A recipe for Ice Cream Bars inspired by our visit to LEGOLAND in Carlsbad, California! These fun and versatile popsicles are dipped in melted chocolate and frozen until chilled.
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LEGOLAND California
We visited LEGOLAND Florida a few years ago (check out my posts for Lego Crayons and Lego Fruit Gummies!), but have had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time in LEGOLAND California while living in Los Angeles.
LEGOLAND California is located at One Legoland Drive in Carlsbad, California. It is about 95 miles (153 kilometers) south of LAX and 34 miles (55 kilometers) north of San Diego. It was the first LEGOLAND park outside of Europe and opened to the public in 1999.
We had an annual pass during our first year in California and would often make day trips from Los Angeles. Since we are leaving soon, we spent one last weekend in LEGOLAND a couple of months ago and stayed in the Castle Hotel.
Traffic was generally light early in the morning. If more heavy during the drive, we would usually stop around halfway in Irvine for a short food or coffee break.
Check the current hours before visiting. Advance reservations may be required. During off-season, the park may be closed on certain days along with many of the dining options.
The Beginning
The first section when entering LEGOLAND is The Beginning. This area has lockers, a market, the Big Shop (largest selection of LEGO products in the west), and guest relations.
Guest relations has an incredibly detailed and helpful access guide map with notes on Autism friendly experiences, accessibility, service animals, and a full checklist with restrictions for specific rides.
From The Beginning, you can either go left towards Explorer Island or right towards LEGO Ninjago World with all the areas forming a loop around the park.
LEGO Ninjago World
LEGO Ninjago World has Ninjago: The Ride, a themed shop, and fun climbing area.
Miniland USA
Miniland USA was a favorite for us in LEGOLAND Florida and continued to be a favorite and often first stop here.
This area features LEGO models of notable architecture and cities around the United States.
Millions of LEGO bricks form a few cities such as San Francisco, New York City, Washington DC, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and more.
It is not currently on display (looks like it permanently closed in 2020), but the Star Wars section was another highlight with scenes from the movies.
You can also build and race small boats or take the Coast Cruise to see even more builds with a relaxing boat ride.
Imagination Zone
We would often stop by Pizza Mania in Imagination Zone for lunch.
This section is also home to the LEGO Technic Coaster, Bionicle Blaster (spinning cups), and an indoor LEGO building area.
Land of Adventure
Themed after 1920s Egypt, Land of Adventure has a few fun rides and play areas such as Dune Raiders, Beetle Bounce, Lost Kingdom Adventure (a favorite), and Cargo Ace.
Castle Hill
Castle Hill has quite a few dining options along with a Royal Joust ride perfect for younger kids, The Dragon (an indoor/outdoor coaster), Hideaways wooden play area, and shopping.
This section leads to the Deep Sea Adventure ride- an underwater submarine with a scavenger hunt and real sea creatures.
Pirate Shores
Pirate Shores is near the entrance to the water park (seasonally open- entry with hopper tickets).
Many of the rides in this area are also seasonal with a decent chance of getting wet- along with those who get too close!
Fun Town
Fun Town has been another highlight of our visits to the park- particularly with the Driving School. There are even separate driving sections for younger and older kids.
The LEGO Movie World
We visited the LEGO Movie World section during our latest visit to LEGOLAND. Opened in 2021, this new area replaced LEGO Friends Heartlake City.
Chad and Evan enjoyed Emmet’s Flying Adventure (get here early- lines can get long) while Claire mostly stuck to Queen Watevra’s Carousel.
Benny’s Spaceship is also in the center of the plaza with a fun climbing and play structure.
One thing we have loved about our visits to LEGOLAND are the various lego building stations around the park.
This has been the perfect, sensory friendly spot to take a break and regroup, most notably in the afternoon after going from ride to ride. Build Watevra You Wa’na Build next to the carousel was especially a hit. It was also fun to place flat builds up on the shelves to show off and see what others created earlier in the day.
The building spot is next to Benny’s Rocket Fuel with frozen lemonade, popcorn, slushies, and ice cream. Evan picked an Ice Cream Bar from here which ended up being the inspiration for today’s recipe.
Explorer’s Island
Explorer Island is just to the left of the entrance with dinosaur, safari, and fairy tale themes.
