"Soften" ice cream to make ice cream bars

Question

I am trying to make ice cream bars using a silicone mold, and the instruction sheet that came with it says "fill the mold with softened ice cream". I was wondering what the best way is to "soften" the ice cream?

I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker. Should I stop the machine when it's at soft-serve consistency and pour it into the mold, or just hard-freeze the whole thing, then thaw it in say, like a microwave? Would there be any differences between the two? I kinda think that the latter feels redundant.

If any of you could shed some light on this, I'd really appreciate it!

Answer 1

You just need the ice cream to be soft enough to mold.

Your recipe is referring to store-bought ice cream that tends to be very hard. A little time on the counter will soften it a bit without melting it completely.

A microwave is right out. It would melt pockets completely which would solidify to icy chunks.

If you are making the ice cream yourself then your situation is simpler. Homemade ice cream is still fairly soft when churning is finished. It has to be frozen solid in the freezer.

Just churn completely and mold.

Answer 2

Alcohol, Sugar and Salt can all contribute to lowering the freezing point of Ice Cream. In particular I have used alcohol, IN SMALL DOSES, to get a softer ice cream straight out of the churn, but which will become more firm in the freezer later. (This would seem to be a desirable outcome for you). Add about an ounce of vodka to your vanilla extract and add them together. You can also play with other alcohols for a variety of flavors. (I recommend Irish Cream in your chocolate ice cream :) )