Sweet Science - Vegan Banana Fudge Peanut

Vegan Banana Fudge Peanut - Vegan Banana-Cashew Ice Cream with Vegan Fudge Swirl and Crunchy Peanuts

The Twin Cities-based Sweet Science Ice Cream has a new vegan flavor for the spring called Vegan Banana Fudge Peanut.  Here, Sweet Science's cashew-based non-dairy base is flavored with banana and a fudge swirl and crunchy peanuts are added as mix-ins.  Looks good.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, I see all of the ingredients right off the bat.  The banana base has the same color as banana bread, there are some peanuts visible right away and I see some generous dollops of the fudge swirl on top as well.  Digging in, the banana base has a dense texture.  I can tell that it is not as 'creamy' as a dairy base, but it still has a good texture and is not at all icy.  The flavor is an earthy banana-bread type of banana flavor as opposed to the sweeter banana-pudding type of flavor.  Then the fudge swirls are thick and very chocolatey -- quite delicious.  Also, it is always fun to have large peanut pieces (mostly halves) as an ice cream mix-in.  Very crunchy.

This is a very well done non-dairy banana fudge flavor from Sweet Science.  The generous fudge swirls are the star of the show here.  I think I still prefer a dairy banana, but this is still quite good.  Check it out if you are at Sweet Science and interested in a non-dairy option.

2 Scoops - Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie - Banana Ice Cream with Marshmallow Ripple and Nilla Wafers

 

Today is another pint from the 2 Scoops scoop shop on Selby & Milton in Saint Paul.  See an earlier review for more background on 2 Scoops which opened in 2020.  I picked up three pints there on my first visit and this is the third pint:  Banana Cream Pie.  I selected this flavor because Banana Cream Pie is my favorite pie!  Banana ice cream is the base Nilla Wafers are the mix-ins and there is a 'ripple' of marshmallow to represent the cream.  I have had Banana Cream Pie flavors from Sweet Science, Graeter's and a banana pudding and wafers flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  Let's see how today's flavor compares.

Removing the lid, I see that the banana base has off-white speckled yellow color -- not a super-bright yellow like some banana puddings.  I can see quite a bit of the marshmallow ripple on top as well.  It is almost marbled with the base.  Digging in, it is a delicious, banana flavor -- sweet like a banana pudding and not earthy like a banana bread.  The marshmallow ripple adds overall creaminess to the pint.  The effect is excellent.  It does remind me of banana cream pie.  Throughout the pint are the occasional Nilla Wafers which provide some pie-crust-like crunch into the mix.  Yum.

This is an excellent banana cream pie implementation from 2 Scoops.  This holds up really well against Sweet Science and Graeter's which are top brands.  Plus, I think this is part of the regular menu of flavors for 2 Scoops so it is available for more than one month of the year.  I could be biased because Banana Cream Pie is my favorite pie, but this is definitely my favorite of my first three pints from 2 Scoops.  I should have reviewed this flavor first so that I started of this brand with the best review possible.  Anyhow, if you're in the Selby neighborhood and you like banana cream pie, then check this flavor out.

Jeni's - Banana Cream Pudding

Banana Cream Pudding - Real Bananas, Ultra-rich Coconut Cream and Scratch-made Vanilla Wafers

 

Today brings a non-dairy flavor which I picked up from a recent online shipment from the Ohio-based Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.  This flavor is called Banana Cream Pudding.  I bought this online, but as a member of Jeni's standard non-dairy line, it might be available locally at places like Whole Foods.  I'm not sure.  This flavor has a coconut cream base with a swirl of banana and vanilla wafter mix-ins.  Jeni's does not get complicated with their non-dairy flavors.  They have only two non-dairy bases -- chocolate and coconut and both are excellent.  They just come up with different things to swirl into one of those bases.  Today is banana with some vanilla wafers as mix-ins.

Removing the lid and peeling back the protective foil, the top of the pint has a very bright color.  I can see the bright white coconut cream base and some marbled swirl of bright yellow from the banana.  Digging in, this coconut cream base is excellent as always.  It just has a very bright, clean and light flavor.  The banana swirl has a sweet flavor like a banana pudding (as opposed to the earthy flavor of  banana bread).  As I eat my way down, I occasionally encounter some crunch due to the vanilla wafers.  There isn't a lot of wafter mix-ins, but enough that most spoonfuls had a little bit of crunch into them.

