-size package of chocolate sandwich cookies. Melt 1/4 cup of butter, mix it with the cookie crumbs, press them into a 13" by 9" pan, and freeze until firm. A food processor makes this very easy, but you can also do it in a zipper food storage bag with a rolling pin.
Next, scoop a half-gallon of vanilla ice cream onto the cookie crust and GENTLY spread it out to the edges. Work carefully and slowly so you don't pull up crumbs from the crust.
I found it easy to use my nifty ice cream scoop, which has a nice smooth surface. Its handle is liquid-filled and conducts heat from my hand into the scoop, so it cuts through hard ice cream easily and smooths out the ice cream quite nicely in this dessert. It cannot be put in the dishwasher, but that is no big deal!
Now put the pan with the ice cream in the freezer and let it get frozen hard again!
To make the fudgy topping, melt the butter with the chocolate chips in a medium saucepan over low heat until well blended and the chips are completely melted.
Add the evaporated milk and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar and whisk until it dissolves completely. Turn the heat up to medium and continue cooking, whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil and cook for 90 seconds, whisking constantly.
Remove from the heat and let it cool COMPLETELY. Did you hear that word completely? You can put the topping in the refrigerator to hurry the cooling process, but please don't rush this step. The topping will thicken considerably as it cools.
If the topping is even a little bit warm, the top of the ice cream will melt and come up through the chocolate layer, and end up looking like this when I hurried (like usual).
And not pretty like this, when my daughter took her time and let the topping cool completely. The topping will get nice and thick as it cools. Pour the cooled topping on the ice cream layer and add peanuts. We like our peanuts whole; chop them if you'd prefer them that way.
You will love this homemade version of the ever-popular peanut buster. Easy to make ahead and freeze for when you need it.
My husband's mom, "Grammy Eileen," adored her boys and loved spoiling them with special treats. It turns out my father-in-law loved peanut busters, too, and this old recipe is from her somewhat skimpy recipe box!! (She did NOT love to cook!) This grainy photo is from the early fifties, and that cute little cowboy is my husband, "Papa" Steve.
When I decided to share this favorite old peanut buster parfait recipe, I researched peanut busters and discovered that Dairy Queen supposedly "invented" them in 1971! Ha!! Surely, peanut busters were around before that? I started to doubt my math and memory, so I contacted my savvy old friend Candi from high school.
Candi has a truly remarkable wealth of information on the history of our hometown, and her memory is like a steel trap! (Unlike mine, which is more of a steel sieve!)
Candi scanned digital copies from the local newspaper's archives and found a delightful 1936 ad that proves peanut busters were around long before DQ was founded in 1940. Take a look at these prices!
This peanut buster dessert qualifies as a parfait even though the presentation is simpler. Why? Because the definition of the French word parfait is, literally, something perfect! We all think so, and we hope you love it too!
We love ice cream desserts in the summer and any cool, creamy dessert that can be made ahead. No-bake and chilled desserts are perfect for hot weather, potlucks, and family gatherings. Some longtime favorites include:
🍋No-Bake 4-Layer Lemon Dessert
💚Light And Luscious Pistachio Dessert
What are some of your favorite no-bake desserts?
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
Real food. Real kitchen. Real easy.
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