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.

Bebe Zito - Lunchbox Hero

Lunchbox Hero - Vegan Peanut Butter and Coconut Base with a Vibrant Plum Jam Swirl

Today, I return to Bebe Zito of south Minneapolis for their Lunchbox Hero flavor.  This is a vegan (non-dairy) flavor with a peanut butter and coconut base and a swirl of plum jam.  Right now, it is only available in pints and I cannot find an instragram link with a more detailed description of the flavor.  The 'lunchbox' theme seems straightforward.  This is a non-dairy ice cream version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid the top of the pint shows an extra dollop of plum jam on top.  The peanut butter base is light in color.  Digging in, there is so much plum jam on top that it is the first thing that I taste.  It's pretty good.  Then peanut butter coconut base does a good job of holding the pint together.  As I have written before peanut butter and coconut both make for good bases for a non-dairy flavor because they each contain their own source of creaminess -- peanuts contain enough oil to be made into a 'butter' and coconut milk is also high in oil and can be processed into a cream.  I can still tell that it is non-dairy.  It's a bit denser and a little grittier than a dairy ice cream, but it is quite good.

This is a very good implementation of a non-dairy peanut-butter-and-jelly flavor from Bebe Zito.  I have had several peanut butter and jelly implementations from Milkjam, Graeter's, McConnell's, Ben & Jerry's and Ample Hills.  I believe this is the first one which is non-dairy, though.  That and the unique plum flavored jam make this a unique twist on the flavor.  When this flavor is available in scoop shops, Bebe Zito adds crushed potato chips to the top (a bag of chips is often included in lunchboxes).  They don't include those in pints as when stored for long periods in cream, the chips will get soggy.  I didn't add crunched potato chips to my bowl when I ate this, but perhaps I should have.  Enjoy.

Bebe Zito - Beijinhos

Beijinhos - Beijinho-flavored Ice Cream with a Strawberry Lemon Ripple

The next flavor from the Minneapolis-based Bebe Zito is called Beijinhos (instagram link here).  A beijinho is a Brazilian confection made with coconut and condensed milk.  It has been described as the coconut version of a brigadiero (which I have had in ice cream here).  Here, Bebe Zito adds a strawberry lemon ripple into the mix.  Let's see how this turns out.

Removing the lid, I see quite a bit of the strawberry-lemon ripple right away -- a big glob plus a few veiny threads of it.  I also see an off-white clump which looks like it might be coconut.  Looks like there are chunks of actual beijnho mixed in.  Digging in, the beijnho pieces are sticky and sweet but quite delicious and they go well with the strawberry-lemon swirls.  Strawberry and lemon go well together (as they do in strawberry lemonade).  I am surprised that I do not see them together more often.  As I eat further down, the strawberry-lemon swirl seem to have migrated to the sides of the container (I have seen that before) but it is quite easy to get some of this swirl into every spoonful so it is not something to complain about.

This is a fun and unique combination of flavors from Bebe Zito.  The beijinho confection is not one that I was familiar with before, but now I want to try one.  Blending in condensed milk does make this a sweeter than average pint, but the extra sweetness did not bother me one bit.  Strawberry and coconut was not a combination that I had imagined before but it is quite delicious.  With Bebe Zito having a Brazilian-theme to several of their flavors (one of their owners in Brazilian) and this being a fun implementation of a Brazilian dessert, this Beijinhos flavor deserves to be one of their signature flavors.  Check it out the next time that you are there.

Bebe Zito - Romeo E Julieta

Romeo E Julieta - Cream Cheese Custard and Fresh Guava Ripple. Finished with a beautiful Ritz cracker and guava sauce.

I return to Bebe Zito in Minneapolis for the first time in a while.  I have not been avoiding them, but they do not always update their pint freezer case.  I think they like to focus on manually adding toppings to their ice cream creations and that always translated to a pre-packed pint -- so they don't always make a pint-version of their limited-batch flavors.  Anyhow, last time I was there, I found several new flavors of pints in their freezer case so I scooped them up.  Today's flavor is called Romeo E Julieta (instagram link here).  It features a cream cheese custard base with a ripple of guava and is topped with Ritz crackers.  They gave me a little container of Ritz crackers to add to the ice cream when I ate it -- I guess the crackers would get soggy if they mixed them into the pints themselves.  This sounds fun.  Guava is a relatively unusual ingredient, although I have had it once before in a Pineapple Rum & Guava Jam flavor from McConnell's a couple of years ago.  Let's check out today's flavor.

