Pumphouse Creamery - Madagascar Vanilla, Peanuts and Chocolate Ripple

Madagascar Vanilla, Peanuts and Chocolate Ripple - Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream with Peanuts and Chocolate Ripple

Pumphouse Creamery in south Minneapolis has an interesting new flavor called Madagascar Vanilla, Peanuts and Chocolate Ripple.  I guess the flavor name is also the flavor description.  A friend of mine alerted me to the existence of this flavor.  They said it reminded them of the Peanut Buster Parfait at Dairy Queen.  I remember when I was a kid, they used to run commercials for this dessert during televised Twins games.  Here, of course, vanilla ice cream is used instead of Dairy Queen's distinctive soft serve, but the thick sundae style chocolate ripple and peanut mix-ins appear to be the same.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, I see the chocolate ripple right away.  It is a very thick sauce that looks like it hardens a little bit after it is poured.  It does remind me of the sauce used in some old-fashioned ice cream shops for sundaes.  It is more of a fudge sauce than a chocolate syrup.  I also see peanuts right away as well.  Digging in, the chocolate and peanuts are fun and delicious and the vanilla base does a good job of holding it all together.

This is a fun sundae-style flavor from Pumphouse Creamery.  I guess it does remind me of the old Peanut Butter Parfaits -- with thick ice cream and not soft serve, of course!  This a fun flavor.  In the delay between my purchase and my write-up, I don't see it on their menu anymore, but if it returns, it is worth a try.

Grand Ole Creamery - Mac Daddy

Mac Daddy - Butter Pecan Ice Cream with Crushed Oreos

 

I stopped by the Grand Ole Creamery on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul to see if they had any interesting flavors in pints.  They did not have any pre-packed pints which I had not already tried but I saw a fun flavor in the scooping bin, so I had them hand-pack me a pint.  The flavor today is called Mac Daddy.  I grew up in the Macalester Groveland neighborhood of Saint Paul, so I figured I would pick it up for that connection.  This is a butter pecan ice cream with crushed Oreos for mix-ins.

Removing the lid, I see a lot of large Oreo pieces right away on top.  That's good.  I do not see any pecans, though.  I ran into this issue with their Cookie Monster flavor.  "Butter pecan" is the flavor of the base which I believe means that all the pecans are ground up and fully blended into the base.  So, pecan flavor but no pecan mix-ins.  This base is quite good.  I can tell it is not vanilla.  Grand Ole Creamery bases tend to be higher in butterfat so it works well.  The Oreo mix-ins are spread throughout the pint fairly generously.  They are of variable size which is fun because you never know how much you are going to get in each spoonful.  Many cookies and cream implementations include finely crushed crumbs which are speckled into the pint.

This is a solid cookies and cream implementation from the Grand Ole Creamery.  The Oreo mix-ins are numerous and of good size.  I must admit I did fall for the expectations of nuts that come with the "butter pecan ice cream" description.  It is a nice butter pecan flavor, but no crunchy nut mix-ins.  Once I got past that expectation, I enjoyed the pint quite a bit.  Using a buttery base instead of vanilla or sweet cream is a nice subtle twist.

Pumphouse Creamery - Ginger with Candied Lemon Peel

Ginger with Candied Lemon Peel - Ginger Ice Cream with Candied Lemon Peel Pieces

 

Today I return to the Pumphouse Creamery of south Minneapolis for their Ginger with Candied Lemon Peel flavor.  This flavor reminds me of a flavor that they had a couple of years ago called Cardamom and Candied Orange Peel.  It is a different spice in the base and a different candied citrus peel as a mix-in but the same idea.  I really liked that flavor, so I am looking forward to seeing this twist on it.

Removing the lid, the base ice cream is bright white in color.  When I dig into it, I notice quite a bit of ginger flavor.  Ginger can be overpowering in large doses, but this just right.  The lemon peel mix-ins are sweet and chewy and have a delicious lemon flavor.  This is yummy!