This is a good non-dairy flavor from Jeni's.  Her coconut cream base is light, airy and delicious.  The banana flavor blends with it well and gives it a tropical feel.  It is certainly not as rich as their dairy bases, but if you have dietary restrictions or are simply in the mood to give non-dairy a try then this is a good pint to try.

OddFellows - Joe Bananas

Joe Bananas - Coffee Ice Cream with Banana Bread and Walnuts 

 

I made an online order from the Brooklyn-based Oddfellows Ice Cream!  So a quick note to local readers that I am not aware that this brand is available anywhere in the Twin Cities (except online).  The first flavor is called Joe Bananas which was originally released as part of the "ODB Capsule" which honored the hip-hop legend ODB who was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan.  "Joe Bananas" was one of his nicknames.  OddFellows let me mix and match flavors when I made my purchase, so I did not buy the entire ODB Capsule, but this particular flavor looked pretty good so I picked it up.  The ice cream includes a coffee ice cream base with banana bread pieces and walnuts.  I have never seen anything close to this flavor combination before.  Banana is commonly pared with chocolate, let's see how pairing it with coffee works out.

Removing the lid, the coffee base has a creamy taupe color to it.  A bit creamier than the usual coffee base but not that out of the ordinary.  Digging in, the coffee flavor is decent -- not too strong.  Soon, I run into the banana bread pieces.  These are smaller than I expected.  Because of their small size, they mainly provide some chewy textural difference and not as much banana-bread flavor as I expected.  I ran into some walnuts from time to time, though again not as many as I was expecting.

This is a decent coffee-based flavor.  The flavor name and ingredient list raised my expectations about how much banana bread and walnuts would be included.  So, although this was a pleasant enough flavor which was easy to eat, I feel like there was not enough banana bread.

Pumphouse Creamery - Chocolate Banana Brownie

Chocolate Banana Brownie - Chocolate Banana Ice Cream with Fudge Brownies

 

Today I return to the Minneapolis-based Pumphouse Creamery for their Chocolate Banana Brownie flavor.  This was a pint that I found in their freezer case when I was there, but did not notice in their online menu.  It appears to be gone from their online menu already, so I think it was a limited batch.  This is an intriguing flavor combination.  It's like the popular Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavor that almost every brand implements, but with banana, too.  And the banana is not a separate base or swirl, it is blended into the chocolate.  It should be interesting.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, the ice cream looks like a typical chocolate base.  Digging in, it tastes like chocolate, too.  But after I swallow each spoonful, I get strong notes of banana flavor (they call this the 'finish' flavor).  I like it!  As I eat my way down the pint, I encounter many small brownie pieces mixed in.  These are chewy and add more chocolate as expected.  Overall, it is quite delicious.

This is well-done implementation of a chocolate fudge brownie flavor with the added twist of a banana.  Banana lovers may want more banana, but once your expectations are set for "primarily chocolate with a noticeable banana accent" then this is quite enjoyable.  I mean, there are orange-chocolate bases (here and here), blood-orange-chocolate bases (from Pumphouse here) and raspberry-chocolate bases (here) why not banana-chocolate?  It's good.  Check it out if it reappears.

 

 

McConnell's - Banana Peanut Butter & Chocolate

Banana Peanut Butter & Chocolate - Banana Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Ribbons and Chocolate Chips

 

Today's flavor is the second in my recent four-pint shipment from the Santa-Barbara-based McConnell's Ice Cream.  This flavor is called Banana Peanut Butter & Chocolate.  I bought it online and I am not aware of any Minnesota grocery stores that stock McConnell's.  Today's flavor is an interesting flavor combination.  There's lots of banana/chocolate combinations and lots of peanut butter banana combinations, but for all three I only find Häagen-Dazs' Banana Peanut Butter Chip and a non-dairy flavor from Milkjam Creamery called PB vs Everybody.  Let's see how this compares.

Removing the lid, the banana base has the expected light yellow color and I can see lots of small pieces of both peanut butter and chocolate.  The small pieces of peanut butter look "chip sized".  Digging in, I actually taste the peanut butter first -- that's how well done these peanut butter chunks are.  The banana forms a background flavor which is quite appealing and I chocolate flavor is released when I bite into each of those chips.

