Talenti - Cookies and Cream

Cookies and Cream - Layers of Cookies & Cream Gelato, Chocolate Cookies, Dulce de Leche, Vanilla Gelato and Cookie Crumbs

 

The next of Talenti Gelato's new layers flavors for 2021 is called Cookies and Cream.  I bought this flavor at Cub Foods, but I am seeing the new layers pints popping up at other local grocery stores as well.  The five layers here are a blended cookies & cream gelato, chocolate cookie pieces, dulce de leche, vanilla gelato and cookie crumbs.  Let's check it out.

Unscrewing the lid, I see only the top layer for this particular flavor, the top layer is a 'blended' layer.  The top layer here is cookies and cream -- a base turned light brown by cookie milk and finely crunched cookie crumbs fully blended in.  I extract out a slice for the pictures below.  The vanilla layer below is bright white, the central cookie crumb and dulce de leche layers seem to have blended and cookie crumbs again make up the bottom layer.  Digging in, the cookies and cream gelato is pretty good.  This layer alone would be a good ice cream.  Down below is all the elements of that flavor but separate.  Larger cookie chunks and vanilla ice cream.  It is fun to eat through these layers as well as the cookie pieces are a bit larger than they are in the blended layer.  The dulce de leche layer is not as noticeable.  I do taste it from time to time, but for me it just blended with the middle layer of cookie pieces.

This is a fun layers pint from Talenti Gelato.  I think it is one that cookies & cream fans will want to try.  The blended cookies and cream gelato layer takes some of the pressure off trying to dig down for the mix-ins.  The top layer has everything and you can eat down one side until you get to the other layers.  Still, gently scooping the entire pint out into a bowl before eating is a great way to get at all the layers.  Enjoy.

 

Jeni's - Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns - Rich Coconut Cream Loaded with Sticky Bun Dough, Dark Caramel, and Roasted Pecans

 

I am continuing through the non-dairy line of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams of Columbus Ohio.  I don't usually try all the non-dairy flavors of a brand, but I recently ordered some special flavors from Jeni's online and I needed add extra pints to the shipment.  Today's flavor is called Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns.  I am not aware that it is available in Minnesota grocery stores.  Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns features the same coconut cream base that I saw previously in their Lemon Bar flavor.  This time the mix-ins are completely different -- sticky bun dough pieces, a swirl of dark caramel and roasted pecans.

Removing the lid and peeling back the label, I see a white base some evidence of dough pieces and pecans and a dark caramel swirl along the edge.  It is a darker caramel swirl than what I usually see.  Digging in, the coconut cream base is light and almost fluffy compared to their dairy bases.  It is pretty good though.  It has a mild coconut flavor.  Further down, I notice the caramel swirl the most.  It is not just darker in color, it also has a darker and almost burnt caramel flavor.  The pecan pieces are fairly small and provide a bit of crunch in the mix.  The sticky bun dough pieces are also quite small.  I liked the dough pieces, but there were not as many of them as I was expecting.

This is a solid non-dairy pint from Jeni's.  I like that they don't try to mimic the flavor of dairy.  They have a couple dairy-free bases (coconut cream and chocolate) which are quite good by themselves.  The caramel and pecan mix-ins go well with the coconut.  Don't expect too much bun dough, but it's still a decent pint for those who have dietary restrictions.

 

 

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Earth

Earth - Golden-Spiced Chocolate Custard (made with Turmeric Root, Ginger, Cinnamon and Black Pepper) with Candied Ginger Tumeric Shortbread Cookies

 

Milkjam Creamery of south Minneapolis has released their April flavors and they have gone with the classical elements!  Yes, the four new flavors are Earth, Fire, Air and Water (instagram link here).  The flavors all look quite eclectic.  It's fun to try new flavors so I am looking forward to these.  The first flavor for me is Earth (instagram link here).  It features a "golden-spiced" chocolate custard.  By golden-spiced, they mean turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper.  Then the mix-ins are ginger turmeric shortbread cookies.  Similar spices in the base and mix-ins.  

 This is my first ice cream that contains turmeric, so I'll write a few sentences about it.  Turmeric is a flowering plant of the ginger family which is native to south and southeast Asia.  The active chemical in turmeric is curcumin which has an orange-yellow color which is sometimes used as a dye.  Some purport that turmeric has anti-inflammatory qualities (my mom takes turmeric supplements) but the articles I am reading say that is not yet proven.  Overall turmeric has an earthy mustard-like aroma and a black-pepper-like flavor.  Today's flavor is 'Earth", so maybe turmeric is a good choice.

