Picture this: It’s a Thursday night and you’re having a movie marathon, and suddenly you find yourself craving some ice cream. You reach for a pint of (Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food is my personal guilty pleasure) but when you’re finally done watching Legally Blonde for just about the billionth time, you fall into a food coma and wake up the next day feeling sluggish. Ice cream before bed, sadly, is not conducive to a good night’s sleep, since all the sugars and fats in your conventional ice cream will give you an ice cream hangover, since the quality of your sleep wasn’t the best. Well, that’s not the case with Nightfood.
What’s the Deal with Nightfood?
Launched in 2010, Nightfood is a company founded by Sean Folkson dedicated to providing healthy snacks that can support, rather than disrupt, sleep. Initially, Nightfood offered a line of nutrition bars, because Sean used to consume nutrition bars as a part of his diet in the evening, but found it difficult to sleep. After researching, he realized that people tend to be conscious about their calories and macros, but ignore how the food they consume might impact their sleep.
Full Moon Vanilla
Vanilla ice cream is a classic. It’s simple, no-frills, and pairs well with virtually every dessert imaginable a la mode. Nightfood has a commendable take on vanilla ice cream, with little flecks of vanilla bean sprinkled throughout the base, but Nightfood also has way more exciting and unique flavors to offer, so might as well reach for something more exotic.
Milk and Cookie Dough
Cookie dough is typically my favorite ice cream. I mean, the best part of backing a batch of cookies is eating the leftover cookie dough in the bowl. I liked Nightfood’s take on cookie dough ice cream, but I wish that there was more cookie dough. I found myself digging around, in search for those delicious morsels.
Midnight Chocolate
Midnight Chocolate certainly is a fitting name for this flavor. Not only can you enjoy a bowl of Nightfood’s ice cream late into the night without worrying about disrupting your sleep, but the chocolate flavor is rich, silky smooth, and extra dark. It’s perfect if want something a little sweet that isn’t cloying.
Cold Brew Decaf
Coffee isn’t just something that you chug when you need a caffeine kick; you can have it and sleep too! A cheeky nod to its mission to aid sleep while still enjoying decadent, uniquely-flavored ice creams, Nightfood offers a decaf coffee flavor that tastes like your morning cup of joe. If you want to indulge a little more, add some dark chocolate chips for a mocha-inspired late-night snack.
Cookies ‘N Dream
Cookies and cream is one of the most iconic food duos out there, so of course Nightfood has a delicious chocolate sandwich-infused ice cream. I love that not only were there loads of cookies in the ice cream, but they were different sizes. Because there’s nothing more satisfying than digging around and finding a big chunk of cookie.
#SpoonTip: Swirl a tablespoon of your favorite peanut butter to take note after the classic movie The Parent Trap.
After Dinner Mint Chip
Mint chip is probably the most polarizing ice cream flavor. One side claims that the combination of mint and chocolate works because the mint is refreshing and the chocolate is rich; however, the other camp argues that it tastes more like toothpaste than a dessert. Regardless of which position you take, Nightfood has mastered mint chip with its After Dinner Mint Chip flavor. The mint flavor is real and nothing like the artificial, hygienic taste of something your dentist might use, and there’s an abundance of chocolate chips. It truly is the perfect after-dinner sweet something.
Cherry Eclipse
Move over, Cherry Garcia: there’s a new cherry ice cream in town. In a shocking turn of events, Cherry Eclipse, Nightfood’s most popular flavor, also happens to be my second favorite. Now, I’m not a fruit-in-my-dessert kinda gal (just give me the chocolate already), but Nightfood might convert me. The tartness of the cherry is paired perfectly with the rich dark chocolate, so get your spoons ready.
Bed and Breakfast
By far my favorite flavor by Nightfood, Bed and Breakfast is the flavor that sets Nightfood apart from all other ice cream brands. Breakfast food is objectively the best type of food, since you can have savory dishes like an omelette with a side of crispy bacon or sweet dishes like a thick açai bowl. Bed and Breakfast tastes like your go-to Sunday brunch order: a piping hot, crispy waffle, coated in maple syrup. The ice cream base itself is flavored with maple syrup and has actual waffle pieces in it. I’m not drooling; you’re drooling.
Do yourself and your sleep a favor and pick up a pint (or two… or three… or more) of Nightfood ice cream, available in select Meijer stores in the Midwest and all Lowes Foods in the Carolinas. Because who doesn’t love a good night’s sleep and a bowl of ice cream?