Turtle Mountain So Delicious Bars

When I was a kid
If you’re like me, you grew up eating ice cream, including Eskimo Pie© Ice Cream Sandwiches and Ice Cream Bars. You begged your mother to buy them from the supermarket or give you a a nickel (or was it a dime?) so you could get one from the ice cream man when you heard his truck round the corner in your neighborhood.

Healthier ice cream bars?
I haven’t eaten commercial ice cream sandwiches or ice cream bars in years, but I’ve  knock off products in natural foods stores. Don’t assume they’re healthy just because you find them here. For example, Tofutti Cuties look like something I grew up eating, albeit smaller. Yes, they’re milk free and lactose free, but  I don’t recommend them. After water, the first tow ingredients are sugar and corn syrup solids (that means sugar makes up the largest volume). They also contain caramel coloring and unbleached wheat flour (off limits for celiacs and others who are intolerant of gluten).

Dairy free frozen dessert
When Turtle Mountain introduced their Purely Decadent coconut milk-based ice cream alternative, my students wondered what I thought. After the release of my new book, The Ice Dream Cookbook: Dairy-Free Ice Cream Alternatives with Gluten Free Cookies, Compotes and Sauces in July, I became the person to ask about healthy frozen desserts, something like the Accidental Ice Dream Queen.

I tried Turtle Mountain’s Purely Decadent coconut-based vanilla frozen dessert last summer and gave it a big thumbs up. I consider it one of the best ice cream alternative on the market. It’s lactose and dairy free, soy free, gluten free, trans fat free, contains less than half the fat of premium ice cream, contains organic ingredients, and gets its sweetness from agave nectar, a low glycemic sweetener, rather than refined sugars found in most frozen desserts. It tasted delicious to me.

FYI: Their cookie dough and mint chip flavors contain beet sugar in the cookie and chocolate parts. Their new the bars and ice cream sandwiches contain agavé nectar in the fillings. The chocolate candy coating and cookie coating contain beet sugar.

Are they gluten free?
I checked with Turtle Mountain's Quality Control Manager. He assured me that their frozen desserts sold by the pint are all gluten free. The chocolate coating on their ice cream-like bars are also gluten free and run on production lines that do not contain gluten (so, no wheat, barley, rye, or oats). They're ice cream-like sandwiches, however, do contain wheat flour (a source of gluten).

The taste test
So here we are in December. I know it’s kind of chilly (in Phoenix) to be eating frozen desserts. Still, I wanted to taste their two new barsand ice cream-like sandwiches two weeks ago so I could tell you what I think.

Rating Delicious Mini Sandwiches
I liked the size (small) of Turtle Mountain’s frozen mini-sandwiches and the fact that they contain only 100 calories and 7 grams of sugar each. Not too much sugar in one sitting. I like the purity of ingredients, although I would like to see them make a gluten free cookie outside.

I occasionally eat wheat, but I prefer eating gluten free and so many of my cooking students and clients must eat that way exclusively. I believe gluten free eating will become even more popular, and important, over the next 10 years, as more children are diagnosed with autism, Celiac Sprue, and more people discover they have autoimmune disorders that are aggravated by gluten.

But back to the cookie sandwiches... I liked the coconut (vanilla) flavoredbetter than the banana split flavor. give it a 7 out of 10. one Still, I prefer my homemade gluten free Ice Dream Sandwiches so I’m comparing their product to my recipes in The Ice Dream Cookbook. I know it’s not easy to create a preservative-free product with a long shelf life and I commend them for creating an alternative product. I rate them good, but not great.

The banana split flavored ice cream-like sandwiches contains real strawberry purée (a plus), but I couldn’t get past the banana flavoring that reminded me of the artificial banana flavored products I ate as a child. I'd give that one a 5. I know real banana purée would be hard to stabilize; it discolors so easily. Maybe they could try a strawberry only filling w/no banana or do a chocolate, strawberry, vanilla filled ice-like cream sandwich.

Rating So Delicious Mini Bars
The mini bars, which run smaller than typical ice cream bars, contain 10 grams of sugar per serving and 150 calories (vanilla flavor) and 170 calories (coconut almond). The flavor and texture reminded me of the bars I ate as a kid. However, I found both of them too sweet for my tastes (I don’t like things as sweet as I used to or as sweet as most people do) from the beet sugar used in the chocolate coating. Most people would probably find the sweetness just right. They're also gluten free (another plus).

If you’re looking for a non-dairy, chocolate covered ice cream bar or healthier ice cream sandwich, give them a try….preferably after the weather warms up. If you must indulge now when during winter. drink a hot cup of spicy tea (try ginger) or Teeccino, an herbal coffee alternative, with it to warm your digestive system.

Comments

[Alisa]

Great review! I must say, my family swooned over these just a bit more. Both my husband and I loved the banana split sandwiches (the banana part was in fact my favorite, not a big strawberry or chocolate ice cream fan). I think my husband liked the sandwiches best, but I am always a sucker for the chocolate and ice cream pairing.

[Carrie @ The Thrifty Oreganic]

Great review! I would have totally avoided those (thinking they would be full of soy and other additives) but thanks for this! I know these aren't cheap and homemade is best, but this is a good option for my kids if we're in a pinch going to a birthday party or something! Yay!