As with their previous spice & citrus peel flavor, I really enjoyed this pint!  I actually think I enjoyed this flavor even more as I prefer lemon slightly over orange and ginger is more flavorful to me (cardamom often feels like an accenting flavor).  Creative and unique, give these flavors a try if you see them in Pumphouse's scooping bin.

Dreyer's - Rolo

Rolo - Vanilla Ice Cream with a Caramel Swirl and Mini-Rolo Candy Pieces

 

Today I return to Dreyer's for another one of their convenience-store line of flavors.  Flavors that couple with a popular name brand item such as a candy bar or a cereal.  These are discount flavors but I have had luck with these before (see my reviews for Twinkies and Cinnamon Toast Crunch).  Today's flavor is Rolo -- the caramel-filled frustum-shaped chocolates that come in a roll.  I bought today's flavor at a local Speedway station.  Rolo candy was popular enough in my youth to have a TV jingle associated with it. that were more popular in my youth.  It seems like an ideal mix-in.  I've seen in used before in a Trick or Treat Halloween flavor from Izzy's scoop shop days.  Other brands also use a Rolo-like mix-ins which is like a mini-peanut butter cup with caramel inside instead of peanut butter.  So, let's check it out!

Removing the lid, I see the white color of the vanilla base along with one of the caramel swirls and a hint of one of the Rolo pieces.  Digging in, the vanilla ice cream is a bit mediocre.  The texture is a bit icy.  The caramel swirl I see on the top is not as prevalent as I did further below.  The Rolo pieces are mini in size.  Refer to the photos below, a few of them can fit inside a single spoonful.  These are quite good as expected.  Quite chocolatey and delivers tasty caramel when you bit into them.

I think my luck may have run out with my convenience-store brand discount ice cream.  The Twinkies and Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavors were much better than I expected, but today's flavor reminded me that convenience store lines might often have convenience store quality.  The rolo mix-ins were quite good, but the base ice cream is where I noticed the lower quality.  It was a little on the icy side.  I think they used a lower butterfat mixture for this.  Still, it is cheap and if you really love Rolo, you may still enjoy it.

Ben & Jerry - Chewy Gooey Cookie

Chewy Gooey Cookie - Milk Chocolate & Coconut Ice Creams with Fudge Flakes, Shortbread Cookies & Caramel Swirls

I return to Ben & Jerry's for another one of their new flavors for 2022.  They have released two new Topped flavors (Dirt Cake and Chocolate Milk and Cookies), one resurrected fan favorite from the flavor graveyard (Dublin Mudslide) and one new celebrity collaboration (Mint Chocolate Chance).  Today's flavor is Chewy Gooey Cookie and is simply a new flavor.  It has two bases, milk chocolate and coconut, a caramel swirl and fudge flake and shortbread cookie mix-ins.  Coconut flavors are not common with Ben & Jerry's.  They have had a core flavor and a truffles flavor in the past couple of years, but both have since been retired.  Let's see how today's flavor goes.

Removing the lid, I see the chocolate and coconut bases are marbled together.  A couple of the fudge flakes are visible right away.  Digging in, I taste mainly chocolate.  There is a bit of coconut as a 'finish flavor', but there is not as much coconut flavor as I was expecting.  The fudge flakes are chunky and chocolatey as expected.  Ben & Jerry's delivers chocolate better through their flakes, chunks and swirls than they do in their chocolate bases.  Occasionally, I encounter a chewy piece which I assume is the shortbread cookies.  It mainly provides a textural difference and not its own flavor.  Altogether, I taste mainly chocolate with a hint of coconut.