Removing the lid, the cream cheese base has an off-white color to it and I see a few dollops of guava jam right away on top.  Instead of digging right in, I transfer the ice cream to a bowl, so that I can add some of the Ritz Crackers into the mix (see pictures below).  Digging in, the crackers add a nice crumbly-crunchy salty mix to each spoonful.  The cream cheese custard is very dense and thick and the guava jam adds some very delicious tropical fruit flavor.  Yum.

This is a fun and delicious fruit and crackers combination from Bebe Zito and the dense cream cheese base holds it all together quite well.  The guava has a delicious tropical flavor and the smattering of crushed crackers adds a nice touch of saltiness to the mix.  They might not always give you the crackers when you buy the pint -- it would still be good without it -- but it is a nice touch.  If you like guava, check this out the next time you are at Bebe Zito.

Bebe Zito - Vanilla MSG

Vanilla MSG - Tahitian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Mono-Sodium Glutamate

 

Today we return to Bebe Zito of south Minneapolis for their Vanilla MSG flavor.  This is their twist on a simple vanilla flavor.  Two twists really.  The first twist is that they use the Tahitian variety of vanilla which is sweeter and has a more floral scent.  The second twist is that they add MSG -- or monosodium glutamate.  MSG got a bad rap when I was a kid an additive excessively used in some takeout restaurants but it is actually a very natural compound.  It is a salt of one of the twenty essential amino acids (glutamic acid) -- so it is present in almost all proteins.  There has been some study of MSG as a flavoring and it does provide an umami (or savory) flavor when it exists as a free salt (i.e. when not locked up in proteins).  This "free form" of glumate is what gives tomatoes and some cheeses their savory flavor.  So, you could call MSG a "savory salt".  So, how will this effect today's flavor?  It will be interesting to see how the sweeter, more floral Tahitian vanilla blends with the savory salt flavor of the MSG.

The top of the pint has a fluffy doughy look to it.  It has the color of dough as well - a light off-white beige.  Digging in, it has thick texture but it is still quite creamy.  I can see some of the bean specks blended in as well.  I can taste the vanilla, but it has 'earthy' quality to it as well.  It is hard to describe.  I do not specifically taste the MSG but perhaps it is the source of that earthy quality.  It also does not seem overly salty, although I did notice that I was a bit thirsty a half an hour after finishing the pint.

This is a fun an interesting twist on the standard pint of vanilla ice cream from Bebe Zito.  The sweet Tahitian vanilla and savory MSG blend is done quite well.  It has just enough MSG so that it alters and enhances the vanilla flavor but not so much that all you taste is the salt.  As with many of these interesting flavor blends, it would be best to sample it in the scoop shop first.  I don't think they are doing flavor samples in the scoop shop yet, though.  Hopefully soon.

 

Bebe Zito - Strawberry Fields 4 Ever

Strawberry Fields 4 Ever - Strawberry Cream Cheese Ice Cream

 

Today I return to Bebe Zito of South Minneapolis for their Strawberry Fields 4 Ever flavor.  I had some trouble getting an accurate flavor description for this.  Their flavor page describes something with strawberry rhubarb jam and strawberry sauce but that's not what I just ate.  Poking around social media, I found this facebook link where the caption says:  "It sounds like a simple strawberry ice cream but heck no, we don’t do that! It’s strawberry with a cream cheese base, a dash of lemon and a dash of balsamic to balance all of the flavors."  That sounds like what I just ate, so I will go with that!  The flavor name pun on the Beatles song is the same as that of a relatively recent Milkjam flavor (strawberry buttermilk instead of strawberry cream cheese) but similarities between these two shops are expected because Bebe Zito was founded by a former Milkjam ice cream chef.  Let's see how they compare!

But before that, this is my 800th ice cream review and it is time for another centenary collage of flavors.  

Flavors 701 to 800

There it is!  For previous collages, see the reviews for pints 100, 200, 300, 400, 500,  600 and 700.   It never ceases to amaze me how I have not run out of pints to try yet.  New ingredients too, I keep adding to the labels on the right.  Pretty soon, I will be able to make a collage of my collages.

