Finally, You Can Eat the Whole Pint

I generally don’t buy ice cream. I don’t like to have it in the house. Not because I dislike it—the opposite! I love it and if I keep a pint of Ben and Jerry’s (or Bluebell! My people in the southern states know what I’m talkin’ about!) in my freezer, I keep going back for one more spoonful until all the sudden it has magically disappeared. Into my stomach. Oops.

All that might be changing, though. Arctic Zero is now available all over the country. Have you heard of this stuff? It’s ice cream… kind of… well, it’s a frozen ice cream-like dessert with only 150 calories in an entire pint. 150! How do they do it? They use monk fruit concentrate and organic cane sugar (no artificial sweeteners) to sweeten and mix in whey protein concentrate. Not gonna lie here—Arctic Zero is good, but it doesn’t taste like full-fat, ultra-sugary ice cream. You know what, though? The fact that an ice cream binger like me can eat the entire pint if I so choose and not bust my healthy eating plan for the day or feel like a sluggish failure is a major, major plus. I would almost call it… healthy!

Arctic Zero offers an impressive array of flavors as well as cute little chocolate-covered bars that clock in at 85 calories a pop. I’m partial to vanilla maple and cookies & cream varieties. One warning: this stuff is rock hard straight out of the container, so I’d recommend letting it sit for about 10 minutes before digging in. Or! If you’re not into eating it plain, Arctic Zero is really great in recipes. You can use it to replace ice cream or whipped cream when making frozen pies or as a totally guilt-free base for smoothies and milkshakes. The peeps at AZ were nice enough to share some recipes with me and now I’m going to share one with you.

Cookies & Cream S’more Cups

Ingredients

Serves: 12 Individual Cups

• 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pint of Cookies and Cream Arctic Zero
• 1 and 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• Prep time: 15 minutes active, 30 minutes inactive
• Cook time: 1-2 minutes

1. Take Arctic Zero out of the freezer to soften for about 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, prepare graham cracker. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Mix with spoon until all crumbs are moistened with melted butter. Divide evenly into the bottoms of structured cupcake cups placed on a sheet tray or cupcake liners placed in a cupcake tin, pressing down to form a crust.

3. Divide Arctic Zero evenly between cupcake cups, pressing down and flattening the top. Cupcake liners should be approximately 3/4 of the way full. Place back into the freezer for at least 30 minutes or until just prior to serving.

4. Just prior to serving, remove cups from freezer and working quickly, top with mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are browned. Watch closely! They will burn quickly and you also do not want your ice cream to melt too much. Serve immediately.

Photo courtesy of Arctic Zero.