Enlightened - Cold Brew Coffee Chip ice cream bars - May 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Beyond Better Foods, LLC
Enlightened Cold Brew Coffee Chip bars
Good
Weight: 3.75 fl. oz. (110 mL) (70 g.) in 1 bar / 15 fl. oz. (440 mL) in box of 4 bars
Calories: 90 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.79 for 1 box of 4 bars
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Enlightened Cold Brew Coffee Chip frozen bars were manufactured for Beyond Better Foods LLC (Bronx, NY). Small espresso chips with a hint of chocolate were embedded in a smooth coffee ice cream base.

This cool, frozen bar had a mild coffee-mocha flavor without a lot of chocolate to it. (In fact, the second entry for today was a 70% cacao chocolate bar with rose and vanilla (see post that follows this one). And this second bean-to-bar chocolate entry supplies the chocolate and vanilla flavors that are less present with this ice cream bar while providing a segue into a chocolate and flowers theme week.)

The Quest for a Lighter, Better Ice Cream
The Enlightened Cold Brew Coffee ice cream bar exemplified the perennial quest of suppliers to come up with good tasting, yet somehow healthier//better ice cream. In fact the tagline for today's bars read: "The Good-For-You Ice Cream."

Recent iterations of light ice cream often have more protein, fiber and less sugar. A step in the right direction (or back to basics) one might conclude—even if the ingredients* list is quite long.

One of today's bars contained 7 grams of protein and only 5 grams of sugar (plus erythritol and monkfruit extract). And, if one is counting calories, this bar contained only 90 calories in 1 bar.

*Ingredients: Skim milk, milk protein isolate, erythritol (natural sweetener), non-GMO soluble corn fiber, coffee, cream, cane sugar. Contained 2 percent or less of vegetable glycerin, dutched cocoa, coconut oil, carob gum, guar gum, mono and diglycerides, monk fruit extract, natural flavor, ghee, corn starch, soy lecithin

Enlightened - Triple Chocolate Ice Cream - Sept. 24, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Beyond Better Foods, Inc.

Triple Chocolate Ice cream

Good

Weight: 1/4 cup (36.5 g.) / 1 Pint oz. (473 mL) in total container

Calories: 45 calories in 1/4 cup serving

Cost: $2.99 for 1 container of ice cream

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Ice Cream Theme Week.

This Enlightened higher protein, lower sugar, Triple Chocolate ice cream (Better Beyond Foods, Inc., Bronx, NY) was threaded with dark chocolate sauce. It was both light and full of rich chocolate flavor. And not too sweet. 

I'm not sure how this would fare in a side-by-side tasting with a full-fat ice cream (hard to beat the mouthfeel of real dairy milk and cream); but it's also hard to beat a frozen dessert with only 45 calories for 1/4 cup serving.

Enlightened - Frozen Hot Cocoa Ice Cream - Sept. 23, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Produced for Beyond Better Foods, Inc.
Enlightened - Frozen Hot Cocoa Ice cream
Weight: 1/2 cup (73 g.) / 1 Pint (473 g.) in total container
Calories: 90 calories in 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $2.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Ice Cream Theme Week.

Today's Enlightened Frozen Hot Cocoa ice cream was produced for Beyond Better Foods, Inc. (Bronx, NY).

What made it different? It was lower in calories and carbs (lower sugar) and higher in protein than most other popular frozen dessert treats.

In keeping with the hot cocoa concept, this relatively light and naturally sweet-tasting, chocolate ice cream was larded (sugared?) with a bit of white marshmallow ripple.

Enlightened - Black Cherry Chocolate Chip ice cream - July 29, 2018

Chocolate of the Day: 

Beyond Better Foods, LLC

Enlightened 

Black Cherry Chocolate Chip ice cream 

Good

Weight: 1/2 cup (72 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) in total container

Calories: 90 calories in 1/2 cup serving

Cost: $2.99 for 1 container

Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate Chip Week.

Today's Enlightened Black Cherry Chocolate Chip ice cream, from Beyond Better Foods, LLC (Bronx, NY), was part of a line of low-fat ice cream pints and bars containing less sugar and more protein and fiber. Today's pint clocked in at only 360 calories (90 calories per 1/2 cup serving).

Granted, the list of ingredients was longer than some other favorite brands, but it could have been worse. Except for the carob and guar gums it looked relatively appealing. And, did I mention it included less sugar?*

The texture, taste and finish of this ice cream was quite good.

*That's a plus. It would be interesting to taste ice cream without any sweeteners. This ice cream was sweetened with erythritol and a wee bit of cane sugar.