On to the ice cream!  Removing the lid, the strawberry cream cheese base has a nice soft pink color.  Digging in, it is quite delicious.  The texture is thick and creamy.  The strawberry flavor is very bright and pleasant (not too sweet or tart).  I can tell that there is cream cheese in the mix, but it does not have that specific cream-cheese aftertaste that some cheesecakes have.  It tastes a lot like a frozen strawberry shake.  The ingredient list above mentions lemon and balsamic vinegar.  I do not doubt their inclusion, but I do not specifically taste them either.  Their use here is for flavor balance purposes and this is a well-balanced flavor.  There are no mix-ins or swirls here.  The pint is one homogeneous base.

This is a simple yet successful strawberry and cream cheese flavor from Bebe Zito.  Nothing too fancy -- no swirls, seeds or chunks -- but a very ingratiatingly delicious flavor.  If you are at Bebe Zito and are in the mood for strawberry, this is a good one to try.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bebe Zito - Dat Malt Dough

Dat Malt Dough - Malted base Ribbon with Chocolate Ganache Cookie Dough

 

Today we return to Bebe Zito in south Minneapolis for their Dat Malt Dough flavor (instagram link here).  Piecing together details of the flavor from the flavor page, the instagram link and the ingredient list on the side of the carton, it looks like there is malted cookie dough in the base ice cream and also malted cookie dough mix-ins plus there is also chocolate ganache as a mix-in.  Sounds good.  The name of the flavor sounds like a slang or dialectical way of saying "that malt, though" which the double entendre on the 'dough'.  And sure enough, someone at Mental Floss wrote an article on the history of the expression "That <noun> though".  Enough nerdy linguistics, let's check out this ice cream!

Popping off the lid, there is this nice marbly look to the top of the pint.  The darker color of the chocolate ganache looks half-mixed into the malted cookie dough base.  Plus there is a sizeable cube of cookie dough right on top.  Digging in, I can taste the malt right away.  The cookie dough flavor in the base does not stick out, but the base here is just a vehicle for the mix-ins.  The cookie pieces are quite good.  They are salty and chewy.  Next there are larger chunks of chocolate ganache.  These are soft and chewy as well. Chocolate ganache is an excellent mix-in.  I like the fact that it can be made gooey like or sauce or it can be made chewy almost like a flourless brownie.  Altogether this is very delicious.  The malty base complements the two types of mix-ins very well.

This is an excellent flavor from Bebe Zito.  This might be an odd comparison, but it reminded me a bit of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked flavor, but better.  Half Baked is Ben & Jerry's most popular flavor every year for several years now and I think Dat Malt Dough tops it.  This flavor has a more interesting base with malt in it.  The cookie dough is better, the ganache is like a better version of brownies.  So, as eclectic of a comparison as this is, I mean it as a great complement.  If Half Baked is also your flavor and you want to see a local shop one-up it, then check out Dat Malt Dough.

 

 

Bebe Zito - The Crowening

The Crowening - A Cookies and Cream Base, Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel, Oreo Pieces and Peanut Butter Salted Cookie Dough

 

Today I am back at Bebe Zito in south Minneapolis for their flavor called The Crowening.  The flavor name is a reference to an episode of the same name in the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek.  Catherine O'Hara's character, Moira Rose, goes off to Bosnia to film part three of The Crows Have Eyes horror movie franchise -- subtitled The Crowening.  A twitter link to the movie preview is here.  What kind of ice cream is it?  It's a cookies and cream base with extra mix-ins -- peanut butter chocolate caramel and salted cookie dough.  It looks very similar to Milkjam Creamery's Ridin' Duuurty.  This makes sense as one of Bebe Zito's founders, Ben Spangler, used to design flavors for Milkjam Creamery.  It makes sense that he would try to bring over some of his favorites.  Let's see how The Crowening compares!

Removing the lid, it looks like cookies and cream with a couple of the 'extra' mix-ins visible.  It looks like some of the cookie dough.  Digging in, the cookies and cream base is quite good.  I can tell that Oreos are used because the chocolate cookies have a very distinctive flavor.  The extra mix-ins are quite interesting.  Some of the salted cookie dough piece are quite large.  That's a lot of fun.  The chocolate caramel mix-ins create something chewy amidst the crunchy Oreos.

