This is not a drill: America’s best-selling pint of ice cream just crossed the border and Canadians are FREAKING OUT. Like most of my peers during exam season, we all have a crutch to get us through this last push of the semester, and mine is definitely sweets. The chances of you finding me in the library with something sour or sweet, fussing over a term paper, is pretty much a given at this point. So imagine my delight when I heard that there was a new guilt-free, healthy ice cream in town: that just seems too good to be true, right?
As someone who used to work at an ice cream store, I don’t give out glowing reviews easily, but Halo Top is definitely worth the hype. First of all, can we talk about how cute the packaging is? If I could find a way to repurpose an ice cream container, I totally would!
There are currently 12 flavours: Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Peanut Butter Swirl, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Candy Bar, Caramel Macchiato, Sea Salt Caramel, Birthday Cake, Mint Chip, Pancakes & Waffles, Oatmeal Cookies, and Cookies and Cream. They’re available at a variety of stores such as Metro and Zehrs. The two that I’ve tried so far are Caramel Macchiato and Birthday Cake, and they did not disappoint.
I love ice cream, but my stomach is not such a huge fan, so I can’t wait to see what dairy free options of the American brand that they start offering first in Canada!
Like a lot of low-calorie options, the Halo Top Creamery brand also uses a few alternative sweeteners such as cane sugar, stevia, and erythritol. Even if you are a little wary about the artificial sweeteners, you can see from their website that Halo Top is still a much better option than the most ice cream brands.
My only real critique would be the price, as it’s slightly more expensive than the average pint, at $7 a pop. However, if you were to treat yourself to an ice cream from Marble Slab or Dairy Queen, it does average out and you end up getting your bang for your buck. That being said, on my student budget, it looks like this is going to be an every once-in-a while treat.
Good luck on exams, Golden Hawks! If you are in need of a guilt-free de-stresser, then you know what to turn to!