Monday, June 21, 2010

Pop-Tarts Fourth of July Ice Cream Pie Recipe & a Visa Gift Card Giveaway


This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Pop-Tarts.

This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who participated.

After weeks of indecisive spring weather, summer is finally upon us. For my kids, that means a few key things: sprinklers should be in working order, the slip 'n slide is fixed in its permanent summertime location in our backyard, and the freezer is continuously stocked with ice cream and popsicles. On days when they are feeling water-logged and they have wiped out on the slip 'n slide one too many times while "surfing" their way down the glistening surface, we pull out the big guns. For the past several summers, one of their favorite activities involved placing small plastic or rubber toys, such as knights and sea creatures, into a plastic container, filling it with water, and freezing until solid. When boredom is about to set in, we unmold the ice block form the container, place it on a baking sheet and send them into the backyard with toy hammers to chisel their toys from their icy resting places. Works like a charm!

After working so diligently at their toy rescue efforts, my boys are usually ready for some sort of frozen treat. While otter pops and popsicles usually do the trick, I wanted to try something a little different. When I received several boxes of Pop-Tarts® Ice Cream Shoppe™ Frosted Vanilla Milkshake pop-tarts, I knew just what to do with them. With July 4th just around the corner, I wanted to put together a special dessert fit for the occasion. Pop-Tarts featured a special treat for Easter, so why not something to celebrate the day of red, white, and blue?

Ground Pop-Tarts were used as the crust and sprinkled on top of a vanilla ice cream center. Just before serving, I decorated the top of the ice cream pie with fresh strawberries and blueberries. What did my kids think? Well, let's just say that they would like Pop-Tarts ice cream pies to become a new tradition after a long day of frolicking. I am more than happy to oblige.

The recipe:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut 6 Pop-Tarts® Ice Cream Shoppe™ Frosted Vanilla Milkshake Pop-Tarts into 1-inch pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor.


Pulse until the Pop-Tarts are coarse crumbs.


Place 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter in a microwave-proof bowl and melt in the microwave. Pour the butter into the processor and briefly pulse until the crumbs are moistened.


Lightly spray a 9-inch glass pie dish with cooking spray and press the moistened crumbs evenly on the bottom and up the sides.

Bake in the oven until the crust is light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack and cool completely.


Spread 2 pints (1/4 gallon) softened ice cream into the crust.


Coarsely chop 2 Pop-Tarts® Ice Cream Shoppe™ Frosted Vanilla Milkshake Pop-Tarts and sprinkle over top of the ice cream. Cover and freeze until ready to eat.


About 10 minutes before serving, remove the ice cream pie from the freezer to soften slightly. Using 1/2 cup strawberry wedges and 1/2 cup blueberries, decorate the top of the pie. Cut into wedges and serve.



Printable recipe

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer, please answer the following question in the comment section:

"What are your kids' or grandkids' favorite summertime activities?"

Please, no duplicate comments.
You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
This giveaway is open to US Residents aged 18 and older
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail, so please be sure that you leave an email address.
You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

Head to the BlogHer.com special offers page for 9 other chances to win a $100 Visa gift card.

Please see the official rules for this giveaway.

63 comments:

  1. My kids' favorite summertime activity is going to the swimming pool.

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My kids love to break out the Slip n' Slide during the summer. I don't mind as I hate setting up the pool. Lugging, or should I say, tossing the slip n' slide down from the attic is so much easier. LOL!

    May I add, your recipe looks delicious and I plan on trying it myself.

    tclarkusa at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  3. My kids favorite activities during summer is swimming, swimming, and more swimming!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We have a few traditional "summer" activities-like our county fair we go to every June, or camping, or bbq's with family. But mostly just a lot of beach and pool time. Summer is always more relaxed!
    Kelsey
    www.courageousmother.blogspot.com
    micahandkelsey1(at)cox(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  5. My kids love water fights on the lawn and going on day trips to museums and amusement parks.

    bonggamom@Yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. We love to go to the beach for the day. It's a bit of a drive so we make sure to pack a cooler before we take off.

    Aly at infertilityoverachievers dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. So far, swimming and driveway chalk art are favorites!

    I hope to get them into camping once the bay is a bit older. :D

    ReplyDelete
  8. The beach and the zoo are a couple of favortie summer adventures.

    kristisdeals1 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't have kids but my nephews love to have ice cream and go swimming in the summer!

    thelittlekitchenblog (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have 4 kids: 17, 13, 12 & 9.. finding something for all 4 of them to do together is difficult at times. But the one thing we all love to do together is go to the movies on a hot day..

    ReplyDelete
  11. Going to the park or swimming. My little one just loves to be outside.

    breezysmom123@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. your dessert looks so tasty, i may have to try to make it myself!

    my kids love to go outside when theres a breeze and blow bubbles

    ReplyDelete
  13. We LOVE to freeze Pop-Tarts- anything frozen is great.

    fav activity is swimming, they love the water!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love the mini ice cream sandwiches! Perfect summertime treat! Ice Cream and a pool - perfect combination!

    mjharvey26 at yahoo dot com

    name: joy

    ReplyDelete
  15. Camp! My kid loves the social/games/silliness that is camp. Can't get enough of it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. of all the other people doing the Poptart thing Yours is truely the best,hands down! I am not just saying that,it looks the best to me.

    My son loves swimming and so do I!