It was not open during our latest visit, but both kids would often spend quite a bit of time looking for fossils in the Dig those Dinos section.
Overall, visiting LEGOLAND has been such a highlight of our time in California with many of the rides designed for younger children. Along with all the attractions and dining, there are often plenty of character greets and engaging activities.
It is possible to see everything in one day. Two days is perfect if taking a more relaxed pace or also visiting the waterpark.
SEA LIFE Aquarium
SEA LIFE Aquarium is on the left side of the park with entrances from the outside and next to Explorer’s Island.
We generally save SEA LIFE Aquarium for the end of our day on the way out of the park. It usually takes us about 1-2 hours to walk through both floors at a relaxed pace.
This 20,000 square-foot indoor aquarium pairs over 6,000 sharks, sea turtles, stingrays, sea stars, sea horses, jellies and fish with lego structures and decorations throughout the exhibits.
A few highlights include the ray lagoon, Southern California rock pool, jellies, ocean tunnel, stamping stations, and hands-on shark mission.
The Sea at Night exhibit has been another favorite. In this room, you can walk on the floor making ripples and splashes across the simulated bioluminescent tide.
It was closed during our latest visit, but the kids enjoyed the Mac and cheese upstairs at the Ocean Journey Café.
As a note, strollers are not allowed inside the aquarium.
Legoland Castle Hotel
There are two hotels just steps away from the front of the park.
For our final visit to LEGOLAND before our move, we stayed in the Legoland Castle Hotel. Opened in 2018, this castle-based hotel has 250 rooms with options for Knights & Dragons, Royal Princess or Magic Wizard themes.
The theming is found through every aspect of the hotel with a building area in the lobby, zero entry pool with interactive features, play area, outdoor movies, and dining.
Staying in the hotel also comes with early access to the park- though this only included a couple of rides with most of the park still roped off.
We picked a Knights and Dragons room. The kids loved having their own separate area with bunk beds and TV. They were also able to work on a scavenger hunt with a surprise LEGO prize at the end.
For our last night, we ordered take-out from the Dragon’s Den Restaurant & Bar onsite. This restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (reservations required at the timing of this post- 2022). When dining in the restaurant, there are play areas and often entertainment.
Options for the kids menu included hamburger/cheeseburger, chicken tenders, mac and cheese, or uncrustables.
Chad had the Chicken Sandwich (grilled chicken with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and garlic aioli). I ordered a very decently sized Caesar Salad (not photographed) with the add-on for crispy chicken.
The Goods
I also grabbed food a couple of times from Carlsbad Village about 4 miles (6 kilometers) north of the park.
One morning, I picked up an assortment of doughnuts and pastries from The Goods at 2965 State Street. Opened in August 2017, this doughnut shop features fresh artisan doughnuts made from scratch every hour using locally sourced ingredients.
A few favorites during our visit included the Espresso Dulce de Cruller, Nutella Cruffin, Prosecco Pear Doughnut, and Citrus Cream Doughnut.
Harumama Noodles & Buns
Another takeout highlight was the adorable steamed Character Buns from Harumama Noodles and Buns at 711 Grand Avenue Suite A.
We tried the Polar Bear Buns (egg custard), Chicken Buns (chicken, mozzarella, and caramelized onion), Cow Buns (ground bbq beef, carrot, and shiitake), and Bunny Buns (Nutella). These were incredibly easy to transport for a short trip back to the hotel.
Harumama has additional locations in Little Italy, San Diego and La Jolla.
Ice Cream Bars
To pair with this LEGOLAND post, Evan requested we try to make homemade Ice Cream Bars similar to the chocolate-covered ice cream bar he had while in the park.
The result ended up being a bit difficult at first, but definitely a fun and challenging experience. We whipped softened ice cream to create a texture easy to transfer to popsicle molds, then froze the mixture until well-chilled.
Once chilled, we dipped each popsicle in melted chocolate very briefly to coat, then placed in the freezer again until set before serving.
Ice Cream Bar Flavors
This recipe is incredibly versatile. For the ice cream base, you can pick any flavor you want (as long as it doesn’t have large pieces of mix-ins. We each picked a different one for a bit of variety.
