Ice Cream Pops with Fresh Berry Jam & Graham Cracker Crumbs

Even though Fall has officially taken over the internet, we had an amazing 80* weekend here in Northern California and I couldn't resist one more taste of summer!

If you remember, I participated in the Ice Cream Craving campaign with Tillamook a few weeks ago, and created these yummy Ice Cream Sandwiches. Unfortunately, those only lasted about two days in our freezer. But I was smart enough to freeze the leftover berries from Farm Box SF, and we still had quite a bit of Oregon Blueberry Patch and Strawberry Ice Cream, so I knew I could create a yummy frozen treat!

Since the berries were frozen, I decided to cook them down into a jam. I knew it would be the perfect compliment to the ice cream. Once I had the sauce cooked, I decided to make a layered popsicle inspired by this post from Cupcakes & Cashmere. I don't know about you, but one of my favorite fro-yo toppings is graham cracker crumbs. And since I had some graham crackers leftover from camping, I decided to incorporate that into my pops as well. I love the layered look of Emily's cappuccino pops and I wanted to create a similar effect with my Ice Cream Pops.

These were actually really fun to put together, and quite easy too! They would be perfect to serve for dessert at a dinner party or BBQ. Even though they're quite simple, the fun layers and flavors make them feel festive. And the best part, you can change the ice cream flavors and layer your favorite toppings to make them unique. 

Fresh Berry Jam:

Ingredients -

2 cups summer berries (I used blackberries and raspberries)

1 lemon (juice and zest)

1/2 cup sugar

Directions -

Place berries, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice into a sauce pan. Heat over medium/high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. When finished, it will be reduced to about half. I used a wooden spoon to break down the berries as they cooked. You could also puree them before cooking or with an immersion blender afterwards if you wanted a smoother consistency. 

Ice Cream Pops:

Ingredients - 

5oz. paper cups (like these)

popsicle sticks (I used these)

Tillamook Ice Cream (I used Oregon Blueberry Patch and Oregon Strawberry)

1 package Graham Crackers, crushed

1 cup fresh berry jam

Directions -

First, take the ice cream out of the freezer about 10 minutes to let it soften a bit. Then, line up your cups, graham cracker crumbs, and berry jam. Once the ice cream has softened, put a large spoonful in the bottom of each cup. Next, place a spoonful of graham cracker crumbs on top of the ice cream. Shake the cup so that the crumbs evenly cover the first layer of ice cream. Next add a spoonful of jam, spreading to make an even layer. Repeat this process until you fill the cup, ending with ice cream as the top layer. I got about 3 layers of ice cream (two of graham crumbs and jam) in each of mine. Once the cups are filled, insert the ice cream stick and freeze. 

Freeze for at least a few hours or over night to set. When you're ready to eat one, simply peel the paper cup away from the popsicle, and enjoy! 

*I placed my cups in a glass baking dish to keep them from falling over in the freezer.

A simple and delicious treat! Ice cream might be considered a summertime dessert, but if you ask me it should be enjoyed year round!! You could even make a Fall version of this recipe with vanilla ice cream, graham crackers, and pumpkin! Yummm, I may have to try that.....

the cleanup after shooting - popsicles don't last very long in direct sunlight!  

Marionberry Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches with Tillamook and Farm Box SF

I'm so excited to be partnering with Tillamook again! As I'm sure you know by now, cheese is my favorite food group and I am a huge Tillamook fan. You might remember back in June, I attended a launch party for the Tillamook Pop-Up Shop here in San Francisco. Andrew and I had the best time! Everyone with Tillamook was so kind and knowledgeable about their products.

One of the best surprises of the evening was learning about Tillamook Ice Cream. I don't know if I had been living under a rock or what, but I had no idea they made ice cream. They had many flavors available to taste at the Pop-Up event, so of course, I sampled a handful. And you guys, it's amazing! So creamy and delicious. While I know many people love chocolate and caramel flavors for ice cream, I prefer fruit flavors and they had so many yummy choices. My favorite was the Oregon Blueberry Patch, it tastes like summer! The Marionberry Pie was a close second, it had pie filling and bits of crust in a creamy vanilla ice cream!

So naturally, when they reached out to me about teaming up for a "Fresh Picked Craving" post and creating a recipe using their ice cream and fresh summer berries, I jumped on board immediately! Tillamook partnered with Farm Box SF, and let me tell you it is a match made in Heaven. Both Tillamook and Farm Box are committed to supporting local farms for their products. The local, organic berries from Farm Box were the perfect compliment to Tillamook's ice cream.