    ReplyDelete
  17. i sometimes think that the kids are part fish. it's hard to get them out of the pool

    teechbiz at gmail do com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Okay that? WAS GENIUS.

    Our son loves to play in the backyard pool and ride in his Cozy Coupe--he's two. Really, anything with outside, running, sticks, toys, water, etc and he's good!

    samanthajocampen at gmail

    ReplyDelete
  19. My daughter loves when I put the sprinkler outside in the backyard. We have a dog that loves water so the two of them have a blast running through the sprinkler. I love watching the dog try to drink the water straight out of the sprinkler and getting water all over her face.

    shel704 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Tweeted:
    http://twitter.com/auntiethesis/status/16829347997

    shel704 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I don't have kids. In the summer, I love eating ice cream. That is also a favorite fall, winter, and spring activity. :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. We like swimming, reading, and watching Top Chef - a new episode every Wed during the summer.

    ReplyDelete
  23. We love visiting the beach and enjoying the blue water and sand!

    pricousins at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. My little lady just turned 2. she loves to go to the beach to dig in the dirt and kick the waves.

    ReplyDelete
  25. What a creative idea for using pop-tarts. I haven't even heard of that flavor. My kids love pop-tarts. My younger ones love the fact that they can "make it" themselves. My kids love going to our neighborhood pool. We go several times each week. I also have signed them up for the summer reading program at the local library. They take in their reading log in each week. If they have 1 hour or more of reading time they get a small prize. last week the coupon was for a free Frosty at Wendys.

    ReplyDelete
  26. My kids love going to the beach and surfing.

    honeybeez80@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  27. Catching lightening bugs to make homemade "flashlights" is an all-time favorite!

    ReplyDelete
  28. swimming and playing with friends

    ReplyDelete
  29. They love to do anything involving water - swim, run through the sprinklers, slip-n-slide, they love it all!

    sdl62077 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. My kids love to swim in the summertime. lisacarr7 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  31. The kids love water balloons, buckets of water while playing on the trampoline. It is a favorite that doesn't seem to get old!

    ReplyDelete
  32. My kids are grown, and I don't have grandkids yet, but when our kids were younger they liked making a tent using a sheet hung over our clothesline. They'd play in there for hours.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Going in the kiddie pool
    Elizabeth
    mrsgerbil@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  34. We love swimming so hitting the beach or community pool is pretty much a given :)

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  35. tweeted

    http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/17145530335

    dreamzz12{at]aol{dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  36. blogged about this giveaway :)

    http://deegee13.xanga.com/729279510/blogher-pop-tarts--fouth-of-july-giveaways/

    dreamzz12{at}aol{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  37. My daughter loves the outdoors. Her favorite summer activities are picking wild raspberries with Daddy and oh....collecting bugs is another fav...egads....
    Berries are okay with me, but the bug collecting? eeeekkkkkk!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Your dessert idea is SO creative!! I really love it best out of all the ones I've seen(shh lol)

    no kids anymore(raised 2 brothers but they are grown) but my godson loves to go to the pool and hopefully we'll get to go down to Myrtle Beach this year!!:)

    thanks for the chance to win!

    ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  39. I tweeted about your giveaway:


    http://twitter.com/JoeyfromSC/status/17264859421

    ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  40. I blogged about your giveaway also:

    http://joebloe1116.blogspot.com/2010/06/win-100-giftcard-from-points-of-review.html

    ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  41. My kids love swimming.

    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  42. tweet.http://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/17276143822

    ReplyDelete
  43. blogged.http://tcarolinep.blogspot.com/2010/06/giveaway-points-of-review.html

    ReplyDelete
  44. My grandkids love going to the pool.They just joined a swim team and are having a blast. My preschoolers are spending their outside time playing squirt tag.

    Bette
    bette@polkabean.com

    ReplyDelete
  45. swimming!!

    pestkaj(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  46. My kids favorite summer activity is going out in our boat and sun bathing (17 year old) or tubing (11 & 14 year old.

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  47. I tweeted
    http://twitter.com/lunaj1456/status/17341211112

    ajolly1456 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  48. SWIMMING! In at the beach or pool!

    ReplyDelete
  49. tweeted. . .

    http://twitter.com/kdolphins7/status/17458653503

    ReplyDelete
  50. Your recipe looks so fancy and delish! In our family we love to ride bikes and go swimming on hot days. :)

    ReplyDelete
  51. Swimming, swimming, swimming or running thru the sprinkler. Thanks for the contest.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I don't have kids of my own, but my niece LOVES to swim! That girl is a fish I swear! LOL
    Angie
    one 4 earth at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  53. I tweeted here: http://twitter.com/FotoMacro/status/17589934980
    Angie
    one 4 earth at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  54. tweeted http://twitter.com/RePurrPussed/status/17590913298
    Scott
    nynekats at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  55. My nephew is really into hiking. Its fun to take him to parks and see things thru his eyes for the first time. We look for birds and fish and everything in the woods and streams. Its awesome.
    Scott
    nynekats at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  56. When my son was little, we lived near a pool and he used to love that. We also had a waterslide park fairly close and that was always a welcome treat

    ReplyDelete
  57. tweet https://twitter.com/vlbsweeps/status/17660057224

    ReplyDelete
  58. no kids, but summertime is always great for going to the beach :)

    m8usi@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  59. tweeted:
    http://twitter.com/cappytweet/status/17699130386

    m8usi@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  60. My grandsons love their swimming pool in their backyard!

    ReplyDelete