I have mixed feelings about this flavor.  This chocolatey pint with some chewy and crunchy mix-ins is not bad or anything, but it not as good as I was expecting.  I think I expected more coconut in the mix.  Some of the chocolate and coconut flavors by other brands are much better.  The more chocolate-centric examples of those are Graeter's Chocolate Coconut Almond Chocolate Chip, Talenti's Coconut Chocolate Cookie and Sebastian Joe's Toasted Almond Joy.  Ben & Jerry's fans who like coconut will still want to check it out.  Maybe they'll like it better than I did.

Sebastian Joe's - Big Bark

Big Bark - White Chocolate Ice Cream with Almond Pieces

Today I return to Sebastian Joe's for their "Big Bark" flavor.  This flavor is a white chocolate ice cream with almond pieces.  I had this pint hand-packed in their Lowry Hill scoop shop.  It appears to be similar to a "Peppermint Bark" flavor that you often see around Christmas time, but with almonds instead of peppermint.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the base ice cream has an off-white cream color and there are lots of small almond pieces visible already.  Digging in, the base is extra thick and creamy.  White chocolate is a neutral flavor on my palate, but when it is the primary ingredient in the base, it does seem to add thickness.  The almond pieces are of variable size.  None so large has a 'half', but lots of different sizes smaller than that.  These provide a lot of crunch in each spoonful.

This is a very enjoyable almond-based pint from Sebastian Joe's.  Lots of crunchy almonds that almond lovers will enjoy.  The white chocolate base accompanies it quite well.

Ben & Jerry - Dublin Mudslide

Dublin Mudslide - Irish Cream Ice Cream with Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies & Coffee Fudge Swirls

Every once in a while, Ben & Jerry's will temporarily resurrect a "fan favorite" from their Flavor Graveyard.  This year's flavor is Dublin Mudslide.  They still have an entry for this flavor in their flavor graveyard (original run was from 2005-2007).  That was before I got into writing these reviews, so this flavor is new to me.  What is in it?  It's an flavor based on irish cream -- cream and irish whiskey.  There are chocolate chocolate chip cookies mix-ins and swirls of coffee fudge.  I have had a few irish-cream-based flavors.  Irish Moxie from Izzy's (still available locally in pints!), Irish Cream Brownie from Häagen-Dazs and a couple of Bailey's Irish Cream flavors from Sebastian Joe's.  Let's check this out.

Removing the lid, the irish cream base has a beige color to it and quite a bit of the coffee fudge swirl and a couple of the chocolate chocolate chip cookies are already visible right away.  Digging in, the irish cream base is quite good.  The alcohol flavor is perhaps not as aromatic as the other flavors listed above, but it is still quite appealing.  There is a lot of chocolate mix-ins to like here.  Chocolate cookies are one of Ben & Jerry's better swirls and I can taste the kick of the coffee in the coffee fudge swirl.  This is delicious.

This is a very well done implementation of a irish cream flavor from Ben & Jerry's.  There is a lot to like here.  The chocolate, the coffee, the flavor of the irish whisky.  They all go quite well together.  It makes me wonder why they retired the flavor in the first place.  More brands should implement a coffee-chocolate-irish whisky flavor.

Milk Bar - Pie

Pie - Deep Vanilla Ice Cream with Gooey Butter Filling and Toasted Oat Crust

Today's flavor is another from the New York-based Milk Bar brand and is called simply Pie.  I've had trouble finding this flavor locally.  Whole Foods and Target are stocking this brand now, but the ones in Saint Paul do not seem to carry this flavor.  I finally found it at the Whole Foods near Lake & Excelsior in Minneapolis.  When I took the pint to the checkout, the cashier's eyes got really big and he told me "that flavor is amazing", so that's a good sign.  What is in the flavor?  The flavor is based on the Milk Bar Pie sold in Milk Bar's brick and mortar locations in New York.  They use a toasted oat crust and a thick buttery custard for the filling.  They actually provide a recipe here.  Here they fold the filling and crust into a deep vanilla base.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid and peeling back the seal, the vanilla base has an off-white yellow color to it and some of the oat crust mix-ins are visible right away.  Digging in, the base has a bit of custardy feel to it.  I soon encounter some of the 'gooey' pie filling mix-ins as well, but I think some of the pie filling has also mixed into the base.  I like it.  The pie filling pieces are quite delicious.  The fact that this is baked might make is partially caramelized because it tastes like a cross between a butter custard and a dulce-de-leche or caramel.  It's just really delicious.  The oat crust pieces help to give the pint some texture.

