Vanilla ice cream on a stick, coated in a tender, cake-like cookie crumble—these gluten-free chocolate eclair ice cream bars capture that nostalgic Good Humor vibe, made at home and perfectly approachable.
You won’t find a store-bought gluten-free version of a chocolate eclair bar anywhere reliable, so if you want that classic combination of ice cream and cake crunch, making them at home is the way to go. I’ll walk you through the simple method for creating the soft cookie “crunch” and assembling stable, scoopable pops.
About popsicle molds
Popsicle molds affect ease of use. A rigid multi-pop tray can be economical and make many bars at once, but if the ice cream isn’t completely firm it can be tricky to release the pops. Running warm water around the outside of the mold helps, but ice cream never freezes as rock-solid as water-based popsicles, so expect a little give.
Silicone molds peel away cleanly and release frozen ice cream bars without the same struggles; they tend to be sold in smaller sets, so you may need more than one to make a larger batch. If you want to shortcut the process, buy pre-made uncoated gluten-free vanilla ice cream bars and press them into the crumb mixture.
How to make the cake “crunch”
The cake crunch is essentially very tender cookie crumbs in two flavors—vanilla and chocolate—made from one basic dough. The technique is straightforward: prepare one dough, divide it in two, add cornstarch to one half for a lighter vanilla crumb and cocoa powder to the other half for chocolate crumbs.
Roll each dough between sheets of parchment to about 1/3-inch thickness, slice into small rectangles roughly 2″ x 1½”, and bake just until set. Watch carefully: underbaked pieces will be too soft to handle, while overbaking will yield a crunchy topping rather than the tender cake-like texture you want. Crumble the slightly warm cookies by hand, mix the chocolate and vanilla crumbs, and press them onto the frozen ice cream bars.
How these differ from the commercial bar
The original Good Humor chocolate eclair bar layers chocolate ice cream inside a vanilla shell, then dips the bar in a thin chocolate coating and finishes with the cake crunch. Homemade bars are simpler: this recipe uses vanilla ice cream cores rolled in the cake crunch. Achieving a thin, even chocolate coating at home is difficult because melted chocolate warms the ice cream and causes melting. If you want more chocolate, you can drizzle melted chocolate over the finished bars or make some chocolate-flavored ice cream for a two-tone effect, but the star here is the tender cake crunch.
Ingredients and substitutions
Dairy
If you need a dairy-free version, use a creamy no-churn dairy-free vanilla ice cream. A coconut- or oat-based no-churn base works well for freezing and should hold up as pops. For the cake crunch, swap the butter for a vegan butter brand like Melt or Miyoko’s; be aware some vegan spreads change how the dough bakes, but since you’ll be crumbling the cookies you only need to avoid overbaking.
Egg
The dough uses one egg for structure and tenderness. If you prefer an egg-free version, replace the egg with a chia “egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon warm water, mixed and left to gel) and proceed as directed.
Corn
Swap cornstarch with arrowroot or potato starch if needed; both provide the same tender texture for the vanilla crumbs.
Gluten Free Chocolate Eclair Ice Cream Bars
Equipment
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Ice cream popsicle molds
Ingredients
For the Ice Cream
- 1 recipe soft, unfrozen vanilla ice cream (see notes)
For the Cake Crunch
- 2 ⅛ cups (298 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 13 tablespoons (184 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 (50 g) egg, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (27 g) cornstarch
- 3 ½ tablespoons (18 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
Prepare the ice cream pops.
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Prepare or soften vanilla ice cream and pack or pour it into your ice pop molds.
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Freeze for about 1 hour until firm enough to hold a stick, then insert popsicle sticks into the center of each mold.
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Return to the freezer and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours.
Make the cake crunch dough.
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Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
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Whisk together flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
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Make a well in the dry ingredients and add butter, egg, and vanilla, mixing until a thick, soft dough forms.
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Divide the dough in two. Stir cornstarch into one half and knead; stir cocoa powder into the other half and knead.
Prepare and bake the dough.
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Roll one dough portion between parchment to about 1/3-inch thick. Trim or slice into rectangles roughly 2″ x 1½”.
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Place pieces about ½-inch apart on prepared sheets, reroll scraps, and repeat with the second dough.
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Bake 8–9 minutes, just until set and no longer shiny on top. Do not overbake—you want a tender, cake-like texture.
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Cool 5 minutes, then crumble the warm pieces into small crumbs. Combine chocolate and vanilla crumbs in a bowl.
Assemble the pops.
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Remove frozen pops from molds by running warm water around the outside and gently lifting them free. If melting occurs, set them on parchment and refreeze until firm.
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Press each frozen pop firmly into the cake-crunch crumb mixture, coating all sides. Serve immediately or wrap tightly and keep frozen until ready to enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used only as an approximation.
