Frozen strawberries and cream dessert
04.17.2012 
Here I am, back at home in Minnesota, where the beach is no longer in sight. Vacation was wonderful! The house we rented looked directly out onto the ocean. I got better sleep than I have in months and I was in the very best company. It was a lovely and very much-needed trip. But I am always happy to come home, thanks to the wonderful little family that I have been blessed with. I got home after 1am, yet jumped eagerly out of bed at 7am to hug my monkeys. And now I have to start switching modes. Tomorrow Elijah will be having his 8th heart cath at Children's Hospital. So long vacation, and hello hospital.
Can I share one of my favorite photos from my trip? These are the beautiful, fun ladies I spent the majority of my time with.
This frozen dessert seemed like the perfect one to share since it screams warm weather. Although, the weather wasn't exactly warm the entire time we were in California. That's ok. The ocean made up for it.
(Recipe adapted from: she wears many hats)
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Coat an 8x8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
In a food processor, combine:
1/4 cup pecans, toasted
4 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces
Process until finely ground.
Add the crumbs to a large bowl, along with:
10 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
Mix well. Spread the crumbs evenly on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, stirring once half way.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
Using a hand-held mixer, mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.
Add:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Mix on medium speed for an additional 6 minutes.
Add:
Juice from 1 lemon
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
Mix on low speed until creamy.
Coarsely chop 2 cups of hulled strawberries.
Gently fold the strawberries into the cream mixture.
Press half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Top with the strawberry-cream mixture.
Top with the remaining crumbs.
Cover with foil and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours before serving.
I made another pan of this, substituting the strawberries for blueberries. Both were fresh and totally yummy!
Printable recipe: Frozen strawberries and cream dessert
Cream, strawberries in Bars
Reader Comments (56)
That looks so delicious! And I bet it tastes even better. Love the combination of ingredients for the crust - graham, butter, pecans, brown sugar paired with cream and strawberries....yum! Sounds perfect :)
Hello there! Your photos look so lovely, and the dessert looks absolutely delicious. I'm definitely going to try to make this the next time I can spare a couple of hours (: My photos aren't as fantastic as yours, but I'd love if you check out my dessert blog (passthecocoa.blogspot.com). Thanks! Bake on, girl! (:
Hi! I was just, do you really need graham crackers? It's because Australia don't have graham crackers :P
Michelle~
You can make your own Graham crackers! I've seen a recipe before. I'm sure if you do google, you'll find it!
I love your adaptation...I made the original recipe, and while delish, it was definitely something that needed to be eaten the day it was made as the crust got soggy...perhaps it's just the nature of the beast...but, am going to try your recipe and may cut it in 1/2 so there's not so much left over...
I'm a MN native, now living in CO...hope all goes well at Children's... :)
What a gorgeous looking dessert. I love how the strawberries look in this once it's been frozen.
That looks amazing! Strawberries are so fresh right now and this is the perfect recipe I have been looking for to use up some of the berries in the fridge! Thank you for posting
This looks yummy but is it safe to eat with raw egg whites in it?
Hi Brandy! If you are concerned about the uncooked egg whites, substitute with Egg Beaters.
Megan
Is it important to use butter? Or could I also use margarine?
Hi Elizabeth! I am sure margarine would taste just fine!
Megan
I want to make this for a family party this weekend but my brother is allergic to nuts. Do you think it would be terrible without the pecans? Maybe I should make a batch with and a batch without for him (and the kids who are picky)
Hi Jenny! Try omitting the pecans and adding extra graham crackers. I'm sure it would be just as delicious. If you try that, let me know how it turns out!
Megan
So happy to find your lovely blog on Pinterest! These bars sound soooooo good, and definitely a perfect summer treat for sure!!! Take care, Terra
This reminds me of a summer dessert my aunt would make - frozen strawberry squares !
Thanks for the post - I am going to make soon !
Your photos are fabulous! Thanks for sharing, I can't wait to try this!
You could probably substitute shortbread cookies for the graham crackers......
How far ahead of time can I make this without it getting soggy? I would like to make it today for a party tomorrow night. If I can't make it that far ahead, can I just put the crust part on top later or will that take away from the recipe?
Hi Kim! I made my most recent batch the night before and they turned out great!!
Megan
making this right now - using a combo of blueberries and strawberries - am finding it difficult not to eat the filling with a spoon - super yummy! thanks for the recipe! Have a great weekend :)
This sounds so good...do you just take it directly out of the freezer, slice and serve frozen? Is it frozen rock hard or easy to slice frozen?
Thank you!
Hi Robin! It's doable to slice it right out of the freezer. I wouldn't let it sit too long before serving.
Megan
Hi all, in europe we call graham crackers, digestive cookies. Hope the info helps ..,,
It would be good with a pretzel crust too if you can't find graham crackers. My mom makes a strawberry pretzel salad that is similar in components to this recipe and it's delicious!
Thank you for this recipe! I have it in the freezer right now. :) I can't wait to dig in! I did use a commercial egg replacer, and it looks like it should so far! I'll let you all know how it turns out!
http://www.vitacost.com/orgran-gluten-free-no-egg-natural-egg-replacer?csrc=GPF-PA-720516010552&ci_sku=720516010552&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw={keyword}