If you're the type of person who passes on a plate of holiday cookies because you're "watching your weight" or "don't eat things shaped like people," it's time to succumb to the primal urges of the flesh: humans are wired to eat more during the winter. "We are driven by things implanted in our brain a long, long time ago," Dr. Ira Ockene, a cardiologist, tells NPR. As the weather gets colder, and the days get shorter, our caloric intake increases. The fact that another pint of Caramel Cone keeps the crushing ennui at bay another 30 minutes also helps. more ›

A Hasidic woman claims her Shabbat was ruined last week when she bit into a dime that somehow got buried in a pint of Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream she bought at the Williamsburg Duane Reade on Kent Avenue. more ›

Goodnight, sweet flash-frozen miniature prince: Dippin' Dots, the so-called "ice cream of the future," is facing the very real possibility of becoming a relic of the past, as the company filed for Chapter 11 this week. more ›

Remember last month, when super-scary right-wing advocacy group One Million Moms campaigned to get "vulgar, repulsive" Ben & Jerry's Schweddy Balls ice cream off the shelves of stores across the country? Well, holy baby Jesus! It might have actually worked! more ›

After a rough day in the 'burbs, nothing turns that frown upside down faster than a Turkey Club SuperMelt® sandwich at Friendly's, followed by one of their signature "Happy Endings." But in today's economy, nobody can afford to end happily at Friendly's, and the long-running restaurant/ice cream chain is in deep trouble. Like the rest of America, Friendly's is drowning in debt. more ›

Despite the recent (possible) location of his spine, President Obama's "numbers" continue to tumble. A recent Gallup poll shows that 56 percent of respondents believe Obama is "about the same" or "worse" than President George W. Bush. It's also worth noting that nearly 30 percent of people polled don't know who the Vice President is, and 73 percent didn't know what the "Cold War" was (Häagen Dazs vs. Breyers, right?) more ›

Yesterday someone posted this image of "Dude Food," a Ben & Jerry's creation honoring cult fave The Big Lebowski, and containing White Russian ice cream with chocolate bowling balls. And well, if Schweddy Balls can happen, why can't this be? Unfortunately, you won't be sprawled out on your Persian rug devouring it anytime soon. more ›

Dear lord: it's come to this? One Million moms, an offshoot of the batsh*t crazy right wing "Christian morals" advocacy group American Family Association, is boycotting Ben & Jerry's limited-edition Schweddy Balls ice cream. more ›

Last week, Ben & Jerry's officially debuted their limited-edition Schweddy Balls ice cream, which honors Alec Baldwin's iconic SNL skit. Needless to say, we were psyched, having anticipated the announcement since way back in June. So when the ice cream mavericks offered to send some Balls our way, we simply couldn't turn them down. more ›

Two women were busted yesterday for allegedly robbing an ice cream truck in Greenpoint, a bold-faced attack on one of America's most sacred institutions. more ›

Earlier this summer, we fired up the rumor mill by hinting, hoping, and praying that Ben & Jerry's was developing a special-edition "Schweddy Balls"-flavored ice cream. Today, the world's prayers have been answered: it's happening! more ›

Summer may be winding down, but there's still time to stuff yourself silly on the season's most iconic treat. Prepare for a brain freeze of epic proportions at this weekend's Ice Cream Sunday at the New Amsterdam Market, featuring frozen concoctions from some of the city's finest chefs. more ›

Intrepid Fox 5 reporter Arnold Diaz has given us SO MUCH great television with his "Hall of Shame" investigative reports, and what does he get in return for all his dedication to shame? Legal troubles... which we suppose is only to be expected. Last month Diaz confronted Magda Abt, an operator of three D'Lites Emporium ice cream stores on Long Island. With cameras rolling, Diaz attempted to present her with lab results suggesting her "low calorie" frozen dessert contained far more calories and carbs than advertised. Thankfully, Abt's brother soon arrived on the premises to entertain us all, the Strong Island way: more ›

