Premium ice cream is defined by butterfat content between 12% and 14% according to Scottsdale, Arizona-based Cold Stone Creamery. This definition is made sweeter by their on-site customization of any order that a customer places upon purchase.
Their menu has expanded to products like ice cream cakes, shakes, cookie sandwiches, iced and blended coffee, pies, and smoothies since the company began co-branding their locations with other food chains to increase presence internationally.
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How Would You Like Your “Mix-Ins”?
In 1988, Susan Sutherland and her husband Donald opened their first store in Tempe, Arizona – which still operates to this day in its original location – to serve ice cream which was “smooth and creamy” and neither soft-serve nor hard-packed like other ice creams were. Cold Stone Creamery’s name is derived from frozen “granite stone” used for “mix-ins.”
This follows the business model created by Steve Herrell, founder of Steve’s Ice Cream, which calls for combining in-store produced ice cream and “mix-ins” such as hard candy and nuts that are folded into main ice cream flavors to create a new and different flavor in four sizes: Kid’s Size (three ounces), Like It (five ounces), Love It (eight ounces), and Gotta Have It (12 ounces).
Yes, Cold Stone HAS Healthier Options
All of Cold Stone Creamery’s ice cream is in-house made and use natural ingredients; their waffle bowls and cones are baked fresh daily. Despite Men’s Health magazine designation of Cold Stone’s PB&C Shake as “the unhealthiest drink” in the U.S. and being tagged as “the 24-ounce heart attack,” there are healthy, nutritious, and tasty products to be had from Cold Stone Creamery.
Forget the majority of heart-stopping ensembles of other ice cream concoctions by choosing the healthier Cold Stone options. Straying too far from them is likely to give you saddle bags, double chins, and one way ticket to obesity, not to mention cardiac arrest kingdom. While these options have more sugar content that you may desire, it’s the lesser evil than its lowered saturated fat amount:
• Vanilla Bean Frozen Yogurt (five ounces): contains 170 calories, 26 grams of sugar and zero grams of fat.
• Sinless Sans Fat Sweet Cream (five ounces): has 170 calories, 11 grams of sugar, and zero fat.
• Light Sweet Cream Latte (five ounces): with only 60 calories, eight grams of sugar, and zero fat.
• Sinless Banana Ice Cream (five ounces): gear up for a long jog to compensate for its 210 calories, one gram of fat, and 15 grams of sugar.
• Berry Trinity Smoothie (16 ounces): nearly no fat at .5 grams but loaded with 15 grams of sugar and 110 calories.
• Sinless Cake Batter Ice Cream (five ounces): another whoa! concoction with 210 calories and 15 grams of sugar, albeit with only one gram of fat.
Sorbets and Yogurt for Those Who Want It Light and Healthy
But wait, there’s a whole line of sweet and tart treats if you prefer fresh and fruity to go into your Cold Stone Creamy indulgence. Sorbet flavors such as Pink Lemonade, Tangerine, Strawberry Mango Banana, Raspberry, Lemon, Pineapple Orange Banana, Mojito, and Watermelon are non-dairy, Italian-inspired ices for those who want it light.
And then there’s the plethora of frozen yogurt, starting at 34 calories per ounce, loaded with healthy probiotics carrying the seal of Live and Active Cultures from the National Yogurt Association, which could overwhelm you while you salivate over its creaminess (you will find it hard to believe that what you are eating is not actually ice cream):
• Black Cherry (in your choice of tart or sweet).
• Peanut Butter.
• Chocolate.
• Graham Cracker.
• Amaretto.
• Key Lime.
• Cinnamon.
• Cherry Vanilla.
• Pineapple (in your choice of tart or sweet).
• Banana Bread Batter.
• Cheesecake.
• Pumpkin.
• Caramel.
• Oatmeal Cookie Batter.
• Eggnog.
• Cake Batter.
• Salted Caramel.
• Coffee.
• White Chocolate.
• Chocolate Malt.
• Mango.
• French Vanilla.
• Cinnamon Bun Batter.
• Blueberry Pomegranate.
• Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
• Raspberry (in your choice of tart or sweet).
• Candy Cane.
• Country Time Pink Lemonade.
• Mint.
• Vanilla Bean.
• Cotton Candy.
• Dark Chocolate.
• Blueberry.
• Berry Tart.
• Strawberry (in your choice of tart or sweet).
• Cookies N’ Creamery™.
• Plain Tart.
Ice Cream Products Galore
Ice cream Signature Pies – Cookie Dough, Caramel Turtle Treat, and Peanut Butter – have local versions such as S’more Some More, Mintastic Chip, and Caramel Apple (Pumpkin Pie is available in some locations only until Halloween) available in selected outlets.
Besides their Signature Cakes (Cookie Dough Delirium, Midnight Delights, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry Passion, and Cookie Batter Confetti) there are Ice Cream Cupcakes, Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches and Petite, Custom, Birthday, and Kid Themed Cakes for every sweet tooth’s occasion.
Don’t Be a Walking Heart Attack
The Bottom Line remains for all caloric foods, but especially so with ice cream, which includes Cold Stone Creamery’s menu: make sensible food choices from Cold Stone Creamery’s menu to spare yourself hours and hours of rigorous workouts to burn the calories and fats that are easily obtained from these products.
And no matter how much you are tempted, don’t go for the PB&C shake that has 2,010 calories, the total amount that of an entire day’s recommended calorie intake, equivalent to finishing off 68 pieces of bacon; that’s fat at 136 grams (68 of which are saturated). There are healthy Cold Stone Creamery options you can take which can prevent you from becoming a heart attack waiting to happen.
