Steve's - Whoopie Pies & Sweet Cream

Whoopie Pies & Sweet Cream - Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Whoopie Pie Pieces and a Swirl of Buttercream

Periodically, I go to Walmart to see if they have cycled their exclusive Ben & Jerry flavor again and while I'm there I check what else is in their freezer case.  They carry different Steve's flavors at Walmart than they do at Vons and the Whoopie Pies & Sweet Cream always catches my eye.  I was usually just intrigued, I'd go home and do a google search on 'whoopie pie' and I'd try to imagine what the ice cream might be like.  Last week, I was looking for a flavor to break up the series of
Häagen-Dazs "Destination Series" and I saw this flavor again and I pulled the trigger.  Yes, I will admit that I just got it because of the goofy name.  We'll see if this fun experiment proves to be tasty.

A whoopie pie is a dessert treat consisting of two round pieces of cake (usually chocolate) with cream or frosting sandwiched between them.  Multiple states claim to be the birthplace.  The Amish of Pennsylvania Dutch country are said to have been making these treats for generations.  An Amish legend has it that when farmers and school children would find these treats in their packed lunches, they would shout "whoopie!".    Massachusetts and Maine also claim origin.  Bakeries menus and cookbooks date the use of whoopie pies in those states at least as far back as the 1920s.  Maine has made the whoopie pie its "state treat" and in 2011 they baked the worlds largest whoopie pie which weighed 1062 pounds.  Growing up in the Midwest, we didn't have whoopie pies.  From the description, the closest thing we had was a Hostess Suzy Q which was rectangular instead of round.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid I see the sweet cream base with a couple of chocolate pieces visible and a bit of the frosting swirl is visible on the very top.  Digging in the frosting is harder than I expected.  It was crunchy!  It was sugary and tasted like frosting, but it had the consistency of the hard candy-like frosting used for small shapes and features on the top of cakes rather than the softer frosting or cream used for general coverage.  The cake pieces were dispersed through the center of the pint.  They were small and nugget-sized, thick and almost brownie-like.  They tasted a bit like tootsie rolls -- a bit cakier but not much.  The sweet cream base was soft and creamy and provided a good backdrop for the mix-ins.

Overall, it was not quite what I was expecting.  The fact that the cake pieces were thicker and more brownie-like was OK, but to create the sensation of a whoopie pies the buttercream frosting needed to be soft and creamy and not hard and crunchy.  Steve's has such bold and imaginative flavor ideas but they sometimes stumble with the implementation.  Maybe I got a fluke batch?  Or the store allowed the ice cream to melt and refreeze?  Perhaps.  If you've had better luck with this flavor, let me know.

 

Häagen-Dazs - Brownies à la Mode

Brownies à la Mode - Vanilla Ice Cream with Brownie Pieces and a Fudge Sauce Swirl

Back to the Häagen-Dazs Destination Series for their Brownies à la Mode flavor.  Where exactly is a brownie-centric ice cream taking us?  Chicago!  Evidently Chicago is the birthplace of the brownie.  The popular legend has it that the brownie was invented at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago during the time of the World's Fair of 1893 as a small cake-like dessert which was durable enough to be included in box lunches.  It was an immediately success and similar recipes started showing up in cookbooks across the country within the next decade.  

With this flavor, Haagen-Dazs hopes to replicate the success of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie which has been one of that brand's most popular flavor since it was introduced over twenty-five years ago.  That said, there is a key difference.  Ben & Jerry's uses a chocolate base aimed at providing people with an intense chocolate experience while Häagen-Dazs uses a vanilla base seemingly to mimic a brownie with an accompanying scoop of ice cream (à la mode).

Removing the lid, the top of the pint shows a lot more color and texture than I was expecting.  Many small brownie pieces are visible as well as quite a bit of the fudge swirl.  I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Destination Series flavors -- there is always more going on in the pint than I imagine looking at the name of the flavor in the freezer case.  Here, the pleasant surprise is the fudge swirl.  Digging into the pint, the brownie pieces are much smaller than those in a typical Ben & Jerry's pint, although they are still soft, chewy and chocolatey.  And they are quite numerous.  There is no shortage of brownie pieces, but just delivered to you in smaller bits.  The fudge sauce reminded me of Hershey's chocolate syrup which I used to put on my vanilla ice cream when I was a kid.  It had a little bit of that back-of-the-throat kick to it.  The vanilla base was overpowered by the brownies and the mix-ins but it gave the pint a different feel to it than a chocolate base would.  This is a flavor with a lot of chocolatey mix-ins and not an "all chocolate" pint.

