The Da Vinci Science Center, Allentown, hosted its 11th Ice Cream Wars competition on Jan. 5.

Nine local businesses - ATAS International, B. Braun, radio station B104, Cedar Crest College, PPL, St. Luke’s University Hospital, UGI, WFMZ Channel 69 and Weidenhammer entered the contest this year.

B104 won for the second year in a row with its creation of “Dirt Ice Cream.”

The recipe included whole milk, chocolate milk, heavy cream, instant pudding mix, sugar, vanilla, Oreos and gummy worms.

The B104 team, led by Mike and Steph from Mike and Steph in the Morning, tallied the most votes from a Science Center crowd of more than 1,800 visitors.

Second place went to the UGI team for its “Chocolate PB Pretzel,” which included milk, cream, sugar, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter pretzels and mini chocolate chips.

Ice Cream Wars taste-testing competitors work for months to perfect flavors, create costumes and select themes.

“With all the themed costumes and creative flavors, you could really tell the teams were putting everything out there,” said Ian Beard, executive chef at the Holiday Inn Conference Center Lehigh Valley, who served on the Foodie Fan Panel. “There was so much energy, and you could almost taste the passion and emotion in the recipes.”

According to information provided by Da Vinci, the event also serves as a sweet chemistry lesson for visitors as Science Center educators work with teams throughout the day to freeze their ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

When mixed with room-temperature ingredients, liquid nitrogen evaporates quickly and produces a smooth, creamy ice cream treat that is safe to eat in minutes.

The Foodie Fan Panel presented a number of additional awards, including:

Unique and Cheesy: ATAS International;

Sweetest Transfusion of Flavor: B. Braun;

Creamiest Classic: B104;

Most Yummy Use of College Chemistry: Cedar Crest College;

Tastiest Show on Earth: PPL;

Most Enchanting: St. Luke’s University Health Network;

Best in Crunch: UGI;

Best Sunrise Dessert: WFMZ Channel 69 News; and

Most Explosive: Weidenhammer.