
Yields:
8 serving(s)
Prep Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 15 mins
When the summer heat settles in, everybody needs a sweet, frozen dessert stashed away in the freezer. These homemade strawberry shortcake ice cream bars are a refreshing bite of nostalgia that elevate the beloved ice cream truck pop. Cleverly using only five store-bought ingredients, this fruit dessert is made with creamy, jam-swirled strawberry ice cream and smooth vanilla ice cream and coated in crunchy sugar cookies and freeze-dried strawberries.
What is a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar?
Originally manufactured by the folks over at Good Humor, the strawberry shortcake ice cream bar features strawberry flavored ice cream, dipped in vanilla ice cream, then dipped in a “strawberry shortcake-like topping.”
How do you make homemade strawberry shortcake ice cream bars?
Since most home cooks don’t have a deep freezer or an industrial ice cream-dipping machine, homemade strawberry shortcake ice cream bars take some innovation. Rather than trying to make the strawberry ice cream perfectly encased in a layer of vanilla ice cream, the two flavors are layered and swirled together in popsicle molds. This way, all the flavors come through without the added stress. The cake crumble on the outside is simply made of crushed crunchy sugar cookies and vibrant freeze-dried strawberries.
Do you need a popsicle mold to make a homemade strawberry shortcake ice cream bars?
While the assembly of this treat is easier with molds, these pops will also work with paper cups and wooden sticks. The popsicle molds used in testing this recipe can hold about ⅓ cup filling and are widely available for more popsicle fun at home!
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Ingredients
- 1 pt.
strawberry ice cream
- 1/4 cup
strawberry preserves
- 1 pt.
vanilla ice cream
- 1
5.25-ounce package crispy sugar cookies
- 1
0.8-ounce package freeze-dried strawberries
Directions
- Step 1Scoop the strawberry ice cream into a large bowl. Stir until spreadable. Fold in the strawberry preserves until just streaked through, 3 or 4 folds.
- Step 2Scoop the vanilla ice cream into another large bowl. Stir until spreadable.
- Step 3Spoon 1 ½ tablespoons of the strawberry mixture into the bottom of 8 (⅓-cup) popsicle molds. Spoon 1 ½ tablespoons of the vanilla mixture into each mold. To create a marbled effect, alternate adding the strawberry mixture and the vanilla mixture until the molds are full. Use a butter knife or a popsicle stick to swirl the mixture more, if you like.
- Step 4Place the sticks into the popsicles and freeze until solid, 4 to 6 hours.
- Step 5In a large zip-top bag, place the sugar cookies. Using a rolling pin, crush the cookies until rice-sized (some big crumbs are nice, do not turn to powder). Transfer the crushed cookies to a shallow dish. Place the freeze-dried strawberries into the same bag and crush until rice-sized (a few bigger pieces are okay). Transfer to the same shallow dish with the cookie crumbs and stir to combine.
- Step 6Run the ice cream molds under warm water to loosen. Gently wiggle the popsicle out of the mold. Press the bars into the cookie and strawberry mixture to coat all over.
- Step 7Eat immediately or place on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid, 30 minutes. Wrap the bars in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Tip: Change up the fruity flavor with other freeze-dried fruit! Just be sure it is “crunchy” and not “chewy.”
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Labor Day Desserts for Sweet End of Summer

The Most Popular Ice Cream Flavors by State

Is it Spelled Sherbert or Sherbet?

Make These Desserts for the Sweetest Summer Yet
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below