This is a well-done implementation of a banana, peanut butter and chocolate flavor from McConnell's.  Compared to the two flavors above, this is very close to the Häagen-Dazs flavor which I also liked.  If I had to pick a favorite of the two, I would probably pick McConnell's, but that said, McConnell's is also more expensive and harder to find.  If you are like Elvis and love the banana and peanut butter flavor combination (and you have access to McConnell's) then give this flavor a try.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Nana's Pudding

Nana's Pudding - Roasted Banana Ice Cream with Kool Whip, Nilla Wafers

 

Milkjam Creamery of south Minneapolis has released its June flavors (instagram link here).  The theme is "nostalgic favorites".  The first of these flavors is called Nana's Pudding (instagram link here).  It is a roasted banana ice cream with swirl of kool whip and vanilla wafer mix-ins and it is available only in pints.  This flavor is based on the classic "banana pudding and vanilla wafers" recipe.  A google search for this recipe returns more hits than I can count.  I do remember it being so popular that when my mom bought a box of Nabisco's Nilla Wafers when I was a kid, the box itself often features pictures of this dessert on the back and had it's own recipe for it printed on the side.  I have had a few banana-and-vanilla-wafer themed pints before from Steve's, Graeter's and Phin & Phebes.  It will be fun to see how Milkjam's flavor compares.

Removing the lid, I can see the textured yellowish color of the roasted banana base with some of the "kool whip" swirls of whipped cream visible in it.  I also some several generous-sized chunks of vanilla wafers visible right away on top as well.  Digging in, the banana flavor is quite strong, aromatic and sweet.  I love it, but you have to be a fan of sweet banana.  I have written before about how I find there are two types of banana flavoring: the earthy banana-bread banana and the sweet banana-cream-pie banana.  This is definitely a banana-cream-pie banana.  The swirl of whipped cream adds to this as well.  You don't get big hunks of whipped cream by itself, but the presence of this swirl definitely makes the banana sweeter.  The vanilla wafer chunks are some of the larger that I have seen in an ice cream flavor which is a good thing.  They provide a lot of chunk to this otherwise creamy and sweet pint.

I loved this banana-pudding-and-vanilla-wafer pint from Milkjam Creamery.  This is my new favorite implementation of this flavor.  I tastes a lot like banana cream pie which is my favorite type of pie.  In addition to being sweet, the banana flavor is quite strong as well.  I don't know how they got the banana flavor to be strong while keeping the bananas looking nice and yellow, but whatever it is, it worked.  A warning, though, that this is a very strong and sweet flavor which might not be everyone's cup of tea.  But if you are a fan of that type of banana pudding then you will love this flavor.

 

 

Sebastian Joe's - Bananas Foster

Banana's Foster - Banana-Caramel Ice Cream with a Hint of Rum Flavor

Today, we return to the Minneapolis-based Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream for their implementation of a Bananas Foster flavor.  I bought this at the scoop shop in the Lowry Hill neighborhood.  Bananas Foster is a popular dessert invented in New Orleans involving banana, ice cream and a caramelized liqueur sauce (often served flambé).  Several brands have implemented Bananas Foster flavors including Coolhaus (my first banana's foster review so includes more historical discussion of the dessert), Tillamook,  Izzy's, and New Orleans Ice Cream as well as similar flavors from Lick and Jeni's.  Let's see how this flavor from Sebastian Joe's compares.

Removing the lid, the ice cream has a beige color.  It's browner than you'd expect the usual banana base, but lighter than the usual caramel base.  Checking my archives, it is similar in color to their signature flavor Pavarotti which also has a banana/caramel base (plus vanilla).  Digging in, I taste the banana right away and it is delicious.  I can also taste the caramel in the mix.  It is quite delicious.  Unlike other Bananas Foster implementations, though, there is no swirl or mix-ins delivering the caramel -- this is a homogenous  pint with all the flavors blended together.  Bananas Foster usually has a bit of rum in the mix and I think I taste a bit of it.  I'll rum tag because it's probably in there, but this is mainly a banana caramel blend.

