Chocolate Covered Ice Cream Bar

[Abby Brown] Vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate. Pretty common treat these days, right? But did you know that over a hundred years ago, the very first chocolate covered ice cream bar was invented right here in Iowa? Let's go learn more about this tasty bite of history.

(Map marking Monona County in west central Iowa.)

Christian Kent Nelson was a schoolteacher in Onawa, Iowa. In the summers, he owned and operated an ice cream shop in town.

(A wooden painted sign that reads “1922 Royal Ice Cream Parlor”)

One day a young boy came into Mr. Nelson's shop and he only had enough money for either chocolate or ice cream. And of course he wanted both! And that's all the inspiration Mr. Nelson needed to start experimenting with combining melted chocolate with ice cream.

The trick was getting the chocolate to stick to the block of ice cream. Once Mr. Nelson figured out that adding cocoa butter was the secret, he created what he called I-Scream Bars.

And he invented a dipping machine to make them. They were a hit.

The Monona County Historical Museum in Onawa has an exhibit showcasing this famous hometown invention.

Since 1922, Mr. Nelson's ice cream bars have changed names and shapes, had sticks and no sticks, and most importantly spread worldwide. Other companies adopted the idea and the technology. And by the 1930s, ice cream bars were being sold on the streets of Russia and at state fairs across the country. Today, Mr. Nelson's original idea is still available in stores.

It's called Edy's Pie now, but it's still just ice cream covered in chocolate. A clever creation by a small town school teacher inspired by a local kid's sweet tooth.

Every county in Iowa is dripping with history to share. It was a treat learning about Monona County’s innovative ice cream story.

Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by The Coons Foundation, Pella and the Gilchrist Foundation.