Happy National Ice Cream Day!

Warning: This post is chock full of so much ice creamy goodness, it may give you brain-freeze, an irresistible craving for Cold Stone Creamery, or both. Mmmm…

Happy National Ice Cream Day! It’s the ONE day when you can be a kid again; go ahead and ask for extra sprinkles, a double scoop or an extra spoon to share. Bonus: it’s a known fact that calories don’t count on National Ice Cream Day, so indulge!

To celebrate, Cold Stone Creamery has unveiled ten Provincial Signature Creations, representing each Canadian province. The delicious Creations combine the most popular mix-ins in each respective province with Cold Stone Creamery’s premium ice cream, made with real Canadian cream.

Are you ready for the lineup?

(I’ll forgive you if you dash out halfway through reading this post. Really, there’s ice cream waiting! I get it.)

Newfoundland “Cod”ton Candy Dandy: Loaded with sprinkles and gummy bears and topped with a dollop of whipped topping in a bright blue cotton candy ice cream base, this cold concoction is as colourful as a good old-fashioned kitchen party on a St. John’s Saturday night.

Now I personally don’t know anyone over the age of six who would enjoy such a smörgåsbord; but hey, to each their own. To tell the truth, kind of worried that I’d not only get brain-freeze, but a toothache too.

(Sorry Newfoundland, the “Cod”ton Candy Dandy just isn’t my thing. Moving on…)

Nova Scotia Blueberry “Scone’er”: Sweet Cream ice cream loaded with blueberries the colour of the North Atlantic, with graham cracker pie crust and almonds like the rocky coast line that Nova Scotians call home.

Truth: I once ate an entire blueberry pie over the course of 12 hours. It was in my university days, and I guess that the stress of studying for finals put me in an a-la-mode kind of mood. The Blueberry “Scone’er” sounds like exactly the right combination of comfort food: sweet cream mixed with pie-like deliciousness. THIS I will try!

(And I promise to keep it to one serving, not eight. At least not in 12 hours.)

P.E.I. Rocky Road to “Heaven-lea”: Chock full of crunchy almonds, chocolate chips, and smothered in fudge sauce, this chocolate ice cream creation is as rocky as the tiny island’s red sandstone cliffs.

You had me at “smothered in fudge sauce”. I mean, who’s going to turn that away? And, I fully endorse chocolate chips with ice cream. There’s just something about biting into a cold, crunchy chocolate chip that is SO satisfying, especially when paired with chocolate ice cream.

But, am I the only one wondering where the tiny marshmallows are?

New Brunswick Ploye Perfection: Pieces of yellow cake mixed into Cake Batter ice cream and decked out with whipped topping and strawberries, this take on a traditional Acadian pancake is anything but flat.

Rounding out the Maritimes is quite honestly one of my reasons for living: ploye pancakes. Of course, cake batter ice cream – while not the same thing – may just do the trick, thanks to the heady addition of fresh, tart strawberries and cool whipped topping.

(I’m really liking this fruit with ice cream thing. Kinda lessons the guilt, don’t you think? AND, you’re checking off at least three food groups with this one.)

Quebec La Poutine Gourmand: A sweet take on Quebecois cuisine, this creamy creation features French Vanilla ice cream mixed with pecans, chocolate shavings all smothered in caramel sauce.

Sweet Jesus it’s a sweet poutine.

I must admit: visually, it’s quite appealing. And pecans, chocolate and caramel are a Turtles-like treat just waiting to happen. But I just can’t help but look for the french fries in this one. If you call my ice cream a “Poutine”, then I expect fries, dammit! Or at least a few cheese curds for garnish. Either way, delicious or not, the dessert does not live up to its name :(

Ontario’s Berry Best: Inspired by the strawberry fields of southwestern Ontario, this creation is loaded with brownies, Ontario strawberries and fudge sauce mixed into strawberry ice cream.

Ta-da! THIS is why I live in Ontario. Because we Ontarians know that chocolate and strawberries are a match made in gastronomic heaven. And did someone say fudge sauce? YES PLEASE.

(Thinking that we should be celebrating this Provincial Signature Creation all year ’round. Especially since it’s got fruit. Healthy, delicious fruit.)

Manitoba Red River Flare: A taste of fruity goodness with strawberries, bananas and whipped topping on top of delicious strawberry ice cream. This cold creation’s soft texture is as rich as Manitoba valleys and as plush as the humid air.

While I take issue with the description (“as plush as the humid air”? Since when is humid air plush?) I am nevertheless really digging the combination of strawberries, bananas and copious amounts of whipped topping. Definitely one of the first flavours I’d naturally gravitate towards.

(And have you tried Cold Stone Creamery’s strawberry ice cream? It’s like, the BEST strawberry ice cream ever.)

Saskatchewan Wheat King Coronation: Golden yellow cake chunks mixed into Cake Batter ice cream, topped with pieces of SKOR bar and swirled with caramel sauce, to represent the fertile terrain and golden yellow wheat fields of Canada’s breadbasket.

Mmmkay copy writer, first “plush” and now “fertile”? You DO know we’re speaking about ice cream here, right? However, you did have me at SKOR. And caramel sauce. In fact, SKOR and caramel sauce makes everything taste better.

(Even fertile terrain in Canada’s breadbasket.)

Alberta Black Gold: Tim Hortons Double Double Coffee ice cream mixed with dark gooey fudge to capture the fast paced, hardworking oilmen of Canada’s cowboy province, mixed with a mountainous terrain layer of graham cracker pie crust and almonds.

That’s it, I’m moving to Alberta. Because any province that is heralded by coffee, fudge, graham crackers and almonds is the place I want to be. Truly, I am a HUGE fan of coffee ice cream (but, that could be because I’m a huge fan of coffee) and would definitely place this high on my lists of must-try’s.

(No fruit? That’s okay. Caffeine is proven to be part of a well-balanced lifestyle.)

British Columbia B.C. Rocky Mountain Landslide: Whipped topping on top of chocolate ice cream to signify the snowy peaks of the Rockies; mix in Oreo cookie pieces and chocolate chips to capture the craggy cliffs of Canada’s West.

And here we have it: the universal people-pleaser. Because really, who’s going to say NO to chocolate ice cream with Oreo cookie pieces? It’s like, frozen treat nirvana. Yum.

The good folks at Cold Stone Creamery provided a generous gift card so my family could try the Creations for ourselves. Unfortunately, I was plagued by a migraine this weekend, and opted not to combine a headache with brain-freeze :)

We’ll be popping in this week to try a few of the delicious Provincial Signature Creations, and you should too; they’re only available for a limited time. And so, raise your spoons in a toast to National Ice Cream Day, and enjoy!