OK, On to the ice cream.  Removing the lid, I see that the ice cream has a creamy brown color.  Perhaps it could be described as golden brown.  Digging in, I taste the chocolate and turmeric right away.  The chocolate is quite creamy, more creamy Milkjam's usual darker chocolates.  That could be the effect of the extra eggs which make it a 'custard'.  The turmeric does have add a very earthy quality into the mix which is appropriate for this flavor.  I recognize the flavor of the spice from more savory dishes, but this ice cream shows that it works well in chocolate dishes as well.  The cinnamon, ginger and black pepper have very supporting roles -- mainly to balance the turmeric.  As I eat further in, I soon encounter the shortbread cookie pieces.  These are thick crumbly chunks.  They can be hard to spot because they get covered in the chocolate base, but they are yellower in color on the inside.  These have a similar earthy turmeric-blend flavor to them.

This is a very interesting and experimental flavor from Milkjam.  The classical element of 'earth' really dominates the mood here.  The chocolate has the color of dirt and the crumbly cookie pieces have the texture of clay that I might find digging in the dirt an the turmeric provides and earthy spicy blend.  As someone who eats a lot of different kinds of ice cream, I really liked the originality here.  Is it good by itself?  I think so.  The presence of turmeric does make it an 'adult' flavor (i.e. not for little kids) but chocolate lovers who like interesting chocolate blends would definitely want to try this.  I am looking forward to the rest of this April classical elements series from Milkjam.

 

 

 

 

Ben & Jerry's - Strawberry Topped Tart

Strawberry Topped Tart - Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Strawberry Swirls & Pie Crust Pieces Topped with White Chocolatey Ganache & Candy Sprinkles

 

Today we move on to the next of Ben & Jerry's Topped flavors.  This one is called Strawberry Topped Tart.  I bought this pint at their scoop shop near Lake & Excelsior in Minneapolis, though I am starting to see these Topped flavors show up at other local grocery stores like Cub, Lund's and Target.  The flavor name and the ingredient list tells me that this flavor is meant to mimic the flavor of a strawberry Pop-Tart.  That's a fun idea.  There is white chocolate and candy sprinkles on the "top layer" and sweet cream with strawberry swirls and pie crust pieces "below".  This should be interesting.

Removing the lid, I see the top white chocolate layer is covered in candy sprinkles.  These are not the typical rainbow sprinkle mix-ins that you see in birthday-cake-type flavors.  These are like little pieces of rock candy and are limited to the red, purple and blue end of the color wheel.  Digging in, it tastes like sugar -- not unlike the topping of a strawberry pop-tart.  It's not bad, though.  As I dig down into the ice cream below, the strawberry swirls are half-blended into the sweet cream, so I'm getting strawberries-and-cream flavor in every spoonful.  The pie crust pieces in the mix provide some crunchy texture from time to time.

This is a fun flavor.  I was pleasantly surprised.  My expectations were low because this a white-chocolate-ganache top like the Whiskey Biz pint which I did not care for.  Somehow, the extra sweetness works here.  The strawberries and cream below do a better job of balancing the sweet white chocolate than the blond brownies in the Whiskey Biz flavor.  This is not a serious strawberries-and-cream flavor that you'd imagine them serving at the country club, but as a fun pop-tart flavor, this works!  Check it out and have fun.

 

 

 

Jeni's - Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Sheet Cake - Non-dairy Dark Chocolate Frozen Dessert with Chocolate Cake Crumbles and Bittersweet Fudge

I am still working through the non-dairy flavors from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream that I used to fill out my online orders of their excellent White House Chocolate Chip and Everything Bagel releases.  Today's flavor is called Texas Sheet Cake.  I bought this online, so I do not believe that this flavor is available in local grocery stores.  According to this article, a Texas Sheet Cake is a German Chocolate Cake cooked in a flat sheet pan or jelly roll pan.  I have not had a Texas-Sheet-Cake-based flavor before.  I have seen it, though.  It is one of the signature flavors of Lick Ice Creams of Austin Texas which I sampled a shipment of last year, but I did not include that flavor in my shipment.  If I order from Lick again, I'll have to check this out out.  Back to today's flavor.  This is a non-dairy flavor from Jeni's so it uses their dark chocolate non-dairy dessert (similar to their Dark Chocolate Truffle I presume) as a base with a chocolate cake piece mix-ins and a swirl of bitttersweet fudge.  Looks interesting.

Removing the lid, I see the brown color of the chocolate base with a very nice looking fudge swirl across the top of the pint.  I like this type of presentation when I open up a pint.  Digging in, the base does taste a lot like Jeni's Dark Chocolate Truffle flavor (link above).  It's good and the cocoa-and-coconut cream flavor tastes quite natural.  As I continue eating, there quite a few chocolate cake pieces down below which add more chocolatey-ness and the fudge swirl provides a lot of chocolate as well.  Lot's of chocolate to like here.

