Milkjam Creamery - C.R.E.A.M.

C.R.E.A.M. - Sweet Cream with a Hint of Sea Salt

Today, we return to the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery -- not for the seasonal July flavors (which by the way are described at this instagram link) but for one of their standard flavors which somehow I have not tried yet.  This is "C.R.E.A.M" which is Milkjam's implementation of a sweet cream.  Sweet cream is the simplest of all ice creams.  The easiest way to describe it would be "vanilla without the vanilla", so just milk, cream, sugar, etc.  Milkjam has a lot of fun naming their flavors.  I am not as cool as the flavor namers at Milkjam, but I believe this flavor is named after a 1994 Wu-Tang Clan song of the same name.  There, the acronym stands for "Cash Rules Everything Around Me".  That sounds fun.  I like money, too.  I have reviewed a simple sweet cream implementation before from Tillamook here.  Let's see how this flavor compares. 

Removing the lid, the ice cream is the expected white color with a slight tinge of yellow (perhaps their recipe includes some egg yolks).  Digging in, the ice cream is 'whipped up' more than usual.  You can tell from the pictures that more air is churned into this pint than in the usual Milkjam flavor.  The flavor expectedly simple (just creamy) but is quite good.  The links above mention that there is a hint of sea salt in the mix, but the effect of that is extremely subtle -- this is by no means a salty pint.

This is a decent and solid implementation of the simplest of ice cream flavors: sweet cream.  I think I liked Tillamook's implementation slightly better (thicker and denser) but that flavor has since been retired so this flavor will work great if you need a simple sweet cream -- often used as the 'a la mode' ice cream to accompany a slice of cake or pie.  It is a lot like an ice cream version of a whipped cream.  I should mention, though, that Milkjam's namesake flavor Milkjam is a great alternative which you should try first.  Its blend of goat, cow and sweetened condensed milk is thick and unique and not available anywhere else.

 

 

Grand Ole Creamery - Butter Pecan

Butter Pecan - Butter Ice Cream with Pecans

 

I returned to the Grand Ole Creamery of Saint Paul for the first time in a while to pick up a couple of pints.  Today's point is the flavor Butter Pecan, the simple yet extremely popular classic flavor.  I bought it at the scoop shop on Grand Avenue, but I have also seen it at Widmer's in Saint Paul.  I have had simple versions of this flavor from Talenti, Graeter's and Häagen-Dazs, and I've had brown butter or brown butter bourbon versions from Sweet Science, Graeter's and Ample Hills.  Let's see how Grand Ole Creamery compares.

Removing the lid, the butter base has a yellowish white color -- consistent with butter.  I can see quite a few pecans right away on top.  Digging in, the ice cream is thick and creamy.  At times it feels like it has an almost sticky texture to it as it seems to want to stick to my spoon.  The flavor is simple and basic -- this is definitely not a brown butter version.  The butter flavor is not that strong, but I can tell that it is not sweet cream or vanilla.  The pecans are dispersed generously and are a decent size.  I'd say mostly quarters with perhaps a few halves.

This is a very simple, but solid implementation of a butter pecan flavor from Grand Ole Creamery.  There are a lot of pecans and the soft, mild-flavored butter base complements them quite well.  It is not too exciting of a flavor, but I think that is the appeal of butter pecan.  No praline coating, no chocolate, just good nuts and thick ice cream.

 

Milkjam Creamery - D'Oh

D'Oh - Donut Ice Cream with Donut Croutons and Sprinkles

 

Today's flavor comes from Milkjam Creamery of south Minneapolis, but it is not part of their monthly specials.  This flavor is called D'oh (instagram link here).  It is a donut-themed ice cream and I gather the name comes from Homer Simpson's favorite expression.  I just saw on instagram that this falvor was 'back' and available in pints for a limited time so I went down there to the scoop shop.  The first person that waited on me seemed a bit confused but when they asked someone else, they went back into a separate freezer and grabbed me a pint.  The lettering artwork on the side of the pint is cute.  As mentioned above, this point is donut-themed.  The base is called "donut ice cream" (I will have to see what that means), the mix-ins are donut 'croutons' and then there are sprinkles in the mix as well.  Let's dig in!