I very much enjoyed this flavor.  Haagen-Dazs has managed to introduce a brownie mix-in into their product line while avoiding a direct copy of Ben & Jerry's.  If you like a scoop of vanilla with chocolate sauce to go with your brownie, then give this flavor a try.

Graeter's - Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip

Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip - Kentucky Bourbon Ice Cream with Buttered and Salted Pecans & Chocolate Chips

We return to the Cincinnati-based Graeter's brand for another pint of their old-fashioned "french pot process" ice cream.  This week;s flavor is Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip which flavors its ice cream with Kentucky Bourbon.  Growing up, I associated Cincinnati with the midwest (and WKRP) but when I was in college I met a few people from Cincinnati and they spoke with a mild southern accent.  They explained to me that Cincinnati is right across the river from Kentucky.  So an ice cream with a Kentucky Bourbon flavoring makes complete sense in a Cincinnati brand.

On to the ice cream.  Removing the lid shows the milky color of the base ice cream with some pecans and chocolate chips noticeable right away on the very top.  In the previous Graeter's review, I noticed a frozen slush consistency across the top of the pint.  There is none of that here thankfully.  Friends who have previously had Graeter's reported to me after that review that they had never seen that in any of their pints.  So, it appears that was a fluke issue with that pint.  Digging in, although the pint contains no actual alcohol, I did note the flavor of bourbon right away in the first spoonful.  The Graeter's website describes it as "for adult tastes, but still kid safe".  The pecan mix-ins are billed as being roasted but they were soft and not crunchy.  They were delicious.  There were fewer chocolate chips than there were pecans, but overall there were plenty of mix-ins.  Pecans more of a novelty anyways.  I got an odd sensation halfway through the pint -- I thought I tasted pistachio.  I guess pistachio and pecan are both nuts and perhaps I was more used to crunchier pecans?  No complaints I like pistachio.  The french pot process produces a very dense and thick ice cream.  I had no problems finishing the pint, but I was quite full for quite a while afterwards.

I very much enjoyed this pint.  Bourbon & pecan is a successful flavor combination which you do not see very often in pints.  Ben & Jerry's does have a Bourbon Pecan Pie flavor but it is only available in Texas for some reason.  If you're not in Texas and you want bourbon and pecan, then Graeter's is the way to go.

 

Häagen-Dazs - Mayan Chocolate

Mayan Chocolate - Mayan Chocolate Ice Cream with a Fudge Swirl and Chocolaty Truffles

The latest in Häagen-Dazs' "Destination Series" takes us south of the border to Mexico for their Mayan Chocolate Flavor.  What makes the chocolate "Mayan"?  Cinnamon is added.  That makes this a bit similar to the previously reviewed Steve's Mexican Chili Chocolate flavor except here the only added spice is cinnamon whereas Steve's also added cayenne and guajillo pepper into the mix.  Also, today flavor adds a fudge swirl and chocolaty truffle pieces to the spiced chocolate base whereas the Steve's flavor was just the spicy chocolate base.  That is a welcome bonus as I like mix-ins.

Removing the lid and the extra plastic seal shows quite a bit of the fudge swirl is visible right away.  I also lick the plastic seal before digging in and right away I can taste the cinnamon flavoring in the chocolate.  Digging in, the chocolate base is very tasty.   Other brands sometimes focus on the mix-ins to provide the flavoring, but Häagen-Dazs does a straight chocolate ice cream very well.  The fudge swirls provide an extra chocolate kick.  The truffle pieces were fairly numerous and were comprised of all chocolate (no caramel or nut inside).  The pieces were crumbly in texture and chewed easily -- they were not simply fudge chunks.  To my surprise, the cinnamon flavor faded as I ate deeper into the pint.  This could be my own palate.  I tend to prefer higher spice levels and I always heap the cinnamon when I cook with it.  Whereas the Steve's pint above left a lingering spicy taste on my teeth afterwards, Häagen-Dazs went with a milder mix -- perhaps to appeal to a broader audience.

I still enjoyed the pint despite it not being quite as spicy as I would have liked.  Chocolate lovers will like the excellent chocolate in the base, in the swirl and in the mix-in.  If you're more sensitive to spices then you'll notice the kick of cinnamon more than me. 

