Häagen-Dazs - Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel - Chocolate Ice Cream with a Peanut Butter Swirl and Crunchy Pretzel Pieces

The next flavor in Häagen-Dazs' City Sweets Collection is called Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel.  This features a chocolate ice cream with a swirl of peanut butter and pretzel pieces.  Pretzels are relatively new for Häagen-Dazs.  They use them in one of their Spirits Collection, but it is not present in any of their other standard flavors.  Checking the pretzel tag on my archive, combining these three ingredients (chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels) is not uncommon, although usually a vanilla or peanut butter base is used instead of chocolate.  The closest flavors I can find is Coolhaus's Midnight Munchies.  It will be fun to see how this compares.

Removing the lid, I see the familiar brown color of Häagen-Dazs' chocolate base with darker chocolate pieces (the pretzel pieces appear to be chocolate colored) and perhaps hints of the peanut butter swirl.  Digging in, the chocolate base is the same as their simple Chocolate flavor and it is delicious.  The peanut butter swirl becomes more evident as I dig further down (see photos below).  The peanut butter flavor that it adds is noticeable and well-done.  The chocolate-covered pretzels provide something to chew on and a little bit of salt.  They are not soft but they are not as crunchy as some pretzel mix-ins.  It is hard to get pretzels to stay super-crunchy when it is inside ice cream for long periods of time.

This is a solid and successful chocolate-peanut-butter-pretzel flavor from Häagen-Dazs.  The stars of the show here are the chocolate and the peanut butter -- those flavors simply go very well together.  The pretzels add some textural difference which is fun, but the pretzels were not the main attraction here.  There is nothing not to like about this flavor, but I will be curious to see if it stands out above their other chocolate-and-peanut-butter flavors.

Pumphouse Creamery - Brother Justus Single Malt Whiskey

Brother Justus Single Malt Whiskey - Ice cream flavored with Brother Justus Single Malt Whiskey

 

I return to the Pumphouse Creamery of south Minneapolis for their Brother Justus Single Malt Whiskey flavor.  Whiskey is not an uncommon flavor in ice cream -- my whiskey flavor tag has over a dozen pints tagged with it and the bourbon flavor tag has a dozen more (with some overlap, but not all).  I often see it as whiskey accent for brown sugar or caramel-based flavors or as part of an irish cream flavor.  I believe this is the first time that I have seen it as the only flavor in a pint.  So that should be interesting!  The whiskey here is from the Minneapolis-based Brother Justus whiskey company.  There is a note on their website accompanying the flavor description saying that this flavor contains less alcohol than their vanilla flavor.  That's interesting.  Let's see how it tastes.

Opening the pint, the ice cream is a bright white color!  Wow, most vanillas are not even this white!  Checking the Brother Justus website linked above, at least one of the single-malt whiskeys is clear and not brown.  Maybe this is made with that?  Or perhaps, like vanilla extract which is also usually brown in color, there is not enough color in the whiskey to add color to all the milk and cream.  Digging in, I taste the whiskey right away!  It has an aromatic flavor and a mild kick in the back of my throat when I swallow, but it is not so strong that it is overwhelming.  I like it.

This is a fun and interesting whiskey-based flavor from Pumphouse.  It answers the question of what would a whiskey ice cream taste like if it was only flavored with whiskey.  Pretty good!  It does make me wonder what could be used to accompany this.  Could you add a scoop to coffee?  Or would it taste good with pecan pie?  There I guess I would be reproducing some of the more whiskey-based ice cream flavors that I have had before, but it is also good by itself.  I am glad this simple whiskey-only flavor exists.  Check it out if you like other whiskey flavors.

Milkjam Creamery - Malted Corn Crunch

Malted Corn Crunch - Malted Milk Ice Cream with Candied Corn Flakes Crunch

The third of the April Childhood Cereals flavors (instagram link here) from the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery is called Malted Corn Crunch (instagram link here).  It features a malted-milk-flavored ice cream with candied corn flakes as mix-ins.    Corn flakes are a popular cereal to use for ice cream mix-ins.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the malted milk base has an off-white color and several of the corn flake mix-ins can be seen right away.  In the first spoonful, I actually taste the malt right away.  This is about the maltiest base that I have ever had.  The candied corn flake pieces provide some sweetness to offset the malt.  This seems a little backwards to me.  Usually, I see malt as a way to mute or offset flavors which are excessively sweet.  Here, the malt is strongest flavor.  I do not have malt that often, so I try to enjoy the flavor for what it is.  It is not bad.

