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.