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One of the best decisions ever made at Zeno’s Boardwalk Sweetshop was in 2003 when we began to make our homemade ice cream and specialty flavors.

Though we had no idea what we were doing at the time, we had so much fun creating the many different flavors and combinations; we couldn’t wait to stumble upon the next great taste-treat.

Since then, Zeno’s Hard-Pack Ice Cream has gained legendary popularity throughout the country and the world.

Let us take you behind the scenes here at Zeno’s Boardwalk Sweetshop and tell you how our ice cream is made.

Ice cream is a blend of cream, egg yolks, whole and skim milk, sugar & flavorings, and typically, the better the quality the ingredients, the better the ice cream. Butterfat is the magic behind great ice cream, and the greater the amount, the creamier the texture and the fuller the flavor. But that’s not all; the steps that follow make all the difference in the world between just OK ice cream, and terrific ice cream.

Premium ice cream is between 12 – 14% butterfat; at Zeno’s we use a 14% mixture. The mix is pre-chilled before going into the churn where the dasher (the paddle) whips the mix into thickly textured, but not quite frozen state. As the semi-frozen ice cream leaves the churn, we then add layer upon layer of the extra goodies and treats that make up our menu of flavors.

Once the tub is full, it is immediately placed into a deep freeze (-20° F) for at least 24 hours. This ensures that the ice cream hardens quickly so ice crystals do not form that would interfere with the creamy texture and rich flavor. On the following day it is brought to the store where you can enjoy the freshest hard-pack ice cream available anywhere.

The goodies and treats added to our ice cream; fudge, brownies, caramel, {list} are made from scratch in our kitchen with the same care and attention we give every one of the confections that bear our name. There are a few items we don’t make ourselves, all being the branded items we add from time-to-time (such as Reese’s Pieces) to create our variety of flavors, textures, and taste combinations.

There’s nothing like a few scoops of your favorite ice cream flavors tucked into a freshly made waffle cone. And that’s what you’ll find at each of our locations; cones that are made from scratch behind the counter throughout the day, so every cone in the store is as fresh as can be.