Describe the direction of the flow of thermal energy if a bowl of ice cream sits on the counter of the kitchen.

The bowl of ice cream contains ice cream with temperature below freezing point. A hot body contains more thermal energy than a cold body. Thermal energy only flows from a hot body to a cold body, and not the reverse.

The bowl of ice cream contain less thermal energy than it sorrounding envoirment (air and the kitchen counter), this creates a temperature gradient that forces thermal energy from the sorrounding envoirment into the bowl of ice cream because, according to thermodynamics, all bodies always tend to be in thermal equilibrium with its sorrounding. The thermal energy flows into the bowl of ice cream until it has the same thermal energy with its sorrounding; bringing the thermal gradient between them to zero.