This decadent layered Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert was inspired by Dairy Queen’s famous Buster Bar. The ultimate summer party dessert!

A slice of a layered ice cream dessert is lifted from a dish.

The sun is shining, the kids are home for summer, and it’s Father’s Day on Sunday. I’m giving you three excellent excuses to make this unforgettable dessert. Take your pick – I’m sure one of them will work!

Instead of being on a stick like the Buster Bar from Dairy Queen, this made at home version is done in a 13- by 9-inch pan making it perfect for serving a large group. It is everything you want in a summer party dessert and I’m positive it will go over in a huge, eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head kind of way with your friends and family.

A slice of the dessert on a white plate broken into with a fork.

The dessert is created in layers and takes some time, but friends, it’s so worth it.

How to Make Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert

Two images - one of Dark Chocolate Oreo Cookies in the packaging and one of a food processor bowl filled with the cookies.

We’ve been having a little trouble controlling our intake of Dark Chocolate OREO’s lately so I knew I had to try making a crust out of them. They are SO good!

The easiest way to crush the cookies into crumbs is with your food processor. Pulse 36 cookies and then add 6 tablespoons melted butter and process again to combine. It’s that simple.

Two images - one of the Dark Chocolate Oreo Crust and the second of slices of vanilla ice cream placed over the crust.

Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 13- x 9-inch pan. Freeze briefly and then layer with a container of softened vanilla ice cream.

I used ice cream in a rectangular container, allowed it to soften a bit, and then removed it from the package and sliced it. It’s also fine to just spoon it out of any type of container you buy and drop it on to the crust.

Two images - one of the ice cream smoothed out into an even layer and the second shows Spanish peanuts sprinkled over the top.

Use the back of a spoon or offset spatula to spread the softened ice cream out in an even layer. Top the ice cream with a good amount of roughly chopped Spanish peanuts.

Chocolate Fudge Sauce in a blue saucepan with a wooden spoon.

This homemade fudge is super easy to make on the stove and needs to cool completely before pouring it over the peanut layer.

You could use a store-bought fudge ice cream topping but I’m telling you, this stuff is incredible! It’s worth the little bit of effort it takes to make it. See the recipe card below for the full directions.

Two images - one of the chocolate fudge sauce poured over the peanut layer and the second shows the final layer of Cool Whip and crushed Oreo's.

Pour the completely cooled fudge mixture over the top and spread it out evenly. Transfer the pan to the freezer for a couple of hours until the fudge sets up.

Then it’s time for the final layer – whipped topping garnished with a few crushed OREOS. You could opt to make homemade whipped cream but I went with Cool Whip.

Cover the dish with foil and freeze it for several hours or make it a day in advance and freeze it overnight.

An over the top view of the finished Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert.

When you are ready to serve, allow the Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert to sit out for 5 minutes to soften a bit. For easy slicing it helps immensely to dip a sharp knife in hot water and repeat this process with each slice.

A slice of Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert on a white serving plate.

Tips and Variations

There are so many amazing flavors of OREO’s available and this dessert would be delicious with many of them. I’m thinking Peanut Butter would be wonderful in this but I’m not sure anything would top the Dark Chocolate flavor. You can go with the original chocolate flavor too. You will most likely need to buy two packages unless it is a family size pack.
We loved the classic flavor of vanilla ice cream but you could mix things up by going with coffee, chocolate chip, butter brickle, or pretty much any other flavor you love.
If you want to go nut-free you could substitute toffee bits, crushed pretzels, or even mini M&M’s or chopped peanut butter cups for a seriously indulgent treat.

A close up shot of a fork full of the dessert.

I hope you try this amazing summer dessert. And, if you do, I want to hear from you! Leave me a comment to let me know how it worked out for you.

For more summer dessert inspiration check out my Frozen Peanut Butter Pie, Fast and Easy Cherry Crisp, or this luscious Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.

Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert

4.97 from 28 votes

This decadent layered Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert was inspired by Dairy Queen's famous Buster Bar. The ultimate summer party dessert!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Keyword: Buster Bar Dessert, Ice Cream Dessert

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time:30

Cook Time:8

Total Time:2 38

Servings: 20

Ingredients

Chocolate Fudge Sauce:

1 ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar
12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Dark Chocolate OREO Crust:

36 Dark Chocolate OREO Cookies (whole)
6 tablespoons butter,, melted

For the Rest:

1 ½ quarts vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
1 heaping cup Spanish peanuts, roughly chopped
12 ounce container Cool Whip
3 Dark Chocolate OREO Cookies, crushed

Instructions

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine confectioners' sugar, evaporated milk, chocolate chips and ½ cup butter. Cook, stirring frequently until butter and chocolate chips have melted. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat under pan, if necessary, to keep mixture at a low boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Set aside and let it sit for an hour or more until cool.
Meanwhile, add 36 OREOS to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely crushed. Add melted butter and pulse again until well combined. Pour the OREO crumb mixture out into a 13-x 9-inch baking dish, spread out and press down firmly into the bottom of the dish to form a crust. Transfer the baking dish to the freezer to chill until the fudge sauce has completely cooled.
When Chocolate Fudge Sauce is cooled, slice vanilla ice cream into ¾-inch slices, and place them in a single layer over the chilled crust (or scoop out with a spoon and set over the crust. Smooth the ice cream out with the back of a spoon or offset spatula to form an even layer. Sprinkle the peanuts over the ice cream. Top with the cooled Fudge Sauce, spreading out to cover the ice cream layer. Cover and freeze for 1 hour or until set. Spread with whipped topping and sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Notes

Dark Chocolate OREO Cookies come in a 12.2 ounce package and you will need two packages to have enough to make this recipe.

Total time does not include final freezing time of 4 hours or overnight. I recommend making this dessert a day in advance and freezing it overnight for the best result.

Nutrition

Calories: 512 kcal · Carbohydrates: 56 g · Protein: 8 g · Fat: 30 g · Saturated Fat: 15 g · Cholesterol: 61 mg · Sodium: 298 mg · Potassium: 369 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 43 g · Vitamin A: 620 IU · Vitamin C: 0.7 mg · Calcium: 174 mg · Iron: 2.9 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.

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A two image vertical collage of the Buster Bar Ice Cream Dessert with overlay text.