Removing the lid, I see a white base with sprinkles visible.  This looks a lot like a "birthday cake" flavor -- such as Milkjam's recent Cake Batter vs Cookie Dough pint.  Digging in, this base ice cream tastes a bit different than a birthday cake ice cream.  It is very "milky" actually.  Soon I encounter the donut 'croutons'.  These are just generous chunks of donut which are immersed in the ice cream.  They are soft (not dried or toasted like a crouton for a salad would be).  These are pretty good.  The sprinkles provide a bit of color and some sugar.

This is a fun twist on a birthday cake flavor.  Donut pieces instead of cake pieces and a lighter milky base instead of one based on frosting.  I like it.

 

Pumphouse Creamery - Black Garlic with Chocolate Chips

Black Garlic with Chocolate Chips - Black Garlic Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

 

Today we return to the Pumphouse Creamery of south Minneapolis for their Black Garlic with Chocolate Chips flavor.  Last year, Pumphouse had a Black Garlic flavor which was a fun experimental flavor.  "Black" garlic has been heated and aged giving it a more complex but muted flavor.  So it was not a strong garlic like the one in Jeni's Everything Bagel's mix-ins (which was balanced by a cream cheese base).  In Pumphouse's flavor, you could taste the garlic in the ice cream itself but in a way that was still palatable.  My minor quibble with the flavor was that although the garlic had been made palatable, it was not strong enough to maintain my interest for the entire pint.  So, it was better by the spoonful or scoopful than by the pint. In today's flavor, they've added chocolate chips!  Maybe other people had a similar feedback?  Let's see how their garlic flavor fares mixed with chocolate chips.

Removing the lid, I see lots of chocolate chips right away.  The black garlic base on an off-white beige color.  Digging in, I can taste a little bit of the garlic.  It is more of a 'finish' flavor that you get notes of after I swallow.  I primarily taste the chocolate chips which are quite delicious.  I should note that I have a high tolerance for spices, though, so perhaps some Midwestern eaters might taste a more intense garlic flavor than I do.

This is a fun flavor from Pumphouse.  Like last year's Black Garlic flavor, it is fun to experiment with a flavor that includes garlic.  You do get a bit of savory garlic flavor but you also get good chocolate chip ice cream as well.  Try a sample of it the next time it is available if you are curious.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Cake Batter vs Cookie Dough

Cake Batter vs Cookie Dough - Cake Batter Ice Cream with Cookie Dough Chunks

 

We return to the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery for the final pint from their June "nostalgia series" (instagram link here).  This one is called Cake Batter vs Cookie Dough (instagram link here).  It features a cake batter ice cream with cookie dough mix-ins.  I like cake and I like cookies, but I don't think I have seen them together like this.  I am quite intrigued and looking forward to checking this out.

Popping off the lid, I see sprinkles!  I was not expecting sprinkles.  This is a birthday cake batter!  The first thing that popped into my head when I read 'cake batter' was a yellow cake batter.  Perhaps because Ben & Jerry's Cake Batter was my very first review, but also because of a subsequent Coolhaus flavor.  Looking more closely, I have had vanilla cake batter or birthday cake batter ice cream before from Graeter's (here) and a couple of limited-batch Ben & Jerry's flavors (here and here).  Digging in, this Milkjam flavor does taste like Birthday Cake.  It is pretty good and the sprinkle mix-ins add to that aesthetic.  As I dig my way down, I encounter the cookie dough mix-ins.  These are regular chocolate chip cookie dough pieces.  You know, the kind made with brown sugar, butter, eggs and chocolate chips.  It is good.