This is a very malty cereal-based flavor from Milkjam.  It is pretty good, but I think you have to be a malt-lover to really love it.  Some people do love their malt, in which case this flavor may be for them.

Van Leeuwen - Wild Blueberry Shortcake

Wild Blueberry Shortcake - Vanilla Ice Cream with a Blueberry Swirl and Chunks of Shortcake

The next flavor in Van Leeuwen Ice Cream's Walmart-exclusive flavors for spring is called Wild Blueberry Shortcake (instagram link here).  We have gotten past the eat-it-if-you-dare flavors like Kraft Macaraoni & Cheese and Pizza and into the more agreeable flavors.  This is a vanilla ice cream with a blueberry swirl and chunks of shortcake.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid the vanilla base has a yellowish color (Van Leeuwen's 'French' ice cream includes extra eggs) and I can see quite a bit of the blueberry swirl already.  Digging in, I taste the blueberry right away.  It has a pretty good flavor, but it a bit on the mild side.  This could be specific to me, but I often think blueberry is milder than other berries.  It's still good, though.  The shortcake pieces are scattered throughout the pint.  Shortcake does not have a strong flavor either, but that's expected.  They provide something interesting to chew on.

This is a solid and agreeable blueberries and shortcake flavor from Van Leeuwen.  I found the blueberry flavor a bit mild, but that could be a personal preference of mine.  The more potent flavors of blueberry (not blended with other berries or paired with lemon) that I have had have been hand-packed flavors from local scoop shops like Milkjam and Izzy's (when they had a scoop shop).  Blueberry lovers who like Van Leeuwen will still want to try this.  Enjoy.

Milkjam Creamery - Cap'n Crunch and Berries

Cap'n Crunch and Berries - Cap’n Crunch Ice Cream with All Berries Treats and Berry Jam

 

The next flavor in the Minneapolis-based Milkjam Creamery's April line of Childhood Cereal Flavors (instagram link here) is called Cap'n Crunch and Berries (instagram link here).  This features a Cap'n Crunch flavored base ice cream with All Berries Treats as mix-ins along with a berry jam.  I did not know what All Berries Treats was before this review.  I guess it's another Capn Crunch product.  There is the original Capn Crunch which is the hard cereal.  Here they steep the base milk and cream in the original Capn Crunch to let it absorb the cereal flavor before straining out the cereal and churning.  Then there is Capn Crunch Berries (not used here) where they add these colorful berry-flavored puffs to Capn Crunch.  These puffs were evidently popular enough that they created a flavor called Oops All Berries which include only those puffs.  Here these berry puffs are used as a mix-in.  Milkjam also adds a berry jam into the mix.  Let's check this flavor out!

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has an off-white color and there are plenty of colorful mix-ins to see.  I see some of the "all berries" treats as well as some purplish sections which I believe are hints at the berry jam swirl (sometimes jam swirls bleed into the base).  Digging in, I taste quite a bit of berry right away.  I wish I knew which berries were in the jam.  It does not taste like any specific berry, so it is probably a blend.  I am guessing raspberry and strawberry, but many other berries could be in the mix.  The flavor of the berry blend is good.  The treats provide some sweet berry-flavored things to chew on.  Being soaked in cream for so long, they are not as crunchy as they'd be when french but the texture is not too bad.  The base itself has a mild flavor.  The flavor of Capn Crunch is not too obvious but I'll admit that I am not a sugar cereal connoisseur.  It is not bad, though and the purpose of the base here is just to serve as a vehicle for the mix-ins and swirl.

This is a fun and interesting berry cereal flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  If this type of cereal was your favorite as a kid, then this will take you back.  The berry jam adds extra berry flavor.  It's not quite as singularly amazing as the previous Cinnamon Caramel Toast Crunch flavor, but it is still a lot of fun.

Van Leeuwen - Planet Earth

Planet Earth - Blue Spirulina Almond Ice Cream with Pieces of Matcha Green Tea Cake

The next flavor in the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream's spring line of Walmart-exclusive flavors is called Planet Earth (instagram link here).  This flavor features a blue spirulina almond base with pieces of matcha green tea cake.  Interesting flavor combination!  Let's see how this turns out.

