My kids came in as I was finishing up these strawberry shortcake popsicles, and they were astonished. “What are those, Mama?!?” Sure, the sight of a creamy pink popsicle would be a wonder to anyone, but to two kids who have never experienced the full glory of an ice cream truck and all the novelties it contains, these might as well have been magic. For me, these frozen treats are pure nostalgia, hanging out in my heart somewhere between a box of Dunkeroos and a bowl of Kraft Macaroni, and if your summers were spent anything like mine, I’m sure you may love these too. Let’s dive in.

To make these strawberry shortcake popsicles, we start by briefly cooking our berries. Sliced strawberries, water, and a little sugar cook in a small saucepan until the mixture heats and the berries start to break down. Gently smash the contents of your pan with the back of a fork to release the juice. Once smooth, remove the mixture to cool briefly. The rest of the recipe is as simple as turning on the blender. Add the strawberries and sweetened condensed milk to a blender to bring the two together. Once smooth, add the heavy cream and vanilla, blending just until the mixture thickens slightly. Pour the thick liquid into a prepared popsicle tray and freeze with the sticks inserted until solid.

The crumble here is made of vanilla wafers, freeze-dried strawberries, and melted butter. All three come together in a food processor until it has been reduced to crumbs. Spread the mixture out into a flat pan or plate and begin removing the popsicles from the molds. I find it’s best to work with the crumble when the popsicles are fresh from the mold, but you can do whatever works best for you. Refreeze the pops in the freezer just until solid and then enjoy! Once frozen, you can wrap in parchment and foil to save for a rainy day, but I’m not sure they’ll last that long. These strawberry shortcake popsicles are perfect this time of year for sure!

With Fourth of July just around the corner, I hope you’ll enjoy cooling off with these yummy strawberry shortcake popsicles. If you give them a try, let me know what you think! Happy Tuesday and Happy Baking!

If you like these strawberry shortcake popsicles you should try:

Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Popsicles
Rosé Popsicles
Champagne Cocktail Popsicles
No-Churn Strawberry Pretzel Pie Ice Cream
Jamocha Popsicles

Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles

These strawberry shortcake popsicles are creamy pops made with fresh fruit and coated with a strawberry cookie crumble!

• Author: Kate Wood (adapted from Erin McDowell)
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 5
• Total Time: 8 hours
• Yield: 10 Popsicles
• Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the popsicles:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen sliced strawberries
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1–1/2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crumble: 

• 2 cups vanilla wafers
• 1 ounces freeze-dried strawberries 
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3–4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Combine the sliced strawberries, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, gently mashing the softened berries occasionally, until the mixture softens and begins to bubble, about 4- 8 minutes (depending on if you use fresh or frozen berries.)
2. Spoon the mixture into a food processor or blender and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes. Puree just until smooth. Add in the condensed milk, heavy cream, and vanilla and blend for another minute until the mixture has thickened slightly. Pour the thickened mixture into prepared popsicle molds, add the popsicle sticks, and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours but preferable overnight.
3. When ready to finish your popsicles, process the freeze-dried strawberries, vanilla wafers, salt, and sugar until they have been reduced to a crumble. Pulse in 3 tablespoons of the melted butter, adding more as needed to make a moist, sandy mixture. Dump the crumbles into a small rimmed dish. Release the popsicles from their molds one by one. I like the fill a glass with hot water and place the unmolded popsicles into it to melt around the edge slightly before gently releasing. Place each one in the freezer on a sheet pan lined with wax paper while you work on getting the popsicles out. Then, coat the popsicles in your crumble mixture and place back on the sheet pan to re-freeze for about 20 minutes. I like to coat the pops when they’re fresh from the mold as the softened edges hold onto the crumble best. Enjoy fresh from the freezer!