Make Copycat Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bars

You know the ones I’m talking about. They’re sweet, creamy, and coated in cakey, berry-studded crumbles. Just thinking about them takes me back to New Jersey beaches and sprinting to the ice cream truck the moment the truck rang its signature tune.

Kids today scream for these ice cream bars too, including Verveine Oringer, the daughter of Boston-based, James Beard Award–winning chef Ken Oringer.

Verveine was diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago and she says, “I was probably the most sad about not being able to eat strawberry shortcake ice cream bars anymore.” 

Thankfully, her dad made some kitchen magic happen and cracked the code on a gluten-free version that you can find in their new cookbook with ATK Kids, Cooking with My Dad, the Chef.

The book is full of novel gluten-free desserts and more, from molten chocolate cakes with peanut butter sauce to chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream made with homemade, gluten-free cookie dough. It’s a gluten-free eater’s dream cookbook.

For the ice cream bars, Ken and Verveine start by filling ice pop molds with vanilla ice cream. It works best with a dense, premium ice cream such as Ben & Jerry’s or Häagen-Dazs because it helps the bars keep their shape.

Then they make the strawberry crumbles. According to Ken, using cornstarch in addition to the gluten-free flour makes the crumbles extra-crunchy, while freeze-dried strawberries and dry milk powder are key to the shortcake bars’ iconic flavor.

To get the crumbles to stick, Ken dunks the uncoated ice cream bars in a mix of melted white chocolate and coconut oil before rolling them one by one in the crumble mixture. When the bars hit the freezer, the white chocolate layer turns into a candy-like shell thanks to the coconut oil—coconut oil is liquid when warm, solid at room temperature, and brittle at cooler temperatures. Ice cream magic unlocked!

If you’re not on a gluten-free diet, no need to fret—this recipe will work with all-purpose flour too. Who needs the ice cream truck when you have this recipe?