Removing the lid, the base ice cream is quite blue!  I see one of the green matcha tea cake pieces on top already as well.  Digging in, I quickly see the planet earth connection here.  It looks a bit like a globe.  The blue is the water and the green was the land.  Perhaps that was obvious and I could have anticipated it above, but it looks pretty cool and I see it now.  The base is made from almond extract and it is sweeter than I expected.  It has a sweet, agreeable and aromatic flavor that many almond-extract foods have that is different than that of the flavor of crushed almonds.  I do not know how else to describe it.  It is good.  Spirulina is a blue-green-algae-derived superfood which is very nutritious but I am reading that it is mostly flavorless.  Here, it supplies the beautiful color.  The matcha cake pieces are chewy and have a mild tea flavor to them.  Matcha can be an acquired taste for some, but there are no worries here because the flavor is not too strong and it is immersed such an agreeable almond ice cream.  Mostly, it provides the beautiful green color.

This is a fun and beautiful "planet-earth" based ice cream.  The spirulina and matcha provide lots of nutrition and bright color but flavor-wise it is the pleasant almond-extract base which dominates.

Milkjam Creamery - Cinnamon Caramel Toast Crunch

Cinnamon Caramel Toast Crunch - Milkjam Ice Cream with Gooey Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies and a Salted Caramel Swirl

 

Today I return to the Milkjam Creamery of south Minneapolis for the first of their April flavors based on Childhood Cereals (instagram link here).  This flavor is called Cinnamon Caramel Toast Crunch (instagram link here).  This is the second flavor based on the classic Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal that I have reviewed this year -- the previous was a Dreyer's implementation.  Today's flavor is a deluxe implementation in comparison.  The base ice cream here is their namesake Milkjam flavor which contains caramelized goat, cow and condensed milks.  The mix-ins are cinnamon-toast-crunch-inspired cookies and a swirl of salted caramel.

The top of the pint has on off-white color similar to that of the Milkjam pint.  Digging in, I quickly encounter the cinnamon cookies.  These are delicious!  They do remind me of a cinnamon toast crunch cereal quite a bit.  Also in the mix is the caramel swirl which would taste good by itself, but it also goes very well with the cereal cookies.  The milkjam base is thick, creamy and rich and serves as a great vehicle for it all.

This is an excellent Cinnamon Toast Crunch-based cereal from Milkjam Creamery.  This is one of my favorite flavors from them in quite a while.  As I mentioned above, this is the premium-deluxe version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch compared to the budget Dreyer's flavor (which I did like!).  Fans of cinnamon and fans of cereal should check this one out.

Sweet Science - Olive Oil

Olive Oil - Olive Oil Ice Cream

 

For today's review, I am returning to the Twin-Cities-based Sweet Science Ice Cream for a review of their Olive Oil flavor (instagram link here).  I bought it at the Golden Fig on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul.  This is a limited release of an old flavor.  Way back when I first started trying Sweet Science, they would often put a graphic of a "periodic table" which included all of the "chemical symbols" of their flavors.  They have since updated this table, but back then I remember the "OO" symbol stood out and being intrigued as to what Olive Oil ice cream might taste like.  Well, I finally get to try this flavor.  Checking my archives, I have since had olive-oil flavors from McConnell's (with almonds) and two flavored olive oil flavors from Pumphouse (here and here).  This is just olive oil.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the ice cream has an off-white color with a greenish yellow tinge.  This is consistent with olive oil.  Digging in, the ice cream is very dense (not a lot of air).  As I eat the spoonful, it still has a creamy texture to it.  I taste notes of olive oil flavor but it is not too strong.  The main flavors are milk and cream.  This is pretty good.  I am wondering if the olive oil is changing the texture in a way similar to how butter can?  Maybe, but I could be trying too hard to make the connection.  This is a homogeneous flavor with no mix-ins.

This is a solid implementation of a simple olive oil flavor from Sweet Science.  It is mostly a plain ice cream but there is just enough olive oil flavor in there so that you can tell it is there.  I can see why other brands add other flavors into the mix (a twist of citrus or perhaps almonds).  But, if you are curious and this flavor is available, certainly give it a try.

