Raspberry Ice Cream Cookie Bars

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School is finally out!  We have had a pretty crazy last school year, and it is a bit of a relief that it is over!  We were up at 5AM most mornings, and falling into bed around 10PM.  Being off for the summer is the best thing!  More time as a family, later mornings, and beautiful weather for picnics and outings at the park!  I love that it stays light outside until 9PM, and the weather here in Utah is fabulous.  Summer break helps me feel justified in making fabulous desserts like ice cream cookie bars!

I hadn't made ice cream cookie bars before, so this Raspberry Ice Cream Cookie Bar was a real treat!  I combined my favorite kind of oatmeal cookie with the incredibly delicious Blue Bunny® Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream!

I dropped by my local Walmart and had a great time picking out a few fun flavors for our family to eat (one to go in the cookie bar and two just for fun)!  I had the hardest time choosing, because there are a bunch of new flavors that look super delicious!

Blue Bunny® just replaced all their packaging with clear containers so you can see the distribution of the fudge swirls, caramel, and other tasty fillings.  I must say, I think this is a good call, because I am the kind of person who always wants the ice cream with a multitude of peanut butter cups in it.

There is nothing more disappointing than realizing you only got one tiny peanut butter cup in your serving of ice cream.  Why even buy peanut butter ice cream if it only has one lousy peanut butter cup in it!  No longer do I need to wonder if my carton has enough.

This trip, we tried out the Blue Bunny® Mint Chocolate Chip and the Blue Bunny® Peanut Butter Party as well as the Smucker's Magic Shell Chocolate Flavored Topping.  I used to love magic shell as a kid, and I was kind of excited to try it out again!  There is something pretty awesome about watching it harden on your ice cream.  Plus, it added extra chocolate, and I always love extra chocolate. Magic shell is still fulfilling dreams.

Anyway, if you are an ice cream, raspberry or dessert fan, this dessert is for you! An amazing cookie layer, raspberry jam, tasty Blue Bunny® ice cream and a yummy crumble.  You should probably go get some Blue Bunny® Homemade Vanilla ice cream today, and make this for an evening treat!  It is a tasty one!

(You can find the delicious Blue Bunny® ice cream on the the novelty ice cream aisle at your local Walmart®)

Raspberry Ice Cream Bars
Makes 1 9x13" pan

Cookie Layer: 
1 stick plus 2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 cups white granulated sugar
1 Tbs molasses
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 Tbs flour
1 cup +1 Tbs rolled oats

Streusel topping:
3/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbs butter, melted

Other Ingredients: 
1/2 - 2/3 cup raspberry jam (I would opt for something not too sweet)
1/2 container of Blue Bunny® Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions for the Cookie Layer: 

In a stand mixer, combine butter, sugar, and molasses. Mix until creamy.  Add the egg.  Mix until the egg is blended in. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and vanilla.  Mix again for about a minute, until combined.  Add flour, mix well.  Add oats, mix well.  Spray a 9" x 13" pan with nonstick spray.  Scoop the cookie dough into the pan and with a rubber spatula, spread it in an even layer.  Cook in an oven preheated to 375°F for 25-30 minutes.  You may need to put a sheet of aluminum foil over the pan if the edges are looking too brown.  Once the edges are golden and the middle is starting to wrinkle, pull the pan from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes.  

While the cookie is cooling, begin working on the streusel topping.  

Directions for the Streusel topping: 

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, oats, and brown sugar.  Pour the melted butter over the top, and mix with a fork until you have nice a nice crumble.  Spread on a cookie sheet pan lined with tin foil.  Cook in an oven preheated to 375°F for 10-12 minutes, or until very lightly browned.  You may need to toss it a few times with a spatula during the cooking in order to get an even bake.  Once it is done, remove from the oven, and let it sit for 5 minutes to cool.  

Directions for assembly:

Pull your ice cream out of the freezer and set it on the counter for about 5-10 minutes so that it can soften (you don't want it to melt, just soften, so you can spread it more easily).  While it is softening, take a rubber spatula and spread an thin, even layer of jam across the cookie.  Then scoop your ice cream onto the cookie, spreading the ice cream balls out over the cookie.  Let them sit another minute, to soften, then with a spatula, begin to spread it into an even layer.  If your ice cream is still super hard in some places, run your spatula under hot water between spreads.  Pour your crumble over the ice cream layer, and cover with tinfoil.  Freeze for 4-6 hours, until the cookie bar is frozen.  

Remove from the freezer 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving (longer if your freezer is very cold, shorter if your freezer isn't).  You can serve it with another scoop of ice cream on top, a blast of whipped cream, or by itself.  It is delicious anyway you eat it! 

Enjoy!