This unique dessert tastes a little like fried ice cream bars, without any frying! It’s a delicious mixture of rice krispies, toasted coconut and pecans and brown sugar that’s toasted in the oven with butter and then used to sandwich vanilla ice cream in the center. It’s perfect for potlucks and family get-togethers, or simply a fun treat at home. This recipe comes from our good family friend, Linda Pope. BYU basketball fans might recognize that last name- she’s the mom of now head coach Mark Pope. Our families grew up together and my Mom got this recipe from her over 20 years ago and we’ve been making it ever since!
Ice Cream Crunch Bars
Description
Vanilla ice cream is sandwiched between a crispy buttery layer reminiscent of fried ice cream!
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups Rice Krispie Cereal
1 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
3/4 cups brown sugar
optional: a few shakes of cinnamon
8 tablespoons real butter (1 stick), melted
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream (or one ‘carton’ since they keep shrinking), softened to the consistency of soft serve (see note)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil or a parchment sling, extending a little over the edges of pan.
Place Rice Krispies, pecans, coconut, and brown sugar in a 9×13 inch pan. Drizzle butter over mixture and combine well (a fork, or clean hands work well.) If desired, sprinkle in a few shakes of ground cinnamon and mix in. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking time. Remove from oven when toasted and golden brown and let mixture cool completely.
Remove half of crispy mixture and spread remaining half in an even layer on the bottom of pan. Gently spoon softened ice cream on top of mixture. Use a spoon and very gently spread mixture, being careful to not lift up crisp from bottom of pan. (see notes for a tip). Spread ice cream out evenly and then top with remaining crisp mixture. Gently press top crisp into ice cream with hands. Cover pan with plastic or foil and chill until firm (preferably overnight.) When ready to serve, use foil/parchment to completely remove ice cream from pan. Slice into squares and serve.
Notes
Softening the Ice Cream: I’ve found it helps to tear off ice cream container and place the whole frozen block into a large bowl. Use a sharp knife to cut it into several large chunks. At this point you can leave it at room temperature for a while, or very carefully microwave at a low heat to gently soften, stirring in between. The consistency you’re going for is soft serve ice cream. It helps to stir it vigorously as it softens until it’s nice and smooth.
Spreading the Ice Cream: If you’re not careful, you will mix up your bottom layer of crisp. With your ice cream very soft and smooth, just spoon large spoonfuls as evenly as possible in your 9×13 pan. Avoid dumping the whole thing in there at once. Stand next to your sink with hot water running and use a large metal spoon dipped in the hot water to spread ice cream. The eat will help it glide over the ice cream smoothly and make the process much easier! Continue dipping and spreading until it’s smooth. See blog post for photos of this process.
How to Make the Topping
This doesn’t seem like much, but this is where the magic is. Mix rice krispies, coconut, brown sugar, pecans, and melted butter and slowly toast them in the oven. If you have a nut allergy, just leave out the nuts and make it up with extra krispies and coconut.
Together, you get sweet, crunchy, chewy, and crispy with so many great natural flavors and textures. It might seem like a weird, or simple combination, but stick with me. Half of this mixture gets spread on the bottom of a 9×13 pan.
Spread on your Ice Cream
It’s important that your ice cream is very soft. Not melted, but soft. Think soft serve that comes out of a machine; that’s the perfect texture.
Softening the Ice Cream: I’ve found it helps to tear off ice cream container and place the whole frozen block into a large bowl. Use a sharp knife to cut it into several large chunks. At this point you can leave it at room temperature for a while, or very carefully microwave at a low heat to gently soften, stirring in between. The consistency you’re going for is soft serve ice cream. It helps to stir it vigorously as it softens until it’s nice and smooth. As you place your ice cream on your crisp mixture, try to plop it on as evenly as you can.
Spreading the Ice Cream
If you’re not careful, you will mix up your bottom layer of crisp. With your ice cream very soft and smooth, just spoon large spoonfuls as evenly as possible in your 9×13 pan. Avoid dumping the whole thing in there at once. Stand next to your sink with hot water running and use a large metal spoon dipped in the hot water to spread ice cream. The eat will help it glide over the ice cream smoothly and make the process much easier! Continue dipping and spreading until it’s smooth.
Top your ice cream with the remaining crisp mixture.
Once it’s frozen back up again, use your parchment or foil to lift the whole thing out of the pan and slice into squares.
I like these in small bowls with a spoon or fork. They are AMAZING! Especially after it’s softened just a little bit, like 5 minutes, and the ice cream just sort of melts in your mouth and the flavors from the caramelized, toasted coconut and nuts come through with an added crisp from the cereal.