This is a very interesting combination of flavors from Milkjam Creamery.  You have the white birthday cake base with white sugar, no egg whites and buttercream mixed with the chocolate chip cookie dough with its brown sugar, egg yolks and butter.  On the whole, I think the birthday cake is the dominant flavor but the mix-ins provide quite a contrast when you bite into them.

 

Van Leeuwen - Hazelnut Fudge Cookie

Van Leeuwen - Hazelnut Fudge Cookie - Hazelnut Ice Cream with Swirls of Fudge and Spiced Speculoo Cookie Pieces

 

Today's flavor is from the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and is called Hazelnut Fudge Cookie.  I bought it at Kowalski's on Grand in Saint Paul.  This flavor has a hazelnut base with spiced speculoo cookie pieces as a mix-in along with swirls of fudge.  Speculoos are a Dutch/Belgian spiced biscuit which I have seen a few times in other ice creams - a cookie butter core flavor from Ben & Jerry's, a retired Tillamook flavor and another Van Leeuwen flavor called Mocha Cookie Crumble.  Let's check it out.

I see quite a bit upon removing the lid.  The hazelnut base has a light tan color.  Some of the fudge swirl is visible on one of the side and there is a grainy texture within the base which I am guessing is crumbs from the cookies.  Digging in, the ice cream is thick yet easily scoopable which is consistent with other Van Leeuwen pints.  As mentioned in previous reviews Van Leeuwen's is a "french" ice cream which means that it is made with extra egg yolks.  This gives it a custard-like texture.  The hazelnut flavor in the base is not too strong but still good.  I like when hazelnut appears by itself instead of being fully blended into a nutella-like fudge.  There is a separate fudge swirl here and it is quite delicious.  The cookie pieces are soft and of variable size.  That is, some of the small crumbs have effectively blended into the base ice cream but some of the pieces are large enough to chew on.  I do not specifically taste the speculoo spices (such as cinnamon or nutmeg) but with cookies and fudge in every spoonful, it is quite delicious.

This Van Leeuwen pint is a very delicious and appealing blend of hazelnut, fudge and soft cookie pieces.  I specifically liked how the hazelnut and fudge were in every spoonful yet they were still distinct flavors and not fully blended.  My lone critique is the same one that I had for the previous Van Leeuwen flavor that included speculoo cookie pieces, Mocha Cookie Crumble.  That is that the spices in the speculoo cookies are too faint to taste amidst all the fudge.  It is still very tasty, just don't expect a lot of cinnamon or nutmeg in the mix.

 

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Kosmic Brownie

Kosmic Brownie - Brownie Ice Cream with Brownie Chunks and Kosmic Candy Pieces

 

The next flavor in the June nostalgia series (instagram link here) from the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery is called Kosmic Brownie (instagram link here).  This is based on the Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie snack.  I must admit that I am too old for these to be a part of my childhood.  It looks like they were introduced in 1999 to capitalize on a trend called "cosmic bowling" -- bowling in the dark with glow-in-the-dark equipment.  I saw Cosmic Brownie's at a local ALDI store the other day.  They are pre-packaged brownies with rainbow sprinkle candy on top.  That is basically what this ice cream is -- it is a chocolate fudge brownie ice cream with rainbow sprinkle candy blended in.  Let's give it a shot.

Removing the lid, the chocolate base is a normal dark brown color.  Milkjam is famous for their Black chocolate, but this is more of a standard chocolate color.  Visible right away are all the rainbow candy pieces.  Digging in, this is a rich and smooth chocolatey flavor.  Again, it is more of a standard rich chocolate which is different from their non-dairy "Black" flavor.  It is quite good and it reminds me of brownie batter.  The rainbow candies are a little bit crunchier than your standard "sprinkles" are.  They mainly provide a bit of textural variation in the pint.  Digging down, there are brownie pieces in the mix as well.  These pieces almost feel half-blended with the base.  I guess that is my comment on how thick the brownie batter base is and now soft and scoopable the brownie pieces themselves are.

