When it comes to the ice cream scene in HRM, the peninsula has the widest variety of locally made frozen treats. The Weekly News checked out a few local favourites.
Dee Dee’s Ice Cream
Just finished playing a pick-up game of baseball or ultimate Frisbee? Check out Dee Dee’s to cool off and enjoy some gourmet ice cream creations.
Situated on the corner of Cornwallis Street and Bauer Street, Dee Dee’s is family owned and makes their own handcrafted ice cream, using local ingredients whenever possible.
They also create their own waffle cones in-house, which have that perfect crunch factor to amp up the gourmet feel. This as close as you can get to high-end ice cream.
Dee Dee’s first opened in Peggy’s Cove in 2004 as a seasonal business, and opened their Halifax location in 2010.
If you’re looking for something other than ice cream, they also offer burritos, salads, and an assortment of coffees at their Cornwallis site.
Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cows
Perhaps the busiest ice cream shop you can find anywhere in HRM, with an infamously long line during peak tourism periods. Maybe it’s that tantalizing smell of fresh waffle cones being made on site that draws people in ...
Based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Cows is known for their cowpious use of cow-puns both in the flavour names of their ice cream, as well as their merchandise.
They have more than 30 flavours to choose from, some popular choices include ‘Moo Crunch’ and ‘Wowie Cowie.’
Listed as the number one place in the world to get ice cream by Tauck World Discovery, they must be doing something right.
Cows is located on the waterfront next to The Lower Deck and Casino Nova Scotia (just look for the cow).
Hours:
Open from May to October, store hours vary.
Humani-T Café
You’ve got two ways to check out some locally made Gelato, one on Young Street, just a couple of blocks from the Hydrostone Market, and the other newly opened location on South Park Street inside the Trillium condo building.
Donnie MacIsaac works at Humani-t and makes a lot of the different flavours himself. He said it’s important that they offer glutten free, lactose free and vegan options.
“That’s more than just a trend, which some people see it as,” MacIsaac said. “It’s a health conscious thing and others might have celiac disease or other issues that prevent them from enjoying standard ice cream, and it’s important for us to accommodate that.”
Humani-T has been creative with their gelato flavours in the past including donair, maple bacon, and eggnog.
“We have what’s called a Persian Rose, that’s made with rosewater and saffron,” MacIsaac said, pointing out that it’s one of the most popular choices. “It’s comparable to a Turkish delight flavour.”
Being a café, they also offer an assortment of coffees and teas, which is where Humani-t came from.
Hours
Monday – Thursday: 8 a.m .– 8 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Open Mic)
Saturday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sugah!
Featuring delicious ice cream hand-paddled with locally made chocolate, it’s hard to resist testing different combinations of flavours and mixes.
“In terms of new flavours, the Oxford Blueberry is pretty popular,” Sarah Phillips-Carr said while mixing cookie dough into some vanilla ice cream. “A good combo that a lot of people get is the oxford blueberry with brown sugar fudge.”
As the shop is located on the Halifax waterfront, Phillips-Carr said they are expecting a large crowd when Tall Ships 2012 begins this week.
“Personally I’m a big fan of strawberry with toasted coconut,” she said. “A lot of the mix-ins for the ice cream is made in the store. The cookie dough, the fudge, and our brittle and butter crunch is as well, we try to keep things local.”
Be sure to check out their unique chocolates and yes - Beep Slushies.
Hours:
Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