Häagen-Dazs - Dulce de Leche Churro

Dulce de Leche Churro - Cinnamon Churro Ice Cream with a Swirl of Dulce de Leche and Crispy Cinnamon-y Churro Pieces

The next flavor in Häagen-Dazs' City Sweets Collection is called Dulce de Leche Churro.  I picked it up at the CVS on Grand and Fairview in Saint Paul, but I am now seeing it available at many other grocery stores in the Twin Cities.  This flavor uses a cinnamon churro base and includes swirls of dulce de leche (caramelized milk) and crispy cinnamon churro pieces.  I am noticing more churro-based ice creams in the past couple of years.  I have had flavors from Jeni's, McConnell's, Coolhaus and the Museum of Ice Cream.  Let's see how this one compares.

Removing the lid, the top of the pint shows the light beige color which is consistent with a cinnamon base.  I also see darker hints of the mix-ins below.  Digging in, the cinnamon flavor is quite pleasant and agreeable.  This is a sweet cinnamon as opposed to a hot cinnamon.  As I eat my way further down, I find the churro pieces.  These are actually extra crunchy!  Often churro pieces get soft when immersed in ice cream, but somehow they managed to keep them hard and crispy.  Dare I saw that the pieces are almost too crunchy, but that is not really something to complain about.  Eating further down some small dollops of dulce de leche are also in the mix.  These provide caramel flavor which goes quite well with all the cinnamon.

I liked this churro-based ice cream from Häagen-Dazs quite a bit.  I don't believe they had a cinnamon-based flavor before, so this flavor would fit into their menu well even if they decide the City Sweets line is just a temporary thing.  I think I actually like this just as good, if not better than most of the churro-based flavors from the big brands listed above.  The crunchiness of the churro pieces make it stand out -- although the soft 'churro dough' in some of the other brands can be quite delicious.  Check this out if you are in the mood for cinnamon.

Talenti - Caramel Pretzel Blondie

Caramel Pretzel Blondie - Sea Salt Caramel Gelato, made with Dulce de Leche, and Salted Pretzel Gelato with Blondie Pieces

 

Talenti Gelato has a new line of flavors for 2022.  They call them Gelato Pairings.  Basically, they have one gelato on one side of the pint and a second gelato on the other and then in many cases they add some mix-ins.  This new way for them to combine multiple gelatos contrasts with their Gelato Layers flavors where the gelatos (and thick mix-ins) are horizontal layers stacked from bottom to top.  With the left-right vertical layers it is perhaps easier for someone to eat right out of the jar -- I found that the stacked layers worked well when it was gently scooped into a bowl first.  There are four new pints, the first of which is called Caramel Pretzel Blondie.  The two gelatos here are Sea Salt Caramel (pint link here) and Salted Pretzel (previously seen as a layer in the Chocolate Pretzel flavor).  The mix-ins are blondie pieces.  Let's check it out.

Unscrewing the lid and peeling off the protective seal, the I can see the two bases cut the top of the pint roughly in half (there is an extra streak of pretzel base across the top, but that does not persist as I eat further down.  The caramel base, I am familiar with, the pretzel base here is light in color with small specks in it.  It looks like this base is created by grinding pretzels into crumbs and then blending them into the gelato.  Digging in, the caramel base is good like I remember.  The pretzel base is decent.  It is a relatively mild flavor, but I can taste the salted pretzel flavor in the mix.  The two go fairly well together and it is fairly easy for me to use my spoon to scoop from one side or the other.  I usually tried to get a little of both into each spoonful.  The blondie mix-ins are relatively small but provide a bit of chewy texture from time to time.

This is a solid mix of a caramel base with a pretzel-flavored base from Talenti.  The pretzel flavor is a bit mild but still very agreeable.  There are no crunchy pretzel mix-ins, so adjust your expectations for that.  For crunchier pretzel flavors from Talenti try Peanut Butter Pretzel.  I am liking this "pairings" format.  The older layers format allows for very extra thick non-gelato layers (fudge, peanut butter, jam, etc) but this side-by-side format appears easier for simpler combinations.  I am looking forward to trying more pairings flavors this spring.

Van Leeuwen - Hot Honey

Hot Honey - Vanilla Ice Cream with Honeycomb and Swirls of Hot Honey

Today is the next of the new Walmart-specific flavors that the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has released this spring.  This is the second flavor of the series.  I purposely picked the boldest "try it on a dare" flavor of the set, Pizza, first to get it out of the way. Today's flavor, Hot Honey (instagram link), is more in the normal spectrum.  This looks like a spicy version of their signature Honeycomb flavor.  Here a vanilla base is used instead of sweet cream and the honey pieces contain a little bit of chili pepper.  Let's give it a try.