This is an extremely delicious pint from Milk Bar.  It seems like such a simple idea -- caramel custard pie -- but the implementation is just top notch.  The flavor, the sweetness, a bit of saltiness, the compatibility with the base.  It is all very good.  It makes me wonder what the pie tastes like by itself.  Maybe I will check out a slice the next time I am in New York.  Anyhow, the cashier in Minneapolis was right and this is now my new favorite flavor from the Milk Bar brand.  Hopefully, they the Saint Paul store can get with the program and start stocking it soon.

Pumphouse Creamery - Blackberry Chocolate Chip

Blackberry Chocolate Chip - Blackberry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

I return to the Pumphouse Creamery of south Minneapolis for their Blackberry Chocolate Chip flavor.  This is a simple idea for a flavor which I don't see that often.  Usually, I see chocolate chips with other berry bases (cherry, strawberry, raspberry).  Checking my flavor archives, the closest I can find is a Trio flavor from Häagen-Dazs called Vanilla Blackberry Chocolate and an old Whole-Foods-only flavor from Ben & Jerry's called Berry Sweet Mascarpone.  Today's flavor is very straightforward -- a blackberry base with chocolate chips.  Let's check it out.

Opening the pint, the blackberry base has the expected purplish pink color to it.  No chips are visible just yet.  Digging in, the blackberry base has a very good flavor to it.  I quickly encounter some chocolate chips.  They are not as numerous or crunchy as they are in some "chocolate chip" implementations but there is enough there that I can taste it.  It looks like they didn't want to the chocolate to overwhelm the blackberry (and vice versa).

This is a solid and straightforward implementation of a blackberry chocolate chip flavor from Pumphouse Creamery.  The blackberry flavor is quite good and the chocolate chips play a bit of a supporting role compared to other chocolate chip flavors.  Blackberry fans will want to check it out.

 

Milkjam Creamery - Shosho

Shosho - Mango Ice Cream with Pistachio Swirl and Rose Petal Toffee

Today is another one of Milkjam Creamery's February flavors (instagram link here).  This flavor is called Shosho (instagram link here).  The name of the flavor is the nickname for the mother of Milkjam's Chef Sameh.  That's fun!  This flavor features a mango ice cream with a swirl of pistachio and rose petal toffee.  This is a fairly eclectic mix of flavors!  It is fun to see what mixes well with mango.  Checking my flavor archive for mango, I see a Jeni's flavor with cheesecake, a Milkjam flavor with habanera and raspberry cardamom and a few flavors that just add spice (like a mango salsa).  Let's see how pistachio and rose petal toffee tastes with it.

Removing the lid, the mango base has a yellowish color to it.  It is not as deep of a yellowish orange as other mango bases.  Already on top I can see a lot of mix-ins.  The green of the pistachio can be clearly seen as well as some other mix-ins which I assume are the rose petal toffee.  Digging in, the mango base is quite good.  It is a bit milder than many mango bases, but I think that is done intentionally here to balance with the flavor of the mix-ins.  The crushed pistachios are soft and I can taste that distinct pistachio flavor.  The toffee pieces provide something to chew on.  If I focus, I can taste a little bit of the rose petal flavor but it is not intense.

This is a fun and unique flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  After years of blogging ice cream reviews, I appreciate new and interesting flavor combinations.  Both pistachio and mango are often just delivered by themselves, so it is fun to see them complementing each other here.  I have seen rose or rosewater blended with pistachio a few times (McConnell's Rosewater & Pistachio, Pumphouse's Kulfi, and Milkjam's previous Pistachio Halva flavor).  Does it work with a mango base?  I think so.