This is a very good cookies and cream with a twist flavor from Bebe Zito.  It is indeed a lot like it's cousin over at Milkjam, Ridin' Duuurty.  They are both quite good.  As far as the cookies and cream goes, I think I prefer Ridin' Duuurty.  It has more of an Oreo-Milk thing going in the base which is quite excellent.  This Crowening pint as more interesting extras though -- lots of large interesting mix-ins while Ridin' Duuurty has simple peanut butter cubes.

 

 

Bebe Zito - Marvelous Mrs. Hazel

Marvelous Mrs. Hazel - Chocolate Hazelnut and Coconut Cream Base with Vegan Chocolate Cookie Dough

 

Today is a vegan flavor from Bebe Zito in south Minneapolis called Marvelous Mrs. Hazel.  The flavor name is a reference to the excellent Marvelous Mrs Maisel series on Amazon Prime.  They usually release seasons around this time of year, but it looks like shooting has been delayed by the pandemic.  Maybe this ice cream will tide me over until then.  The base of this flavor is chocolate hazelnut -- same ingredients as Nutella -- and vegan chocolate cookie dough is the mix-ins.  Sounds chocolatey.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the chocolate hazelnut base is very dark and I can see a couple of large cookie dough chunks on top as well.  Digging in, this is actually quite 'creamy' for a non-dairy flavor.  The flavoring ingredients help out here -- nutella is creamy after all.  Coconut cream is used to help in the base as well, but the chocolate flavor here is so strong that you do not notice.  The cookie dough chunks are a lot like brownies -- or vegan brownies, I guess.  They are soft and chocolatey and my spoon slices through them quite easily.  This is a very chocolatey point.  It is delicious.

I enjoyed this pint from Bebe Zito.  It reminds me a lot of chocolate fudge brownie flavor.  I have had their chocolate fudge brownie before and it did remind me a lot of it (without the gochujang spice, of course)  There is hazelnut in the mix, but I never taste hazelnut in these chocolate-hazelnut blends, it just adds a creamy texture for me.  The cookie dough pieces here were thick, chocolatey and chewy -- very brownie-esque.  If you're looking for a well done non-dairy version of that flavor, this is it.  It's so thick and chocolatey, you forget that it's not dairy.

 

Bebe Zito - Pistachio Almond

Pistachio Almond - Pistachio Almond with Almond Marzipan.

 

Today I return to Bebe Zito of south Minneapolis for their Pistachio Almond flavor.  I bought it at their scoop shop on 22nd & Lyndale.  According to their flavor page, the pistachios are from Bronte, Sicily which is on the west-northwest slopes of the Mount Etna, Volcano.  These growing conditions give the pistachios a greener color.  Instead of almond pieces, the almonds are delivered in the form of marzipan -- a sweet confection made with crushed almonds and/or almond extract.  I have not had pistachio in a while so I am looking forward to this.

Opening the pint, the pistachio has a very bright green color.  It is almost fluorescent.  They were not kidding when they said the pistachios from Bronte were greener.  Digging in, this is a sweeter than usual pistachio ice cream.  There are no mix-ins, so it looks like the marzipan has been ground up and fully blended into the pistachio base.  The pistachio/marzipan blend is still quite delicious, though.  The marzipan adds sweetness and a bit of aroma but it is still primarily a pistachio flavor.

I enjoyed this pint.  I have not had pistachio ice cream in a while, so this was fun.  People should be aware that despite the flavor name, there are no crunchy nut mix-ins.  Pistachio with crunchy almonds would make for a fun flavor (surprisingly I can't find that flavor in my archive) but that is not this.  What the blended marzipan here does is create a twist on the usual pistachio flavor.  This is sweeter than the usual pistachio.  With those caveats out of the way, this is well-done and delicious.  If that appeals to you, check it out.