Questions & Reviews
Made these for a small Mexican themed dinner party last night – I passed them off as “fried ice cream bars.” Due to allergies, I subbed oatmeal and slightly crushed Corn Flakes for the pecans and coconut. Served them with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, whipped cream and a cherry. There were so incredibly good that everyone went back for seconds and thirds. This is, hands down, my new favorite summer dessert.
I made these for a party and they were good. Even better was the left over crumble on top of oatmeal in the morning!! No need to get out all of the goodies to add a little sweetness and crunch to the morning.
I was wondering if you put the bars in the 9 x 13 pan you cooked the mixture in or not because in the picture it looks like you used an 8 x 8 pan to put the bars in. Thanks!! These look great.
Yep, I noted in the post that I made a half batch for these photos, so that’s why you see an 8×8 photo.
I made these.
They’re amazing.
They remind me of fried ice cream and now I can’t get out of my head how awesome they’d be with cinnamon ice cream. Does anyone even make that?
Heck yeah, we make it!
Just use this base (minus the cookies)
The ice cream looks great + the billboard is fabulous!! Have a blast in NYC 🙂
You had me at coconut!
These are so easy and amazingly good! Used Gluten Free Rice Krispies and it was a great GF Treat!! Thanks!
YUMMY! Becca was just telling me about this recipe a month or two ago. I can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
I like to make my own icecream. That should work just fine, right?
Oh man I love this website all my kids love making food with me and they love eating my food I make bcuz of this website
Love this website everyone love my food I make becues
Of this website thanks for all the good foods you have on here
**loves the food I make
It is taking all of my self-control to not eat all the crunchy topping! Must save for ice cream! Hmm, maybe I can just use it as a topping, than it doesn’t matter if there is only 1 cup of it left! You guys are awesome!!Thanks for all the delicious recipes!!
I have had something similar to this and I love it. I double the crust recipe because I don’t think its enough for a 9×13 pan. I have also just made the crusty and eaten with fruit or yogurt.
We have enjoyed this dessert before minus the nuts. We also drizzle it with a red raspberry fruit sauce that compliments nicely!
I made this with homemade ice cream from the machine; it came out at just the right “spreading” consistency, and I used the new gluten-free Rice Krispies, because I’ve got celiac disease so have to care about that sorta thing. And this was one super yummy gluten-free dessert! Thanks, ladies!!
So my family has been making these for a long time, except we put all the crust on the bottom, then top it with a raspberry sauce. I bet it would be good with your homemade strawberry sauce, too!
We made these yesterday and they are awesome. Thanks!
Not sure which is more awesome the photo or the bars…YUM-ER-ROO!
This was amazing!! I wish I would have added the cinnamon. Ice cream was soft after about 2 hours in the fridge.
Something about this screams that it needs honey roasted sunflower kernels. And so it shall.
Looks yummy! What other nut would be good in this…can’t eat pecans or walnuts.
These look amazing! I would add those chocolate toffee bits to the mix after baking, just for a little chocolate kick and some extra yummyness.
Okay, totally loving you & Dusanka up there!
That is the best. The best!
I love that you put Boise up there too!
Too fun.
P.S. The recipe looks just as great too!
Just pinned it, can’t wait to try it!
BTW, I have a downs syndrome grandson, and about 5 years ago when he was about 10 or so, my daughter took him to New York for some kind of fundraiser, and he won the privelege of getting his picture on the jumbo-tron. It was the thrill of his life. They got to purchase a DVD of it. Yours pic was FABULOUS!!!
A friend gave me this recipe about 20 years ago. It always reminded me of the “fried ice cream” you get at a Mexican restaurant. Everyone loves it.
I used to have this dessert a lot when I was younger… my mom always served it with warm Raspberry Danish Dessert mixed with frozen raspberries… Delicious!!! Thanks for a reminder that I need to make this again, it’s been way too long!!
Oh, I want to be popular. I will make these. And now I’m singing “Popular” from Wicked. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
That (shopping) trip should be a tax write off!!! 🙂 You have the picture to prove it!!!
These look so yummy. My mouth is watering. Next time we have a special occasion I am making these. Or maybe just tomorrow night.
Ok, the food, whatever…THAT IS SO AWESOME you were in times square!! My hubby, from NJ, married this po-dunk girl, from TX, and whisked me away to the tri-state area and THAT’S WHERE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN FROM ALL ALONG! The billboards in times square are awesome and you rock! oh, and love the blog and the FOOD!