I liked this pint.  It is basically a banana-caramel blend with perhaps a smidge of rum.  This is a very agreeable flavor combination. That said, I did not like this flavor as much as other Bananas Foster implementations because the flavors were fully blended together.  I remember thinking something similar with Sweet Science's Ashlee's Birthday Celebration flavor a couple of months ago.  That was also banana and caramel (and also coconut) and was also fully blended.  This could be a personal preference on my part.  I think I prefer a caramel swirl.  Also, this Sebastian Joe's flavor is quite close to Pavarotti without the chocolate chips.  Perhaps I am being too picky here -- it's still a very agreeable flavor -- but it is also quite close to flavors I like a bit better.

 

Sweet Science - Ashlee's Birthday Celebration

Ashlee's Birthday Celebration - A Blend of Salted Caramel, Toasted Coconut and Banana Ice Creams

Today's flavor from Sweet Science Ice Cream in Saint Paul is called Ashlee's Birthday Celebration.  I guess the founder and owner of Sweet Science, Ashlee Olds, is turning forty!  The flavor has an interesting story (told in this instagram post).  Several years ago, she had extra base ice creams (banana, salted caramel and toasted coconut) in her production kitchen and rather than let them go to waste, she blended them together and happened to really like the result.  Let's see this tastes.

Removing the lid, I see sprinkles!  I guess that is part of the celebration.  It looks like they are added on the top after the ice cream is hand-packed but before putting on the lid.  Digging in past the sprinkles, I taste the banana first.  It is not a super-sweet banana like banana cream pie, it is more like banana-bread.  Part of that is the blending with the caramel.  I taste strong notes of caramel in the mix, so this is definitely a banana-caramel blend.  I tried to see if I could taste the coconut and it was not obvious.  If it is in there, it is fairly mild.  I remember that I thought their toasted coconut flavor was on the mild side as well.  All of the flavors here are fully blended together.  It is a homogeneous pint with no mix-ins.

This is a decent flavor-blend from Sweet Science.  By my taste buds, it is mostly banana with a some caramel and a smidge of coconut, but the flavors did blend quite well and I enjoyed eating it.  As far as banana-caramel flavors go, I found their recent Banana Caramel Blondie flavor a bit better -- stronger banana swirled with a stronger caramel sauce.  That said, flavor blends have their place in the scooping bin as well.

Lick - Caramelized Banana & Bourbon

Caramelized Banana & Bourbon - Banana Bourbon Ice Cream with Ripe Bananas Caramelized in Brown Sugar and Butter

Today I return to my recent six-pint shipment from Lick Honest Ice Creams in Austin, Texas.  This is the five-pint which is called Caramelized Banana & Bourbon which is one of their spring flavors for 2020 (as I write this, they have since switched to summer flavors).  A note to local readers that this pint is not available in Twin Cities grocery stores.  I could not find this exact flavor combination in my archives.  It appears like a twist on either banana-caramel combination or a bananas foster implementation.  Here the bananas themselves are caramelized in brown sugar instead of having an explicit caramel swirl and it's not quite bananas foster because they use bourbon instead of rum and there is no spice.  Let's see how this tastes!

Popping off the top, I see a light-beige-colored with a smattering of the caramelized banana mix-ins.  Digging in, the banana base has good flavor.  The caramelized banana mix-ins have a very strong flavor.  The side of the carton refers to these as 'ripe' bananas and that is indeed the case.  These are those dark-brown bits of ripe banana which have strong flavor but are too soft and mushy to eat plain.  But when these are caramelized with brown sugar and butter and immersed in ice cream, it works!

This is an interesting and delicious pint from Lick Honest Ice Creams.  It's a bit different from the other banana ice creams that I have had.  I get the intense flavor of an over-ripe banana but made very palatable by the brown sugar and bourbon.  If you are a banana lover and have access to this flavor, you should check it out.