Ben & Jerry - Dirt Cake

Dirt Cake - Vanilla Pudding Ice Cream with Chocolate Sandwich Cookies & Chocolate Cookie Swirls Topped with Milk Chocolatey Ganache & Chocolate Cookie Crumble

Recently, I reviewed a new Topped flavor from Ben & Jerry's for 2022 called Chocolate Milk & Cookies.  Today I review a second flavor called Dirt Cake.  What is "dirt cake"?  Googling for recipes, dirt cake is a no-bake dessert which features vanilla pudding topped with crushed oreo cookies.   Since the Topped line of flavors all feature a layer on the top of the pint, this is a good idea for a new flavor.  Here the top layer of crushed chocolate cookies is blended with a milk chocolate ganache to create the "top" layer.  The ice cream below is a vanilla pudding base with chocolate cookie pieces and swirls.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, I see the crushed chocolate cookies on top.  It looks like just the pictures from the "dirt cake" recipes that I googled below!  As with other Topped flavors, it takes a little bit of effort to make the first dig with the spoon, but once I've got it started, the rest of the scoops are pretty easy.  Oreo-brand cookies are not used here, but the chocolate cookies that Ben & Jerry's uses are fairly similar in texture and flavor.  It's just the cookies here, I did not notice and of the creme filling.  The chocolate flavor and gritty texture to the cookies is quite good.  Then the vanilla pudding base does an excellent job of balancing all of those chocolate mix-ins and toppings.  This is quite delicious.

This is an excellent Topped flavor from Ben & Jerry's.  The fact that dirt cakes feature a topping makes this flavor ideal for the Topped line.  The chocolate cookie swirl is one of Ben & Jerry's better swirls -- it provides a lot of chocolate and a good gritty texture.  Unlike the Chocolate Milk & Cookies flavor I reviewed earlier which was almost all chocolate, the vanilla pudding base here provided an excellent contrast to all the chocolate cookies.  This is now one of my favorite flavors from Ben & Jerry's Topped Line.  This would appeal to a lot of people.  Dirt cake lovers and chocolate lovers would like it.  The flavor combination is quite similar to cookies and cream as well.

Milkjam Creamery - Tru Luv

Tru Luv - Milk Chocolate Truffle with Chocolate Almond Crunch and Caramel Chocolate Fudge 

Milkjam Creamery of south Minneapolis has their February flavors out (instagram link here).  There is a general Valentine's Day theme here.  It turns out that I have reviewed two of these flavors in previous February's (I ♥ You and Drunk in Love) which leaves me two flavors to review for this month.  The first of those flavors is called Tru Luv (instagram link here).  It is a milk chocolate truffle ice cream with a chocolate almond crunch and a caramel chocolate fudge.  Looks like a lot of appealing ingredients which go well together.  Let's dig in!

Removing the lid, the chocolate base is a little lighter than the usual chocolate.  They list it as a milk chocolate truffle.  That could be the milk or the truffle I suppose.  Or I suppose some chocolates are just lighter than others.  Digging in, the chocolate is quite tasty.  The swirls and mix-ins are not obvious as I eat it.  The chocolate almond crunch pieces are fairly small, but still good, and it looks like the caramel chocolate fudge swirl has gotten blended into the base (maybe that explains the slightly lighter color).  The flavor is still quite delicious, it is just not as packed with swirls and mix-ins as the flavor description implies.

This is a very appealing chocolate-based pint from Milkjam Creamery.  As I mention above, the flavor description supplied by Milkjam gave me the impression that this was a pint packed with swirls and mix-ins but it turned out to be more of a 'blend' flavor.  Chocolate and caramel blend well together and are still delicious.  Someone likely a less intense chocolate than their Black or Hard Knock Life 2.0 flavors will enjoy this.