 

 

 

 

Bebe Zito - Brazilian Brigadeiro Chocolate

Brazilian Brigadeiro Chocolate - Chocolate from South America and Gabby’s Brigadeiro Truffle Recipe. Topped with Chocolate Puff Sprinkles

 

Today we return to the Minneapolis-based Bebe Zito for their Brazilian Brigadeiro Chocolate flavor.  This flavor is based on the brigadeiro dessert made with cocoa and condensed milk which comes from Brazil.  One of the founders of Bebe Zito, Gabriella Grant, has Brazilian heritage, so that's the connection there.  This is actually not the first brigadeiro themed flavor that I have had.  Häagen-Dazs had a line of artisanal flavors a while back and one of them was called Tres Leches Brigadeiro.  There, the brigadeiro chocolate served as the swirl in a tres leches base, but here's it's a brigadeiro-themed base with some chocolate puff sprinkles.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the brigadeiro chocolate base is quite dark and there are a lot of the colorful chocolate puff sprinkles on top.  They are sphere-shaped instead of cylindrical like most sprinkles.  Digging in, the chocolate is quite strong and rich.  The condensed milk appears to make it creamier yet still thick.  I guess it's a lot like a brigadeiro dessert, but if you have had that, then I would say it is similar to a frozen pudding.  It is quite good.  The sprinkles are small and hard.  They provide a little bit of crunch in an otherwise smooth pint, but they don't provide much of their own flavor.  This is fine because it is good chocolate.

I enjoyed this pint quite a bit.  The chocolate is strong enough that I would recommend this for chocoholics, but the brigadeiro theme means that it is delivered in a unique way relative to most chocoholic flavors.  It is strong chocolate like a dark chocolate, but it has condensed milk so it's got plenty of milk.

 

 

Bebe Zito - Manda Chuva

Manda Chuva - “The Bringer of Rain” Gooey Brownies, Chocolate-covered Dots Pretzels and Salted Caramel

 

Today's flavor is from the Minneapolis-based Bebe Zito and is called Manda Chuva.  The flavor page only mentions all the mix-ins (brownies, pretzels, caramel) and not the base, so I assume it is probably a sweet cream.  The pretzels used here are Dot's Pretzels, the brand created about ten years ago by a North Dakotan named Dorothy Henke while wintering in Arizona (see story here).  The brand has been gradually spreading its reach from both locations since.  The name of the flavor, Manda Chuva, literally means "Bringer of Rain" in Portuguese and there is a Brazilian connection with both the Bebe Zito name and one the co-owners.  For a literal translation, I checked google translate and it checked out.  (google translate link here), but figuratively "manda chuva" also means "big shot".  My favorite use of the term in the figurative sense is that Manda Chuva is the translated name of the old Hanna Barbara cartoon Top Cat.  Also, "Bringer of Rain" (in English) is the nickname of Minnesota Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson which he says he got from the Spartacus: Blood and Sand television show.  So, let's check out to see if the flavor of this ice cream matches its billing. (ha ha)

Removing the lid, I see a lot of the mix-ins right away.  This is common for Bebe Zito, they add extra mix-ins to the top of their hand-packed pints right before placing the lid.  I see one of the Pretzel's partially covered in chocolate.  I see a sizeable cube-shaped chunk of brownie and I also see some caramel drizzle.  The ice cream underneath as a light beige color.  Digging in, the brownie pieces are excellent.  They seem softer than the ones they used in their Gochujang Brownie flavor -- a darker chocolate flavor as well.  The pretzel mix-ins are not crunchy -- chocolate does not completely coat them so they softened when mixed into the cream.  They do provide a bit of salt to the mix, though.  The caramel swirl was very good.  It is thick and salty.  Eating my way further down, the mix-ins are not just on the top, I continue to find all three as I eat my way down.

I enjoyed this pint from Bebe Zito.  The person who rang me up at the scoop shop told me that this flavor was "like a candy bar".  I can see that because of the caramel and the pretzels.  Checking my archives, most brownie ice creams use a chocolate base (the classic Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavor) but the flavor do not use a chocolate base are similar to today's flavor.  Flavors like Ben & Jerry's Netflix & Chilll'd (brownies & pretzels but a peanut butter base) and McConnell's Sweet Cream Caramel Brownie (brownies & caramel, but no pretzels).  I think Manda Chuva compares well with those flavors.  For me, the star of the this pint was the brownies which are indeed super gooey.  They are almost a cross between a brownie and a clump of soft fudge.