Sweet Science - Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie - Organic Banana Ice Cream with Clusters of Graham Cracker Crust and Swirls of Whipped Cream

Sweet Science of Saint Paul has more new flavors.  They've suddenly gotten very creative during this pandemic.  They've also added the opportunity to 'choose-your-own-four-pack' in their curbside service outside the Keg & Case Market once a week.  So, I was able to select both new flavors and a regular flavor I hadn't tried yet (I had to go with vanilla!) then I could give the fourth pint to a friend.  Today's flavor is one of the new flavors -- Banana Cream Pie.  Long-time readers know that Mint Chocolate Chip is my favorite ice cream, but Banana Cream is actually my favorite pie.  (Note: that I would never mix those two desserts!)  I have actually done a banana cream pie flavor before, from Graeter's.  It'll be fun to see how they compare.  Looking at the ingredients, I think this Sweet Science flavor appears closer to the pie I usually get because it includes whipped cream. The Graeter's flavor includes caramel instead of whipped cream.  Sweet Science does make delicious pie-based flavors.  I liked their Pecan Pie, I really liked their Lemon Meringue Pie and their pie-like flavors Berry Crumble and Caramel Apple Cider Crisp are both excellent.  Without further ado, let's dig in.

Opening the pint, the banana ice cream here is very bright and almost white.  I see some graham cracker pieces right away.  If I look really close, I can see small threads of whipped cream in there.  I wonder if there is more below.  This is a much different look from the other banana-themed pint, Banana Caramel Blondie, that I got from Sweet Science just a couple of weeks ago.  Whipped cream instead of caramel is a big difference.  Digging in, this is definitely the sweeter type of banana  as opposed to 'roasted' or banana-bread type of banana.  The threads of whipped cream do not get any bigger as I eat my way down, but I really like the balance here.  The thicker swirls like in their Lemon Meringue flavor worked well because they were tart.  Here, the thin, thread-like swirls had a sweet creaminess to the banana without being too much.  It actually makes it taste a lot like the pie I usually get!  The graham cracker crust pieces are well done here.  They are well-dispersed, crunchy and of variable size.

I really liked this pint.  I did enjoy the Graeter's Banana Cream Pie pint that I had a while back, but I think Sweet Science does them one better here.  The blending of the banana ice cream with just the right amount of whipped cream makes this taste so much like my favorite pie.  So, now two good banana options from Sweet Science.  The roasted, caramel-blondie combination of Banana Caramel Blondie and this sweet cream pie version.  Yum.

Talenti - Banana Caramel Crunch

Banana Caramel Crunch - Layers of Banana Pudding Gelato, Pie Crust Pieces, Dulce de Leche, Banana Pudding Gelato (again) and Pie Crust Pieces (again)

Today is the fourth and final new flavor for 2020 in the Layers Collection for Talenti Gelato:  Banana Caramel Crunch.  In a previous review, I noted that I saw a placeholder tag in the freezer case at the Midway Target for this flavor but that there was not any there yet.  Well, sure enough, the next time I went to the Midway Target it was there and I grabbed it and took it home.  As mentioned in previous reviews, theses 'layers' pints stack the ingredients into horizontal layers rather than mixing them or swirling them together.  Typically five layers are used.  Here the five layers are banana pudding gelato, pie crust pieces, dulce de leche, more banana gelato and more pie crust pieces.  Banana and caramel make a good combination, so I am looking forward to this pint.

Unscrewing the lid on the distinctive jars that Talenti uses, I see only the top layer of banana gelato.  Next, I take a knife and extract out a vertical slice for the photos below.  I realize that most casual ice cream eaters won't do this but it has the added benefit of making it easier to sample all the layers once I start diving in with my spoon.  Here I see the two banana gelato layers take up the most room, the dulce de leche and pie crust layers between two gelato layers are thin enough so as to have effectively mixed -- this happens a lot in these layers pints and it's usually a good thing.  Then the final layer of pie crust is on the bottom.  Digging in, the banana gelato has good flavor.  Since it based on banana pudding, it has a sweeter type of banana flavor as opposed to the more earthy flavor of banana bread.  Eating more, the dulce de leche and pie crust layers are quite delicious.  Unmixed, the dulce de leche has a burnt caramel flavor to it which I really like.  Often when Talenti swirls their dulce de leche, it gets half blended into the base ice cream which greatly mutes the flavor.  That does not happen here.  The pie crust pieces are crunchy and taste like, well, like pie crust.  Not too exciting, but they add texture and complement the banana and caramel well.

I quite liked this pint.  Banana and caramel is good combination and delivering the caramel in layer form increases its effect.   There is one other pint in the layers collection which includes a caramel swirl, Salted Caramel Truffle.  I really liked that pint, but in a lot of ways it is the chocolate truffles that make that flavor create.  Here, the caramel is allowed to stand out more.  Enjoy.