Removing the lid shows the off-white color of the vanilla base with many small honey pieces visible right away.  Digging in, the base ice cream appears to have absorbed some of the flavor from the honey pieces.  It is quite tasty.  It has the expected extra-creamy texture that I see in other Van Leeuwen flavors.  They make a "French-style" ice cream which includes extra eggs, so it gives it an almost custard-like feel.  They honey pieces are delicious.  The chili pepper create a very mild burning sensation in my throat when I swallow but it quickly dissipates.  It is just enough pepper to add flavor and not so much as to make it 'hot'.

This is an excellent honey-based ice cream from Van Leeuwen.  The chili pepper is fairly mild -- don't be scared by the word "hot" in the flavor name, but I really like the extra flavor it adds.  I actually like this flavor better than their signature Honeycomb flavor!  So, if you like that flavor and are curious about a slightly enhanced version of it, then give Hot Honey a try. 

Häagen-Dazs - Coffee Chocolate Brownie

Coffee Chocolate Brownie - Coffee Ice Cream with Gooey Brownies, Rich Espresso Chocolate Sauce and Crunchy Cocoa Nibs

 

After releasing no new flavors in 2021, Häagen-Dazs is back with new flavors in 2022.  They have a new City Sweets collection inspired by grab-and-go "street food" (article link here).  So four new pints and the 'street food' featured include brownies, churros, black-and-white cookies and cake pops.  Todays' flavor is the brownie flavor which is called Coffee Chocolate Brownie.  It features their standard coffee ice cream base with gooey brownie and cocoa nib mix-ins and a swirl of espresso chocolate sauce.  This looks like a more complex coffee-chocolate combination to Häagen-Dazs' standard Coffee Chip flavor.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the coffee ice cream has the expected tan color.  There are quite a lot of specks in the base which tells me that some of the chocolate mix-ins got crushed up and blended into the base as what often happens in cookies & cream implementations.  I see some hints of larger mix-ins below.  Digging in, the coffee base tastes pretty good.  The brownies here are not chewy chunks, but are stretched out into fudge-like swirls.  I think these brownie swirls are also partially blended into the chocolate sauce.  This provides a lot of delicious chocolate flavor, but it was not what I was expecting.  The cocoa nibs are crunchy and fun.

This is a fun and interesting twist on a coffee-chocolate combination from Häagen-Dazs.  It is indeed like their Coffee Chip flavor but with fancier mix-ins.  The cocoa nibs in particular are a welcome addition to the mix.  Since brownies get featured billing on the flavor name, I could see how one might be disappointed that larger chewier chunks of brownies are not in the mix.  The smeared-and-swirled versions here are delicious, though.

Bebe Zito - Slam Dunkie

Slam Dunkie - Dunkaroo Cookies and Yellow Cake Base with Frosting and Crumbled Cookies

The next flavor from the Minneapolis-based Bebe Zito is called Slam Dunkie (instagram link here).  It features a yellow-cake flavored base ice cream with dunkaroo cookies and frosting mix-ins.  I must admit that I was unfamiliar with Dunkaroo cookies before I encountered this flavor.  Dunkaroos are a product from Betty Crocker (General Mills) where you get a small package of cookies attached to a small tub of frosting with the expectation that you dump the cookies in the frosting.  When I was a kid, we used to do that manually with larger tubs of frosting and graham crackers.  It will be fun to see how this is turned into an ice cream.

Removing the lid, the yellow-cake ice cream is blue!  That's fun.  There are a lot of cookie crumbs sprinkled across the top of the pint as well.  Digging in, the cake batter flavor is expectedly sweet, the cookie pieces provide the crunch and there are additional globs of pink frosting in there which provide more sweetness.  As I keep eating, there is enough creaminess in the ice cream to keep the sweetness from going too far.  It stays delicious and I do not get an ice cream headache.

This is a fun cookies-and-frosting flavor from Bebe Zito.  It reminds me of their Animal Frossting flavor a bit.  The frosting to cookie ratio is a bit higher here with Slam Dunkie but they are similar.  Bebe Zito themselves has acknowledged the similarities with a brief Neo-politan flavor (instagram link) which marbles these two ice cream together -- both cookies-and-frosting, one red and one blue.  Slam Dunkie is a fun flavor if you are in the mood for sugar.  It's also kid friendly.  I guess some kids only like homogenous flavors, but if your kid likes mix-ins they may like this.