Today we catch wind of a strange and hilarious potential development from the Ben & Jerry's camp, who may or may not be developing a new "Schweddy Balls"-themed flavor in honor of the enduring SNL skit starring Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon, and Alec Baldwin in a career-defining role as Pete "Schweddy Balls" Schweddy. more ›

The city's favorite innuendo-laden ice cream hawkers, The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, are movin' on up, announcing that they'll open a brick-and-mortar shop in the East Village this summer. more ›

It's not just ice cream truck drivers who conduct their business like they're in warring drug cartels. The NY Post has the scoop on an "ice cream cold war" between two distributors fighting over the right to stock the same freezer in a Bed-Stuy bodega. It's tough out there for a frozen dessert dealer! On Monday Homero Jaramillo was in the midst of selling some Haagen-Dazs to bodega owner José Zorrilla when the store's regular ice cream supplier, Steven Perez, arrived on the scene. What ensued makes us wonder if the seemingly innocent ice cream dripping down our cones is tainted with blood and suffering. more ›

An ice cream purveyor from Staten Island has landed himself in a sticky Catch-22 after allegedly trying to "palm off" less-than-quality ice cream as Häagen-Dazs in his Bay Ridge shop. The ice cream giant is suing Steven Itkin for trademark infringement and breach of contract, and is seeking a minimum of $75,000 in damages and to shut down Itkin's Häagen-Dazs franchise. However, Itkin suggests maybe Häagen-Dazs should lay off, as their expensive ice cream made it "impossible to make money with the store." more ›

First that Pizzeria Uno gets bounced out of the neighborhood, and now the Ben & Jerry's on Third Avenue by Astor Place has shuffled off this mortal coil. Is no corporate chain safe from the Great Recession, which is supposed to be over anyway? Vanishing New York spotted this sign in the window of the establishment and writes, "I have mild, mixed feelings. I am not 100% anti-chainstore, and this one was so depressing and weird, so vintage 1980s, it had a certain odd appeal. I guess we'll soon be welcoming yet another bubble-tea lounge to this strip." more ›

Another award to add to the city's shelf: According to the Times, Manhattan is most likely the home of America's most expensive ice cream. At their two locations, Grom serves a "small" cup of their artisanal gelato for $5.25, already up $.50 since they opened in 2007. (A sales rep says their small is "110-115 grams," which means a pound would be around $25, not $150 as the Gray Lady claims.) Their prices seem to be the high end of standard these days, as handmade, organic, horomone-free, sustainable, etc. ice cream becomes more and more popular. But the Times asks an important question, "Is there any good reason for ice cream—basically milk, sugar and eggs—to cost more per ounce than wild Atlantic smoked salmon or prime rib-eye?" more ›

People have been cooling off in the summer with nice cold ice cream cones for a long time (albeit, not that fancy, overpriced Van Leeuwen stuff)—did you know that confectioners sold ice cream at their shops in New York during the colonial era? This clearly wasn't that long ago, but try to guess the year that this couple was photographed with their ice creams melting in their hands. Bonus points if you get the neighborhood (maybe you can recognize that fountain). more ›

The eagle-eyed Zoe Schlanger took to Twitter 20 minutes ago to let her group of followers know: "Van Leeuwen truck giving out free ice cream courtesy of Coach on 84th & Bway. Unannounced, no line." And with that, we say STORM THE TRUCK! (She also mentioned there's a earl grey black tea flavor, which sounds delightful.) more ›

You know the party's over when you get called out for abusing your celebrity ice cream freebie card. Earlier today, we all had a good chuckle over a recent incident at a Carvel in East Meadow, Long Island, where Lindsay Lohan's mother Dina had her Carvel "Black Card" confiscated by an employee. The cards entitle holders to free ice cream for 75 years or until the recipient overdoses on crack/drowns in a hot tub/burns up in a fiery DWI crash on the 405—whichever comes first. Now Carvel has fired back at the Lohan family, and it's awesome: more ›