This is an excellent implementation of a chocolate fudge brownie ice cream with the addition of rainbow candy pieces.  Compared to other implementations, I would say the mix-ins here are on the softer side and the base is on the thicker side.  I know chocolate-lovers already have a few options from Milkjam with their signature Black and Ridin' Duuurty flavors.  This has a more traditional brownie flavor appeal.

 

 

Jeni's - High Five Candy Bar

High Five Candy Bar - Peanut Butter, Caramel, Chocolate, and Pretzels

 

I got a surprise while reading news on twitter the other day.  Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream has a new flavor which is only available at Whole Foods.  I was not expecting this because there is nothing on their website about it.  I often have Jeni's shipped to me online, but this flavor is not even available online.  Well, we do have Whole Foods here in town, so I checked and found it.  I bought it at the one on Lake & Excelsior in Minneapolis, but I have also seen it at the one on Snelling and Selby in Saint Paul.  The new flavor is called High Five Candy Bar.  It looks like it might also be included in a collection later this summer, we shall see.  The side of the carton says that it is based on Jeni's all-time favorite candy bar.  She does not spell out which one, but my guess is that it is the Take 5 because it has the same ingredients -- peanut butter (and peanuts), caramel, chocolate and pretzels.  Take Five makes me think of the odd-metered Dave Brubeck jazz standard, so I will listen to that while I finish this review.

Removing the lid and peeling back the feel-good message on the protective foil, the top of the ice cream is quite beautiful.  The peanut butter base is light in color, there are a couple of swirls of caramel visible and then two different sizes of chocolate pieces.  I am guessing that the larger pieces have pretzel pieces inside.  Digging my spoon in, the peanut butter base is delicious and not too heavy.  The caramel swirls are quite delicious.  The pretzel pieces have variable crunchiness.  Some pieces are crunchier and some are almost chewy.  They deliver a bit of salt into the mix.  The chocolate pieces (and the chocolate pretzel coating) does not dominate like some chocolate mix-ins.  It blends into the mix.  All the flavors in the pint seem to blend more than I was expecting.  It's like a peanut butter caramel blend with a bit of salt and chocolate.  It is a good blend.

This is a very well-done implementation of a candy-bar-themed ice cream from Jeni's.  It includes all the ingredients of a candy bar, yet it is not just sticking a candy bar into a Blizzard machine and mixing it up.  This feels like the typical nuanced blend of flavors that you expect from Jeni's -- just candy bar ingredients.  Looking for other candy-bar themed flavors in the archive, I found the since retired Candy Bar Pie and Nutty Caramel Swirl flavors from Ben & Jerry's.  Those were chunkier with chocolate mix-ins that stood out more.  There was also the Snicker Doodle flavor from Sweet Science which used snickers-bar-themed mix-ins in a snicker-doodle-flavored base.  That has an amazing caramel swirl.  Today's Jeni's flavor holds up against these.  If you like peanut butter candy bars and there is a Whole Foods near you, then check it out.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Toasty Strudy

Toasty Strudy - Puff Pastry Ice Cream with Strawberry Jam and and Icing Swirl

 

The next flavor in Milkjam Creamery's June Nostalgia series (instagram link here) is called Toasty Strudy (instagram link here).  From the link, it looks like this is based on Pillsbury's strawberry Toaster Strudel.  As far as personal nostalgia goes, my father worked for Pillsbury back when they were still an independent company (today, they are brand owned by General Mills).  That said, I haven't had one of these Toaster Strudels before.  It looks like a softer version of a pop tart.  The ice cream implementation features a puff pastry ice cream with swirls of strawberry jam and frosting.  I am looking forward to checking this out.

