Orange Creamcicle Bars

When I was a kid the ice cream truck, carefully timed to arrive after dinner every summer evening announced itself with the loud playing of a bouncy tune I believe, about chickens. My favorite treat was the orange pushup; a soft ice cream in a cardboard tube that had a plastic disc in the bottom and a stick protruding from the end. You used the stick to push up the disc which raised the ice cream to a lickable level.

There are no ice cream trucks out here but I’ve found a way to recreate my favorite childhood treat. These Orange Creamcicle Bars take me back to those long ago summer evenings and there’s no baking involved! I think they’ll be a summertime favorite for your family, too!

 

The easiest part of the recipe is making the crust. It’s pretty much the standard graham cracker crust we’ve all made before. I just made graham cracker crumbs, added the melted butter, and stirred until I had the sandy texture I needed.

Next I mixed the cream cheese, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk.

Next came the orange zest and the orange juice. Thank goodness for my son who squeezed about 5 oranges for me!

It was then time to make the whipped cream. I whipped the heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks formed. I forgot to get a picture of the stiff peaks but they formed.

Then I ever so gently folded my whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

I retrieved the crust from the freezer and poured the filling in.

After waiting (impatiently) for about 3 hours I removed the foil from the pan and cut my Orange Creamcicle Bars with a dry, hot knife. I used mandarin orange slices to decorate them but you can use orange zest or both!

Orange Creamcicle Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 24 crackers)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 4 tablespoon sugar

Filling:

• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 3/4 teaspoon orange extract
• Mandarin orange slices (optional)

Directions:

1. Put a mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer.
2. Line a 13×9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl pour the graham cracker crumbs and sugar, mixing to combine well.
4. Stir in the melted butter and mix until the crumbs resemble damp sand.
5. Firmly press the graham cracker mix into the bottom of the prepared pan making sure it’s evenly spread and reaches the corners and edges.
6. Place the pan in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
7. In a large mixing bowl add cream cheese, condensed milk, and sugar and beat until smooth.
8. Stir in the orange zest, orange juice, and orange extract and mix until just combined.
9. In the chilled mixing bowl pour the heavy cream and powdered sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form.
10. Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream very gently into the orange mixture. Do not over mix.
11. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the filling over the crust.
12. Place the pan back in the freezer for at least three hours until the filling is set.
13. To slice, remove the foil from the baking pan and flatten. Use a dry, hot knife to slice into bars.
14. Decorate with mandarin orange slices or orange zest.

The bars will need to thaw for just a couple of minutes before serving.

 

Adapted from Imperial Sugar recipe

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