Evan went with cookies and cream. After forming the cookies and cream ice cream into popsicles, we dipped them in melted semi-sweet chocolate and topped with crushed chocolate creme sandwich cookies.
Claire wanted to make the ice cream bars with strawberry ice cream. We dipped these in melted white chocolate. Once the chocolate set, I added a drizzle of melted ruby chocolate across the top.
The others simply had a chocolate or vanilla base with melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate.
A Few Tips
I used these Onyx Stainless Steel Popsicle Molds. Other molds may yield different serving sizes.
Don’t have a Popsicle mold? You can also spread the softened ice cream across a small parchment lined baking dish to desired thickness and freeze until solid. Cut into individual squares and dip each square in the melted chocolate. Place the squares back in the freezer immediately to set before serving.
To easily fill the popsicle molds, I used the same technique as for my Funfetti Ice Cream Sandwiches. Whip the ice cream in a stand mixer (I add it in scoops to keep from overworking the motor with one large block) fitted with a paddle attachment to give it a soft-serve consistency perfect for transferring to the molds.
Don’t rush the freezing time before dipping in the chocolate! The bars need at least 3-4 hours and preferably overnight. I tried a couple at the 2 hour mark and it ended up being a huge, melted mess.
Resist the urge to dip the ice cream in the melted chocolate again if not fully covered. I did this a couple of times before I could stop myself and the whole thing ended up sliding down into the chocolate and seized the remaining mixture. It was also a mess.
If desired, sprinkle toppings over the popsicles immediately after dipping in the chocolate. I even added some chocolate mini-figures and lego bricks to help add a little of the lego theme. Shredded coconut, sprinkles, or chopped nuts would also be delicious.
To make the chocolate mini-figures and lego bricks, pour melted chocolate into a Building Block Silicone Mold Set and refrigerate until solid.
Keep the ice cream bars in the freezer until immediately before dipping.
After dipping in the chocolate, immediately place back in the freezer to set for at least 2 hours.
Adjust the amount of coconut oil based on the desired thickness of the chocolate. More coconut oil will create a thinner coating. If you don’t have coconut oil available, swap for vegetable oil.
I melted the chocolate in a deep, fairly narrow bowl perfect for dipping. You can also transfer the melted chocolate to a tall, heat-safe glass slightly wider than the popsicles.
Once fully set and chilled, freeze the chocolate dipped ice cream bars in a freezer-safe bag for up to a month.
Ice Cream Bars Recipe
Adapted from Love in my Oven
Ice Cream Bars
Ingredients
- 2 pints (946 milliliters) ice cream smooth with no large pieces or mix-ins
- 1 pound (450 grams) semi-sweet, white, or dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) coconut oil
Instructions
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer and place in pieces in a large mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- On low speed, mix the ice cream until smooth and creamy with the consistency of soft-serve.
- Using a small spatula, transfer the ice cream among individual popsicle molds. Press the ice cream down to fully fill the mold and tap gently to remove any bubbles.
- Cover the molds and add Popsicle sticks. Freeze until solid, at least 3-4 hours.
- Remove the ice cream popsicles from the molds and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue to freeze until well-chilled, 3 hours to overnight.
- Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and coconut oil until fully melted and smooth.
- Quickly dip a well-chilled popsicle into the melted chocolate once to coat and place back on the cold, parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with remaining popsicles.
- Freeze the chocolate-coated popsicles until well-chilled, 2 hours to overnight.
Lauren
Very fancy! Nice job.
I’m glad you got to the hotel before you leave, it’s definitely worth it. So fun!
Eliza
Wow! What a special recipe for ice cream bars. Thanks for your detailed instructions and tips. I loved reading all about your trip to LegoLand. We’ve always wanted to go, and now you’ve inspired us to go for it.
Sandra
These ice cream bars look so easy to make and the whole family is going to love them! Love the photo with the toppings that look like crushed Oreos. I think I will try them with crush peanut butter cups! Thanks for sharing your Lego land trip too!
Tara
Oooh, the peanut butter cups are such a great idea!
Carrie Robinson
This is such a fun treat! And what a great visit to Legoland it looks like you all had. 🙂
Anjali
These bars are so much fun and I love that they’re legoland inspired! My kids will go crazy for these!
Andrea
Love copy cat recipes for legoland. This one will not disappoint.