Removing the lid, I see a mostly white base on top.  I see some hints of strawberry around the rim plus perhaps a little hint of some white frosting in there as well.  Digging my spoon in, I start to see more of the strawberry swirl.  The swirl does taste like jam and not just a strawberry sauce.  It is not too sweet or too tart.  It is the type of jam that would go well on a piece of toast.  The base ice cream is good vehicle for the strawberry swirl, but I do not notice hunks of pastry in it.  Reading the instagram links above, it looks like they blend house-baked pastry into a custard.  It works.  There is not as much frosting in the mix as I was expecting but I do encounter a little bit of it from time to time which delivers a bit of extra sweetness.  The pictures below do not show a lot of strawberry, but a little bit of this swirl goes a long way and there was good strawberry flavor in just about every spoonful.

I enjoyed this strawberry-swirl based pint from Milkjam Creamery.  It is not as intense of a strawberry swirl as some other pints that I have had, but it is still quite a pleasant and delicious pint.  This reminds me of a muted and more balanced version of the pop tart-themed Strawberry Topped Tart pint which Ben & Jerry's released earlier in the year.  Both are delicious in their own way.  Ben & Jerry's was embracing the low-brow, candied and sweet nature of a pop tart.  Toasty Strudy is a more an implementation that you'd see in a cloth-napkin restaurant.

Pumphouse Creamery - Non Dairy Muscovado Sugar

Non Dairy Muscovado Sugar - Muscovado Coconut Cream

 

Today's flavor from the Pumphouse Creamery of south Minneapolis is one of their non-dairy offerings, Non-Dairy Muscovado Sugar.  This features a coconut cream base which is flavored with an unrefined sugar called muscovado.  Since it is unrefined, muscovado has some similarities with brown sugar and might have notes of molasses.  Pumphouse's website notes that you may also notice the taste of butterscotch.  I have had muscovado once before as the base of Van Leeuwen's Brooklyn Brown Sugar Chunk flavor.  In that pint, the highlight was candied walnut mix-ins.  Here, the muscovado gets the center stage.  Let's dig in!

Opening the pint, the muscovado coconut cream base has a creamy light tan color consistent with the color of butterscotch.  In the first spoonful, I do get notes of butterscotch right away.  I also notice the mild taste of coconut in the coconut cream.  It is a good blend.  The non-dairy coconut base is well implemented.  It is light and creamy and not at all icy or sorbet-like.  As I eat my way further down, the butterscotch brown sugar flavor of the muscovado holds up.  It is quite delicious.  This is a homogenous pint with no mix-ins.

This is a nice an appealing non-dairy flavor from Pumphouse.  The muscovado flavor is quite appealing.  The notes of butterscotch go well with the notes of coconut from the coconut cream.  It is a good option for those with dietary restrictions or an interesting flavor to check out if you like butterscotch as well. 

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Hawaii N Punch

Hawaii N Punch - Tropical Fruit Punch Sorbet

 

The theme for June for the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery is nostalgia (instagram link here).  Today's flavor is Hawaii N Punch (instagram link here).  It is a tropical fruit punch sorbet based on the soft drink.  Hawaiian Punch was developed by A.W. Leo in Fullerton California in the 1934.  It is currently owned by Dr. Pepper.  Fun fact, the word "punch" is not related to the punching of the fist or punching of a hole through something.  It comes from the Hindi word for 'five' because early recipes for this type of drink contained five ingredients.  The original 1934 recipe for Hawaiian Punch did actually contain five juices - orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava and papaya.  As far as nostalgia goes, I do remember loving this drink when I was eight.  I do not drink things that sweet anymore, so we'll see how this goes.  This is a sorbet, so it is just the punch with ice and then churned -- no cream.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the sorbet has a lighter pink color than I was expecting.  I remember Hawaiian Punch being a deep red color.  Digging in, the fruit punch flavor is also not as concentrated as I remember the old soft drink being.  But it turns out that this is a very wise choice.  Above, I mentioned that I was a little apprehensive I don't crave hyper-sweet fruit punch like I did when I was eight.  Well, they've muted the flavor just enough to make it delicious.  I very much approve.  I was able to eat the entire pint in one sitting -- perhaps aided by the fact that it has been hot here in the Twin Cities this month.

