Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Bars Recipe

Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Bars

• Level: Intermediate
• Yield: 8 ice cream bars
• Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 of 8 bars): Calories 438, Total Fat 29g, Saturated Fat 16g, Carbs 41g, Fiber 1g, Sugar 32g, Protein 6g, Cholesterol 131mg, Sodium 144mg
• Total Time: 6 hours 50 minutes (includes chilling and freezing)
• Active Time: 45 minutes

Relive those magical Wadmalaw summer days when the ice cream truck's jingle called you outside for strawberry bars blanketed in irresistible pink cookie crumbs. Now, craft that nostalgia at home with silky homemade strawberry ice creampure bliss in every bite that'll have you savoring summer all year long!

Ingredients

Strawberry Ice Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries, ground into powder
• Red food coloring (optional)

Strawberry Crunch:

• 20 vanilla cream-filled sandwich cookies (like golden Oreos)
• 3 tablespoons strawberry-flavored gelatin powder
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Special Equipment:

• Ice cream maker
• Wooden popsicle sticks

Directions

1. To prepare the strawberry ice cream: Warm the heavy cream and half-and-half in a saucepan over medium-low heat until small bubbles appear at the edges, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
2. In a separate bowl, beat sugar, honey, and egg yolks with an electric mixer until the color lightens to pale yellow. While mixing, slowly add some of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture to temper it. Gradually pour in the rest of the cream, whisking constantly. Transfer everything back to the saucepan, stir in the powdered freeze-dried strawberries, and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add a few drops of red food coloring if you want a more vibrant pink color. Chill the custard completely with an ice-water bath, then freeze it in an ice cream maker according to its instructions.
3. Transfer the churned ice cream into a 9-inch square pan lined with parchment or plastic wrap. Freeze until very firmthis usually takes at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
4. Meanwhile, create the strawberry crunch coating. Pulse the sandwich cookies in a food processor until the crumbs are coarse (about 3-4 pulses). Add the strawberry gelatin powder and melted butter, pulsing just to combine. Spread this crumble mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let it dry.
5. Once the ice cream is fully frozen, remove it from the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into 8 bars, insert a popsicle stick in the bottom of each bar, and roll each bar completely in the strawberry crunch mixture to coat evenly. Place the coated bars on a parchment-lined tray and freeze again for 1 hour to set before serving.