Easy Coffee Ice Cream Dessert Squares

If you love the combination of coffee, chocolate, and ice cream, you are going to want to make these Coffee Ice Cream Dessert Squares. This easy frozen dessert combines creamy coffee ice cream with a buttery Oreo cookie and Butterfinger candy bar crust, then gets finished with a rich chocolate coffee drizzle. Every bite is creamy, crunchy, chocolatey, and full of delicious coffee flavor.

Why I Love Coffee Ice Cream Dessert Squares

The best part? This is an easy no-bake dessert that requires very little hands-on time. There’s no oven, no complicated ingredients, and no ice cream maker required. Simply make the cookie crust, layer it with softened coffee ice cream, add the crunchy topping, drizzle with homemade chocolate sauce, and pop the whole thing in the freezer. It’s the perfect make-ahead dessert for summer gatherings, dinner parties, potlucks, birthdays, holidays, or anytime you need an easy dessert that feeds a crowd.

I first made this coffee ice cream dessert years ago, and it has remained one of those recipes that people remember. The combination of coffee ice cream, chocolate, Oreo cookies, and Butterfinger candy bars is downright irresistible. If you are a coffee lover—or simply a fan of easy frozen desserts—this is one recipe you’ll want to keep tucked away for the next time you need a crowd-pleasing treat.

Gather these ingredients

How to make Coffee Ice Cream Squares

This coffee ice cream dessert comes together in a few simple steps. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze!

1. Soften the ice cream

Remove the coffee ice cream from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature while you prepare the cookie crust. You want the ice cream soft enough to spread easily, but not melted.

2. Make the Oreo and Butterfinger crust

Place the Butterfinger candy bars in a sturdy zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin or mallet. Add the Oreo cookies and continue crushing until you have a coarse crumble. You can also use a food processor and pulse everything until evenly crushed.

Transfer the Oreo and Butterfinger crumbs to a large bowl. Pour in the melted butter and stir with a fork until all of the crumbs are evenly coated and the mixture resembles a buttery cookie crumble.

3. Build the frozen dessert

Reserve about 1 cup of the cookie and candy bar mixture for the topping. Press the remaining Oreo cookie crust firmly and evenly into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Scoop the softened coffee ice cream over the cookie crust. Spread it into an even layer, working gently so you don’t disturb the crust.

Sprinkle the reserved Oreo and Butterfinger crumble evenly over the top of the ice cream.

4. Make the chocolate coffee drizzle

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Pour hot, dark coffee over the chocolate chips and whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Add the heavy whipping cream and whisk again until you have a silky chocolate coffee sauce.

Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the frozen ice cream dessert. You can use as much or as little as you like—although, honestly, more chocolate is never a bad idea!

5. Freeze and serve

Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until the ice cream is firm.

When you’re ready to serve, remove the dessert from the freezer and let it sit for a few minutes before cutting into squares. Slice with a sharp knife and serve immediately.

Tips for Making the Best Coffee Ice Cream Dessert

A few simple tricks will make sure your coffee ice cream dessert squares turn out perfectly every time.

Let the ice cream soften—but don’t let it melt

The ice cream needs to be soft enough to spread over the cookie crust. If it becomes too melted, it can make the crust soggy and the finished dessert harder to slice. Let it soften at room temperature while you prepare the crust and keep an eye on it.

Freeze the Butterfingers before crushing

Butterfinger candy bars can be sticky and difficult to crush when they are at room temperature. Pop them in the freezer for about 30 minutes first. The colder candy bars break apart much more easily.

Don’t pulverize the cookie crust

You want a crumbly Oreo cookie crust with some texture rather than turning everything into a completely fine powder. A little crunch from the cookies and Butterfinger candy bars makes this frozen dessert especially good.

Use a food processor for the easiest method

If you don’t want to crush everything by hand, place the Oreos and frozen Butterfinger candy bars in a food processor and pulse until you have an even crumble. Be careful not to over-process them into a paste.

Press the crust firmly

Use the bottom of a measuring cup or the back of a spoon to firmly press the cookie mixture into the baking dish. A compact crust will hold together much better when you cut the dessert into squares.

Don’t skip the coffee in the chocolate sauce

The hot coffee does more than add coffee flavor. It helps melt the chocolate chips into a smooth, pourable sauce. Use strong brewed coffee or dark coffee for the best flavor.

Give it enough freezer time

The dessert needs at least an hour in the freezer after assembling, but you can absolutely make it farther ahead. Keeping it well covered in the freezer makes this an excellent make-ahead dessert for entertaining.

Let it sit briefly before slicing

If the dessert has been frozen overnight, give it several minutes at room temperature before cutting. A sharp knife will make much cleaner squares than trying to cut straight into rock-hard ice cream.

Substitutions & Variations

Coffee ice cream: Use your favorite brand of coffee ice cream. For an extra decadent dessert, try a coffee ice cream with chocolate chunks or fudge swirls.

Butterfinger candy bars: If Butterfinger isn’t your favorite, substitute another crisp or crunchy chocolate-peanut candy bar. Heath bars, Skor bars, or peanut butter cups would all create a delicious variation.

Oreo cookies: Regular Oreos work beautifully, but you can experiment with chocolate sandwich cookies in other flavors. Chocolate Oreos would make this dessert extra rich.

Heavy whipping cream: Half-and-half can be used in the chocolate coffee drizzle, although heavy cream creates a richer, creamier sauce.

Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are my favorite, but milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips can be used depending on how sweet or intense you want the chocolate flavor.

Coffee: Strong brewed coffee gives the chocolate drizzle a wonderful mocha flavor. You can also use espresso if you have it.

Make it even more decadent: Add a dollop of whipped cream, extra chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings, mini chocolate chips, or chopped Butterfinger pieces before serving.

Change the ice cream flavor: If coffee ice cream isn’t your thing, this recipe can be made with chocolate, vanilla, mocha, or even chocolate chip ice cream. The combination of the Oreo and Butterfinger crust with creamy ice cream makes this an easy dessert to customize.

More Easy Desserts to Love

If you love chocolate and coffee, this is your dessert! Creamy coffee ice cream, a buttery Oreo cookie crust, crunchy Butterfinger pieces, and a rich chocolate coffee drizzle come together to make one seriously irresistible easy frozen dessert. It’s the kind of easy summer dessert you can make ahead, tuck in the freezer, and pull out when you’re ready to serve. Whether you’re entertaining friends, bringing dessert to a gathering, or simply craving something sweet after dinner, this make-ahead dessert is always a good idea.

If you make these Coffee Ice Cream Dessert Squares, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating on the recipe card below—your reviews help other readers find and feel confident making this recipe. And if this recipe makes you think of someone who would love it, pin it on Pinterest so you can easily find it the next time a craving hits!

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From my table to yours with love, Sheila