For my "Fresh Picked Craving" recipe, I wanted to create a dessert that really reminded me of true summer. Something we don't always get to enjoy here in San Francisco. I grew up in the foothills and spent many summers picking berries with my Mom. What we didn't eat directly out of the bucket while picking, she would make into wonderful jams and fresh cobbler. I wanted to capture those summer flavors for this recipe.

When the delivery from Farm Box SF arrived last weekend, Andrew told me "these are the best looking blackberries I've ever seen." When I opened them up, I was immediately brought back to picking wild blackberries with my mom as a little girl. They were perfection! And the raspberries were perfectly red and ripe. Real berry flavor, not what you'd find at the grocery store. That's all it took for me to be a Farm Box SF convert, no more grocery store produce for me.  

Now it was time to think of a recipe to combine the fresh summer berries, and creamy Marionberry Pie ice cream from Tillamook. Talk about inspiring ingredients!!

I decided, what says 'summer' more than an Ice Cream Sandwich?! But I didn't want to make just any ice cream sandwich, this one had to be special! I wanted to incorporate both the ice cream, and the fresh berries. I thought, what better way to do that, then putting fresh berries directly into the cookie? Since I was using Marionberry Pie ice cream, I wanted to stick with the pie theme. I decided, sugar cookies with fresh berries would be a new spin on berry pie; the berries imitating filling, and the sugar cookie imitating the crust. 

For the cookies, carefully fold your berries into the dough. The juices may bleed a bit, but it just creates a beautiful marble affect in the finished cookies, so don't worry! I love how the berries burst and melt into the dough a little while baking, it's almost too pretty to eat!

Once you've made the cookies, let them cool for a few hours or over night. Next, it's time to assemble your ice cream sandwiches! I took the ice cream out of the freezer a few minutes ahead of time so it would soften a little. Then I simply took one scoop and placed it on the bottom side of a cookie. I used the back of a spoon so start shaping ice cream, making sure it went all the way to the edge of the cookie. Then I placed another cookie on top, and pressed the two together, using the spoon again to smooth the edges. I wrapped each sandwich individually in saran wrap, and placed them in the freezer to set up. 

I feel like I should have some childhood memory to share about waiting for an ice cream truck during summer break, but ice cream trucks aren't all that practical in rural foothill towns! So I missed that experience. I guess this is my way of making up for it! And I'm sure these ice cream sandwiches are ten times better than anything you'd find on an ice cream truck! 

I'm telling you guys, you seriously need to make these! They're so good! And just in time for Labor Day weekend Summer isn't over yet, and these would be the perfect dessert for an end of summer BBQ!

I know everyone is excited for Fall (it's my favorite season, too), but in a few months we'll all be missing the warmth of summer and sweet treats like these. So, be sure to soak up the last bit of summer, and make yourself an Ice Cream Sandwich to celebrate what a great season it's been.

Marionberry Pie Ice Cream Sandwich

Blackberry & Raspberry Sugar Cookies* - 
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup butter
1 egg
3/4 cups fresh blackberries and raspberries (if the blackberries are large cut in half) 

Directions:
Heat oven to 375* and line cookie sheets with parchment paper, nonstick baking mat or cooking spray.

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg until well-combined. Stir in flour baking powder, salt and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, toss the berries in 2 tablespoons flour, and discard excess. Then gently fold flour coated berries into the dough. 

Scoop large, 2 tablespoon portions of dough and roll into a ball. Place each ball on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. 


** For a semi-homemade version of this recipe, use a packet of Sugar Cookie Mix. Instead of following package directions, add only 1/3 cup butter and 1 egg. Then mix as directed and gently fold in fresh berries. 

Ice Cream Sandwiches - 
Ingredients:
Blackberry & Raspberry Sugar Cookies
Tillamook Marionberry Pie Ice Cream

Directions:
Once the cookies have cooled, take one scoop of ice cream and place on the bottom of one cookie. Use a spoon to shape the ice cream, making sure it reaches the edge of the cookie. Then place another cookie on top, pressing the two together. Wrap each sandwich individually in saran wrap, and place in the freezer for at least an hour to set. 

A big thank you to Tillamook and Farm Box SF for asking me to participate in this challenge! I think it's been my favorite blog project to date, I had a lot of fun with it! I really enjoyed working with companies that care so much about supporting local farms. They care about providing the best possible product, using the freshest ingredients. Sadly, that is becoming a rarity in the food industry these days, so it's refreshing to see companies that are passionate about it, and make it a priority.

I hope you all enjoy this end of summer treat! Please let me know if you make them and what you think!

What's your favorite summertime dessert?

For more recipes from the Fresh Picked Craving challenge with Tillamook, look for #IceCreamCraving and #FarmToCone on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

I'm link up over here today for "Weekend Potluck"! Stop by to find some great recipes just in time for Labor Day Weekend or a Back to School BBQ!