Ice cream sandwich, $7

Bakerbots Baking, 205 Delaware Ave. (near Ossington Station)

The ask

For sweet connoisseurs, Bakerbots Baking offers the ultimate dessert combination: luscious ice cream, in an incredible array of flavours, sandwiched between fresh-baked buttery cookies.

The small shop in Toronto’s west end is a summertime landmark and, like many of its fervent fans, Arvind Chahal swoons over their ice cream sandwiches.

“Who doesn’t like cookies and who doesn’t like ice cream and who doesn’t like them together?” Chahal asks with a laugh.

He has, of course, tried a variety of flavour combinations. But the sandwich made with burnt toffee ice cream and “the Everything” cookies — that’s a cookie made with oatmeal, two kinds of chocolate, pretzels and peanut butter — is his absolute favourite.

“That combination, it’s such a fun explosion of flavour,” he says. “The charred sweetness of the ice cream is complimented by the chewiness of ‘the Everything’ cookie.”

Chahal knows full well the ice cream sandwich — whether half or whole — is a once-in-a-while treat. But he still wants to know its nutrition numbers so he can find ways to squeeze it into his diet.

“I’ve had more than my fair share of Bakerbots sandwiches,” he says. “It’s time that I know the calorie count.”

The guess

“Two full cookies at 250 calories each is 500 calories and there is probably 400 calories worth of ice cream. So a total of 900 calories and maybe 50 grams of sugars,” he says. “I’ve got my fingers crossed that it comes in under 1,000 calories.”

The exclusive results

For a full-size ice cream sandwich made with burnt toffee ice cream and two “the Everything” cookies:

Calories: 989

Fat: 51 grams

Sodium: 350 milligrams

Carbohydrates: 123 grams

Protein: 9 grams

Total Sugars: 88 grams

The breakdown

The expert response

You don’t need a nutrition professional to tell you that this is an extravagant treat, registered dietitian Carol Harrison says.

And it’s clear, she adds, that the smart nutritional move is to enjoy the half sandwich made with a single cookie and two scoops of ice cream.

“It’s great the restaurant offers half portions. I wish more operators would do that.”

For any sugary dessert or treat, Harrison offers this advice: “Indulgences can fit into your diet when you follow the 80/20 rule,” she says.

That means 80 per cent of the time you eat whole foods and minimally processed foods, such as beans and lentils, barley and other whole grains, and unsweetened yogurt, prepared in healthy ways, always aiming for a plate half-filled with vegetables and fruit.

“When you do that, the other 20 per cent of the time you have wiggle room for less-nutritious foods, such as cookies, ice cream and fries. But you still have to mind your portions; smaller than your fist is a good guide.

And, she adds, be choosy.

“Most of us don’t have room for regular indulgences. So make sure you pick the ones that you really love.”

The restaurant reaction

Rosanne Pezzelli, chef and co-owner of Bakerbots Baking, agrees with Chahal that it’s the combination of homemade cookies and ice cream that makes her sandwiches so popular.

“Each on their own is pretty delicious, so what is there not to like?” she writes in an email to the Star. “There are endless combinations, which allow people to build their own sammie, which I think is appealing.”

On a busy day, Bakerbots sells between 150 and 200 ice cream sandwiches and Pezzelli says the shop does recommend people order half a sandwich or split a full one with a friend.

“Most people can only handle a half.”

As for the nutrition numbers, Pezzelli, who agrees desserts are for special occasions, says she is “kinda surprised that a big cookie and 4 ounces of ice cream is under 500 calories,” especially since they use full-fat cream and butter. She also notes that her burnt toffee ice cream has more sugar than other flavours because it contains “chunks of sponge toffee and pure burnt sugar.”

What’s her favourite ice cream sandwich?

“There are so many! I love the ‘Birthday Cookie’ with orange cardamom (ice cream) and milk n’ cookies (ice cream). ’Cos you can get two ice cream flavours in a half.”

The reader reaction

Chahal, who hoped the full sandwich would contain fewer than 1,000 calories, was happy with the calorie count.

“That’s 500 calories for my usual half. That feels about right for an indulgent treat.”

But he wasn’t so composed about the sugar content.

“Wow. That’s a hellofa lot of sugar!” he says, laughing. “I guess it means that on that day — or the days around — that you plan for Bakerbots, you think about your sugar intake a little more. But I’m not going to give them up. They are too good not to have.”

The Dish is a weekly series that helps health-conscious diners navigate Toronto’s food scene by revealing the nutrition information of Star readers’ favourite foods.

If you are curious about the calories in a meal or treat, email Megan Ogilvie at [email protected] . Items selected to be featured in the Dish will be sent to an accredited laboratory for nutritional analysis.

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