Graeter's - Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip

Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip - Black Raspberry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

Today's review is new brand for me - Graeter's.   Graeter's is a family-run business based in Cincinnati which has been around for four generations now.  Originally started by Louis Graeter in 1870 and was later joined in the business by his wife Regina.  When Louis died in a streetcar accident in 1919, Regina took over and expanded it into the business that it is today.  Regina lived into the 1950s and although technological advances in her lifetime had made ice cream manufacturing easier than it was in the 19th century, Regina clung to the old-fashioned "french pot" process.  Today, her great-grandchildren now run the company but they still use the "french pot" process at Graeter's.

What is the "french pot" process?   They describe it online in one of their many youtube videos.  It's similar to how one would try to make their own ice cream at home.  The milk, cream, sugar and flavoring is put into a cold pot which is then mixed until it thickens.  In the 19th century, this was done partly for practical purposes.  Before refrigeration, the pot was made cold by being placed in a larger pot of ice.  Modern freezers now allow for ice cream manufacturing machine which produce large batches of ice cream but Graeter's still uses these small "french pots" and are limited to batches of just two and a half gallons each which they still hand-pack into the pints.

How does this process affect the ice cream?  Let's see!  Removing the lid shows a thick ice cream of purple color of the black raspberry base.  You can actually see the effects of the hand packing right away as the swipe of the scoop has left the top a bit like frozen slush on one side.  Digging into the pint, the ice cream is very thick -- not a lot of air gets injected in during the "french pot" process.  The frozen slush section on one side of the top was not ideal, but it did give a certain "homemade" feeling to the ice cream.  Only small pockets of it were found later on in the pint.  The black raspberry flavor was delicious.  Red raspberry can be a bit tart sometimes but the black raspberry provided the berry flavor without a hint of that.  The chocolate chunks were dispersed throughout the pint,  They were uniquely shaped, each was a bit large for a chocolate chip -- they were like crushed up chocolate bars.  The chocolate went well with the raspberry.

All in all a successful pint.  I enjoyed checking out a new brand -- especially one made with a unique process.  It really is a thicker ice cream than other brands.  The frozen slush sections are a bit of a concern but not a dealbreaker.  I have another Graeter's flavor in my freezer so I'll be able to report if that is a common occurrence or just an aberration.    If you are interested in checking out a unique ice cream in a classic berry & chocolate combination -- and you can find a pint of it -- then you should check this out.

UPDATE -- I have had this flavor a couple of times since I first wrote this review and it has always been amazing.  The slush issue must have been a fluke issue in transit or at the supermarket.  I have never seen it again in the dozens of other Graeter's pints that I have tried either  That the fluke happened on my very first Graeter's pint is frustrating in retrospect.  I know now that this is the top flavor from one of the top brands in the country, but I did not know when I was first trying this out.  So, do not fear.  Enjoy this flavor!

Häagen-Dazs - Sweet Cream Coffee Caramel

Sweet Cream Coffee Caramel - Sweet Cream Ice Cream with a Chicory Coffee Caramel Swirl

Today, we discuss another of the new Häagen-Dazs "Destination Series" flavors - Sweet Cream Coffee Caramel.  The Destination Series gives Häagen-Dazs a chance to try out new flavor combinations.  Here they have partnered with the Berkeley-based at CC Made to infuse a chicory coffee caramel swirl into a sweet cream to provide a taste of New Orleans.  Indeed the swirl is based on one of the sauces available at CC Made.  

The use of chicory and its association with New Orleans coffee intrigues me.  I had never heard of chicory before eating this pint.  Chicory is the root of the plant species Chicorium Intybus.  It has been around since the days of ancient Egypt where it was used as a medicinal herb.  In the last few centuries, it has often been used as a substitute for coffee when there supply of coffee was limited (often because of war).  In New Orleans, coffee supplies were cut off during the time of Napoleon because of a 'Continental Blockade' that the emperor initiated in 1808.  After the blockade was lifted, the people of New Orleans continued to use chicory as a coffee additive because they had grown to enjoy the flavor.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid shows quiet a bit of thick swirl visible on the very top.  The plastic wrapper that Häagen-Dazs places on the top gives it a bit of a squished appearance, though.  Eating down into the pint reveals a more striking marbling of the swirl.  Very beautiful.  Taste-wise the swirl mixes coffee and caramel as one would expect but the caramel also has a bit of a burnt or toasted flavor and there is a bit of a bitter kick to it as well.  I am not a coffee afficianado but the bit of a bitter kick might be the chicory?  Not sure.