This is a delicious and tastefully implemented fruit punch sorbet from Milkjam Creamery.  The flavor is a bit muted from what I remember of the original soft drink but it is not going to make you so hyper that your mother makes you run around the house ten times to tire you out.  That said, it is still fruity and sweet enough for kids, too.  Enjoy.

 

 

Pumphouse Creamery - Fig, Black Tea & Local Blue Cheese

Fig, Black Tea & Local Blue Cheese - Blue Cheese Ice Cream with swirls of Fig and Black Tea Jam

 

Today's flavor from the Minneapolis-based Pumphouse Creamery is called Fig, Black Tea & Local Blue Cheese.  This flavor looks very interesting!  It reminds me a bit of the one other time I have had fig in an ice cream before Coolhaus' Balsamic Fig & Mascarpone ice cream.  That flavor was billed as "like a frozen cheese plate".  I think that idea applies even more here with its use of blue cheese instead of mascarpone.  Black tea is also mixed into the fig jam here.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, I see that the blue cheese base has a thick and chunky texture and with thick sections of the fig and tea jam.  Digging in, this is not a sweet pint.  The fig tea jam swirl has a complex flavor similar to that of the filling of a fig newton.  The flavor of the blue cheese base is fairly mild.  It is not at all salty like some blue cheeses that I have had.  It is thick, but it is still scoopable like an ice cream.

This is a very interesting and eclectic flavor from Pumphouse.  This has more of a "frozen cheese plate" flavor to it than the Coolhaus pint linked above.  I did like it though.  Perhaps especially because I tend to appreciate out-of-the-ordinary flavors more than most because of all the different kinds of ice cream that I have had.  If you like fig newtons or if you are just feeling adventurous, give this flavor a try the next time it is available.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Nana's Pudding

Nana's Pudding - Roasted Banana Ice Cream with Kool Whip, Nilla Wafers

 

Milkjam Creamery of south Minneapolis has released its June flavors (instagram link here).  The theme is "nostalgic favorites".  The first of these flavors is called Nana's Pudding (instagram link here).  It is a roasted banana ice cream with swirl of kool whip and vanilla wafer mix-ins and it is available only in pints.  This flavor is based on the classic "banana pudding and vanilla wafers" recipe.  A google search for this recipe returns more hits than I can count.  I do remember it being so popular that when my mom bought a box of Nabisco's Nilla Wafers when I was a kid, the box itself often features pictures of this dessert on the back and had it's own recipe for it printed on the side.  I have had a few banana-and-vanilla-wafer themed pints before from Steve's, Graeter's and Phin & Phebes.  It will be fun to see how Milkjam's flavor compares.

Removing the lid, I can see the textured yellowish color of the roasted banana base with some of the "kool whip" swirls of whipped cream visible in it.  I also some several generous-sized chunks of vanilla wafers visible right away on top as well.  Digging in, the banana flavor is quite strong, aromatic and sweet.  I love it, but you have to be a fan of sweet banana.  I have written before about how I find there are two types of banana flavoring: the earthy banana-bread banana and the sweet banana-cream-pie banana.  This is definitely a banana-cream-pie banana.  The swirl of whipped cream adds to this as well.  You don't get big hunks of whipped cream by itself, but the presence of this swirl definitely makes the banana sweeter.  The vanilla wafer chunks are some of the larger that I have seen in an ice cream flavor which is a good thing.  They provide a lot of chunk to this otherwise creamy and sweet pint.

I loved this banana-pudding-and-vanilla-wafer pint from Milkjam Creamery.  This is my new favorite implementation of this flavor.  I tastes a lot like banana cream pie which is my favorite type of pie.  In addition to being sweet, the banana flavor is quite strong as well.  I don't know how they got the banana flavor to be strong while keeping the bananas looking nice and yellow, but whatever it is, it worked.  A warning, though, that this is a very strong and sweet flavor which might not be everyone's cup of tea.  But if you are a fan of that type of banana pudding then you will love this flavor.