This is a solid non-dairy chocolate flavor from Jeni's.  It's got the same delicious chocolate base as Dark Chocolate Truffle plus chocolatey mix-ins.  So, if you have dairy issues or are on a non-dairy kick, then this is a very fine chocolate-plus flavor to try.  That said, if you like dairy, I found Jeni's Blackout Chocolate Cake flavor to be an extra decadent version of the same chocolate-in-chocolate idea.

 

Talenti - Confetti Cookie

Confetti Cookie - Layers of Vanilla Gelato, Vanilla Cookies, Pink Frosting, Vanilla Gelato (again) and Rainbow Sprinkles

The next of the new Layers flavors released by Talenti Gelato in 2021 is called Confetti Cookie.  I found it at the Target in the Midway.  The five layers here are vanilla gelato, vanilla cookies, pink frosting, vanilla gelato (again) and rainbow sprinkles.  This looks like a 'birthday cake' themed flavor.  There's vanilla cookies in here instead of cake pieces, but because of the frosting and sprinkles, it still feels like a sheet-cake based flavor.  I think the cookies are easier to fit into the layering that Talenti does.  These types of flavors are becoming more common in recent years.  I have recently tried the Cheesecake Factory flavor but I've also had pints from Coolhaus, Graeter's, McConnell's, Ample Hills and a retired Walmart-exclusive flavor from Ben & Jerry's.  Let's see how this Talenti flavor compares!

Like all the layers pints, unscrewing the lid only reveals the top layer which is this case is a bright white vanilla gelato.  So, I cut out a slice for the photos below.  The pink frosting is a very light pink which does not show up in the photos well, but I can see it in between the two vanilla gelato layers.  The sprinkles at the bottom have a lot of color.  Now that I have taken the pictures, it is time to dig in.  Altogether, the flavor of the vanilla gelato dominates.  I taste some cookies occasionally and the sprinkles provide some color, texture and sweetness from time to time.  If you have not cut out a slice, it can be tricky accessing the sprinkles as they can stick to the bottom of the jar.  The simple solution to this without overly blending the layers is to scoop the entire bar into a bowl and then eat out of the bowl.  The effect of the frosting is fairly minor.  It's a bit sweeter than the gelato but it does not have a lot of it's own flavor.

I liked this vanilla "cake" pint.  It's delicious and enjoyable.    That said, it doesn't seem like a layers type of flavor.  Sprinkles and cookies blend in really well and the frosting had a very subtle flavor.  The great layers flavors feature some mix-in that wouldn't swirl very well.  If you are a fan of these Talenti flavors, you'll want to check it out anyways of course, otherwise the Cheesecake Factory flavor is available and well-done.  My all-time favorite implementation is McConnell's, but that's not available locally.

 

 

Ben & Jerry's - Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough

Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough - Chocolate Ice Cream with Caramel Swirls & Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Topped with Caramel Cups & Chocolatey Ganache

 

Today we move on to the next of the Topped flavors released this year by Ben & Jerry's.  In a 'topped' flavor, there is an extra layer of chocolate across the top of the pint.  Today's flavor is Chocolate Caramel Cookie Dough.  I bought it at the Ben & Jerry's scoop shop near Lake & Excelsior in Minneapolis, but I am also starting to see these flavors show up in other local grocery stores like Target, Cub and even Lund's.  There are a lot of Ben & Jerry's flavors so check places with larger ice cream sections where they can fit in new flavors.  Today's flavor is features chocolate ice cream with caramel swirls and cookie dough pieces in the ice cream 'below' with chocolate ganache and caramel cups in the 'top' layer.  It's looks very decadent.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the top is all chocolate.  The ganache layer looks quite think and there are about a dozen small caramel cups embedded inside this top layer.  Digging in exposes the chocolate ice cream below.  The caramel cups are good, but since they are small there is small amount of caramel covered by a lot of chocolate.  It is all very chocolatey.  As I dig further down below, I run into the cookie dough sections.  These are pretty good, but there are not as many of them as I expect.  I do taste some of the caramel below as well which has mostly blended into the base.  I would have preferred thicker caramel swirls below, but chocolate-caramel does make a very good blended flavor as well.

This is a super chocolatey pint.  There is a lot of chocolate on the top in the ganache and the cups and there is a chocolate base below.  The caramel in the cups and the dough pieces below add some variety but not as much as I expected.  I would still recommend Tonight Dough for your cookie dough fix from Ben & Jerry's but if you're a chocolate fan who is enjoying these topped flavors, then you'll probably want to check it out.