It was an interesting pint.  It reminded me a bit of the Coffee Caramel Buzz flavor, there the kick came from whiskey instead of chicory.  I'm certainly glad I tried this flavor, but I'm not a coffee junkie so I didn't absolutely love it.  Still, the added twists of the chicory and caramel made it quite a bit more interesting that the usual pint of coffee ice cream.  If you are a coffee junkie and are interested in something besides either plain coffee ice cream or the standard coffee-and-chocolate combination then check this one out.
 

 

Baskin Robbins - Pralines 'N Cream

Pralines 'N Cream - Vanilla Flavored Ice Cream with Praline-Coated Pecan Pieces & Caramel Ribbon

This week we do a Baskin Robbins original -- Pralines 'N Cream.  The story goes that Irv Robbins and his wife Irma were at home enjoying a bag of pralines that they had brought back from a recent trip to New Orleans when inspiration hit.  Irv rushed to the kitchen to mix the pralines into vanilla ice cream with a bit of caramel and a new flavor was born.  The flavor immediately became one of their all-time best sellers and scoop shops have learned never to rotate it out of their thirty-one flavor line-up.  So popular is the flavor, that it has spawned copycats.  Haagen-Dazs' introduction of their Pralines & Cream flavor (note the & in place of the 'N) in 1984 led to a lawsuit from Baskin-Robbins which thought it had trademarked the flavor.  The Haagen-Dazs flavor is still in freezer cases in 2016 so Baskin-Robbins must have lost exclusivity in that suit, but there's no denying who is the original.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid reveals an unusually pretty top of the pint.  The carton is not quite full and the shape of the cream has some nice folds to it.  A couple of caramel swirls are visible along with a general caramel-ly tinge to the vanilla base.  Eating my way in, the caramel swirls are thick and sweet.  A bit more orange and a bit more sticky and sweet than the usual caramel swirl.  The pecans are dispersed throughout the pint and the praline coating was a bit more toffee-like and crunchy than I was expecting.  It's been a while since I've had this flavor -- I had forgotten that they weren't just regular nuts.  Honey or candy-coated nuts is a common holiday treat in my family so it is not like I am objecting.  The vanilla base provided a decent backdrop but with the ribbon and the mix-ins it did not stand out by itself.

Certainly a successful flavor.  I can see why it has remained popular for all of these years.  Personally, I might prefer just a straight pecan & caramel combination without the toffee-like praline coating but I think I'm in the minority as 'praline' is featured very prominently in the name of the flavor.  I wonder if the Haagen-Dasz flavor is much different.  Perhaps I'll try that one soon as that would make for a fun showdown.

McConnell's - Double Peanut Butter Chip

Double Peanut Butter Chip - Central Coast, grass-fed milk and cream meets savory, salty nuttiness in this especially well-balanced blend of rich, creamy, salty peanut butter folded into smooth and indulgent peanut butter ice cream. Then comes the capper. Copious amounts of bittersweet chocolate. Peanut butter ice cream lovers? We've heard your pleas.

We return to the Santa Barbara-based McConnell's for a peanut butter-themed pint: Double Peanut Butter Chip.  As with other McConnell's flavors the simple description reads a lot like romance copy.  The short description says it has peanut butter in the base, a peanut butter mix-in (hence the 'double') and a bittersweet chocolate mix-in as well.  Sounds good.

The back of the carton contains real romance copy.  I love it when these passages go on wild tangents but here they're just describing the flavor.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid shows lots of peanut butter and chocolate pieces on top already.  Eating my way into the pint, the peanut butter very crunchy and flavorful and yes you can taste a little bit of salt in there.  In other McConnell's flavors, the bittersweet chocolate has a bit of a melt-in-your-mouth type consistency, but here these are flakes with a bit of a crunch.  So, both mix-ins are a bit crunchy.  The carton says that the base ice cream is peanut butter flavored, but I didn't notice it that much.  No matter, though, as there are so many crunchy peanut butter pieces that I did not feel like it needed more peanut butter.

I liked this flavor.  Simple, but well done.  Chocolate and peanut butter is a classic combination.   I enjoyed this flavor much more than Peanut Butter Cup.  If you're in the mood for smooth with more of a chocolatey bias, you could go for Peanut Butter World but if you like your chocolate and peanut butter mix-ins on the crunchy side with a peanut butter bias, this is the way to go.