Candy Center Crunch Pops.
Wanna get a lively conversation going? Just ask a group of people what they think “the best” Good Humor ice cream treat is.
You can find out a lot about a person…………..
As for me, my number-one, hands-down, all-time favorite was the (sometimes elusive) Candy Center Crunch.
And can you blame me? Basically a stepped-up Nestle Crunch Ice Cream Bar, CCC had the added amazingness of a solid piece of frozen chocolate in the center. Best. Thing. Ever.
Yum.
The regular appearance of an ice cream cart at our beach in Rockaway this summer got me thinking hard about these bars. Could I re-create them myself?
DARE I RE-CREATE THEM MYSELF?
And I was like a dog with a bone. I was determined – nay, HELL BENT – to do it.
Most of the components were easy. A vanilla ice cream base, rice cereal and a batch of magic shell.
But that candy center. How would I make it?
Turns out, the magic shell was the answer to that too. I had a very vivid recollection of the taste and texture, and I was pretty sure that it could be replicated with magic shell.
NAILED IT.
You guys, I am so pleased with the way these came out. The look, the taste, even the texture is spot on, and I can sign off on this year’s popsicle series with my head held high.
Which was your favorite pop?
1 recipe magic shell
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, scraped (optional)
1 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal, lightly crushed
Lay 10 popsicle sticks on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. Use a small spoon to pour some of the magic shell along about half the length of each stick. Pop in the freezer to set. Carefully lift each stick and turn over, and pour some of the magic shell on the upturned side. Freeze again. Repeat once more for each side and freeze. Trim the edges with a small sharp knife and keep frozen till ready to use.
Place the remaining ingredients (except the cereal) into a blender and blend till frothy. Transfer to a large spouted cup and give it a stir.
Place a popsicle stick into each of your molds and pour the cream mixture in. Cover and freeze overnight.
Pour the crushed cereal into a shallow plate. Remove pops from molds by running briefly under hot water; dip both sides into the cereal and transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet to re-set for a bit.
Working with one pop at a time, hold it over a bowl to catch drips and pour the magic shell all over. Let the excess drip off and return to the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pops; keep frozen till ready to serve.
This delicious recipe brought to you by Sheri Silver
https://sherisilver.com/2019/09/12/pop-goes-my-summer-candy-center-crunch-pops/
Pops GALORE on my Pinterest board!
29 Comments
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Hi! I'm Sheri!
Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!
My absolute favorite GH icecream. Thank you for recreating it.
I’m from FarRockaway and have warm sweet memories of the beach and the GH truck, daily!!!
My grandparents lived in Far Rockaway! I hope you make this and enjoy it as much as I did!! 🙂
40 years ago, this wasn’t a crunch bar, but a chocolate eclair bar. Man I miss those! Thanks for this, it give me ideas for finding an eclair recipe and combing the two.
I must respectfully disagree! 🙂 The eclair bar (at least in New York!) was chocolate and vanilla ice cream with a cake crumb coating. The candy center crunch bar had the chocolate bar in the middle and a chocolate shell! Although I’ll admit that a mash-up of the two sounds amazing!
Actually, the cake coated bar with the bar inside was the Chocolate Fudge Cake, which is long gone unfortunately. I’m gonna try to recreate it using Oreo cookie crumbs (and your magic shell bar idea)!
You must send me a picture of that when you’re through!
@Sherisilver I finally found a picture of the one I remember. David B is right, there was a different one.
You can see both in this vintage menu. I don’t remember the one with the hard chocolate coating (like a heath bar) just the other one.
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/71/ea/bd/71eabdd7089cbe43c450583fc02ec292.jpg
This is awesome! Maybe it was a regional thing????
Sheri, actually Amy is correct! The Good Humor Chocolate Eclair bar did have a chocoIate bar center. I remember when it went from the ordinary Eclair to the *NEW* chocolate bar in the middle Eclair bar. It was an awesome upgrade. Biting into it to find a new surprise that hadn’t been there previously. I remember thinking>> Whoa, what’s this hard center?? I had no idea that they had added it until that bite. This transformation took place around the mid to late 70s. Over the years it went back to the original Eclair and the chocolate bar was removed. I was born and raised in NY. Perhaps this was before your time?
Your comment(s) made my day! I grew up in New York in the 70’s and have a totally different recollection – Eclair having crumb coating and soft fudgy center, Candy Center Crunch having the magic shell “crunch” coating and hard chocolate center! We need a time machine 🙂
Yes they most certainly were that was my favorite freaking loved them I have been looking for them for years I also grew up in da bronx ny
You should try these then! They came out almost identical to the original! 🙂
There were definitely 2 different versions of this bar! There was one called the ‘chippety chocolate’ bar which was cookie crumb outside with candy center. The version you are making here (which is still amazing) is Candy Crunch Center. I have no idea why it’s so hard to come by either
Thank you for confirming! I hope you try these because I think I nailed that elusive pop! 🙂
It was always called a candy center crunch bar. The bar your thinking of didn’t have hard chocolate center. It had a soft center, a totally different product. I haven’t eaten a good humor product since they discontinued candy center crunch bar
I’m not sure how long ago but the ice cream truck on Long Island definitely had a Chocolate Eclair bar with the hard chocolate center. I keep telling others but no one remembers it. They actually had both the eclair and the candy center crunch bar.
I have encountered the same truck in Rockaway! 🙂
It was called a ” Candy Center Crunch Ice Cream Bar” It was all I would get from the ice cream truck! Totally different than an Eclair ice cream…
I have been hunting for these forever I tried everything where can I buy them still?????
I will once in a while see them – but that’s why I wound up making my own!!!!!
OOOOOOHHHH THANK YOU! I can’t tell you how I’ve tried to tell people that the chocolate fudge magic shell tasted just like the center of that delishious ice cream bar but NOOOO one belived me . thank you and i will be making these !!
What????? How can it be anything else? It’s OBVIOUSLY THE SAME THING! 🙂
Meant to say in my earlier comment>>
Sheri we appreciate you taking the time to experiment and perfect this summer treat! My entire family is grateful for your homemade bar recipe. The Eclair bar was always my favorite but these photos lured me into trying something new. Thanks again!
So, so HAPPY to have found this! GH sold the bar to Blue Bunny, and until this summer I was able to get it off the truck. The driver told me the bar was discontinued this year!!! I’m glad I can make my own.
Thank you so much!!!!!!!
Yay! Let me know if you make them and how you like the recipe! 🙂
Sheri, YOU ARE CORRECT!!!
ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RECIPE ❣️❣️❣️
Any of those people trying to call this a different name are whacked—I listened for the Good Humor bells on a regular basis in the 70’s, and all I got was a “CANDY CENTER CRUNCH”, exactly as you recreated. Thank you! I’ve been making them for 2 years now, and found a true original picture for those who think it was some other. Here’s the website ….
https://asset-americas.unileversolutions.com/content/dam/unilever/heart/global/digital_and_online/candy_centre_crunch-45268382-png.png.ulenscale.252×252.png
Ha! I feel so validated! Thank you!!! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been a fan of the candy center for quite a long time (from India) and never been able to find one here. Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely try this.
Yay! You must let me know if you make it! 🙂