Just like the ice cream truck treats you remember, these Strawberry Shortcake Popsicle Bars are full of nostalgic flavor! Made with just 4 ingredients, this simplified, Good Humor-inspired recipe will be a crowd pleaser. They're refreshing, fruity, crunchy, creamy, totally vegan and gluten-free. No ice cream maker required!
In keeping with our theme of nostalgic snacks, these strawberry shortcake bars take their inspiration from the classic ice cream truck treat I grew up loving. Originally made by Good Humor, the original Strawberry Shortcake Bars are coated with a crunchy topping that envelops a white and pink ice cream bar. I haven't eaten one of these bars in a while, but wanted to see if an at-home version could be feasible. Here are a couple of personal rules I had when brainstorming:
- I did not want to need use an ice cream maker. This is partially because I don't own one (hah) but also because most people do not own one, right?
- Ideally, I wanted to use as few ingredients as possible. I hardly can call this post a "recipe"; it uses just 4 ingredients.
More Frozen Fruit Dessert Recipes
Grand Marnier Strawberry Sundaes
Ginger Peach Crumble Ice Cream Floats
Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Sugar Crispies
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Ingredients Needs to Make Strawberry Shortcake Bars
- Two pints of your favorite vanilla ice cream - for the outer layer of the bar
- Strawberry fruit bars - for the bright & fruity core
- Vanilla wafer cookies - to create a crunchy coating
- Freeze dried strawberries -for a pop of color on the outside
How to Make Strawberry Shortcake Popsicle Bars
You'll notice I include a lot of detail in the steps below - this was just to be as clear as possible! I promise this recipe is not time intensive at all; the vast majority of work is "hands off" while the bars are setting in the freezer. The first important note: before beginning this recipe, clear some space in the freezer for these to sit, undisturbed! If you're anything like me, the freezer is normally an avalanche waiting to happen, so this pre-work will give you peace of mind while the bars are setting.
A rimmed pan (ideally a half or quarter sheet tray) is very useful as a work surface. To begin, you'll line this sheet (or a similarly shaped plate) with plastic wrap or reusable wrap. Then, you'll spread the vanilla layer across the tray, as this will form the first side of your bars.
After unwrapping your popsicles, you'll place them down on the ice cream layer and cover them with the rest of the ice cream. You'll let this try freeze again while blending and mixing your wafer cookies and freeze-dried strawberries for the crunchy outer coating. Finally, you'll remove the ice cream-covered popsicles from the fridge and slice them into large rectangles. After coating the outside in the cookie mixture and a final quick freeze, you're ready to eat!
Love strawberries? Be sure to check out this round up of my favorite vegan strawberry recipes!
I hope you enjoy these frozen strawberry shortcake bars, and that they bring you a bit of nostalgia this summer! As always, please leave a rating and review if you give this recipe a try, I always love hearing how things work for readers.
Strawberry Shortcake Popsicle Bars
Ingredients
- 2 pints vanilla ice cream vegan if necessary
- 1 box strawberry pure fruit popsicles the square ones
- 1 bag freeze fried strawberries
- 3 cups vanilla wafer cookies vegan/gluten-free if necessary
Instructions
- Remove your ice cream from the freezer and let it begin to soften while you prepare a sheet tray or rectangular plate. This will need to fit in your freezer, so think accordingly! It will need to accommodate all four of your strawberry shortcake bars. I used a metal sheet tray which I would recommend as it stays very cold! Once you have a tray or plate, line it with plastic wrap or BeesWrap completely, until covered.
- Using a knife or offset spatula, spread one of the pints of ice cream across the bottom of your lined tray. This will be one side of your bar. Try to keep the shape rectangular, about 8 inches by 16 inches. This may vary depending on the width of the popsicles you're using.
- Unwrap your popsicles and place them down on top of the ice cream layer, on the edge so that the sticks are hanging over the edge. Now, carefully begin folding your slightly softened ice cream over top of the popsicles, smoothing as you go. This does not need to be perfect! Imagine you're trying to envelop each popsicle evenly in the ice cream, like wrapping a present. Smooth the top of the ice cream so that it's fairly even. You may need to open the second pint of ice cream for extra coverage. We will be trimming the edges later so those don't matter as much. Just try to make sure no parts of the popsicle are exposed. Once finished, stick the entire tray in the freezer and let set for at least an hour, preferably 2.
- White ice cream bars are re-freezing, it's time to make the topping. If you have a food processor or blender, combine the strawberries and wafer cookies and pulse until small, evenly-sized pieces form. If you do not have this equipment, feel free place wafers and strawberries in a sealed bag and smash by hand. A rolling pin can be helpful here. The key is to insure the pieces of your coating are fairly similar in size, as pictured. Set aside.
- Once frozen solid, remove ice cream bars from the freezer. Working quickly, use a sharp knife to slice the bars into even rectangular shapes. Trim ice cream from around the edges so that the stick is easily grabbed. Re-freeze remaining ice cream on tray for another time.
- Pour crumb coating onto a plate. Once bars are sliced, dip one at a time into the wafer/strawberry topping, carefully pressing the coating into the sides of the bars so that it sticks. Pressing will help it better adhere. Once bars are fully coated, place on plate and stick back in freezer for 15 minutes or so to firm up. Serve cold of course!
jim says
Recipe worked well!
Emily says
Thank you for 5 stars, Jim! I am glad to hear that!
Willow says
Absolutely loved this one! Will be doing this again next summer
Emily says
Thank you for trying it, Willow!