Tillamook - Maple & Candied Pecan

Maple & Candied Pecan - Maple Frozen Custard with Candied Pecan Pieces

 

Today is another new flavor from the Oregon-based Tillamook Creamery.  As mentioned in recent reviews, Tillamook has re-imagined their pint flavors this year.  Most of their previous flavors were cycled out.  Today's flavor is called Maple & Candied Pecan.  It looks like a replacement for their old Pendleton Whisky & Maple flavor.  So pecans are in and whisky is out (for now).  I bought this pint at Kowalski's on Grand in Saint Paul, but I believe local Target stores now also carry Tillamook pints.  Let's dig in!

Removing the lid and peeling back the protective foil, the maple syrup base has an off-white color non-inconsistent with the color of maple syrup.  None of the mix-ins are visible on top.  Digging in the maple syrup flavor in the base is quite delicious.  It is a frozen custard.  It is not soft-serve, but it is thick yet easy to scoop.  Soon I encounter the mix-ins.  The pecan pieces are quite sizeable and crunchy.  The side of the container bills them as "candied" but it is not a hard candy like a praline pecan.  Here, the candy coating seems to have melted in the ice cream creating a small pool of syrup surronding each pecan piece.  I have seen this happen before and I actually quite like this effect.  The overall effect of the syrupy coating to the crunchy pecan pieces is quite delicious.

This is a very well done maple pecan flavor from Tillamook Creamery.  I have seen some similar flavor combinations but nothing exactly like this.  The closest was probably Ample Hills which had a limited-batch flavor called Maple Bourbon Barrel which included bourbon in its base and swirl.  Izzy's had a couple of maple nut flavors (here and here) in their scoop shop days.  I like this Tillamook flavor quite a bit.  Maple syrup fans should not hesitate to try this out.

Izzy's - Nut Goodie

Nut Goodie - Maple Nougat Ice Cream with Peanuts and Chocolate-Covered Peanuts

Today's flavor is from Izzy's Ice Cream.  I actually went to their scoop shop in Minneapolis for this flavor.  The Saint Paul shop is closer to where I live, but they have a flavor up page which lists the flavors and this flavor looked interesting enough to me to make the trek across the river.   It is called Nut Goodie -- after the candy bar from the Saint-Paul-based Pearson's Candy.  Growing up in Saint Paul, I would see Nut Goodie's and Salted Nut Rolls in the candy isle right alongside the Snickers and M&M's.  I had no idea they were local products until I moved away and could not find them anymore.  Now that I am back in Minnesota, I can enjoy them again.  Izzy's created this flavor a while back to celebrate Pearson's 100th anniversary.  It contains all the ingredients of a nut goodie: maple nougat, peanuts and chocolate.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, I see the maple nougat base is an off-white beige color.  I can see a few of the peanut mix-ins underneath the surface as well.  A few of them are just plain peanuts and at least one of them is chocolate-coated.  Digging in, the maple nougat base does taste just like the nougat in a nut goodie candy bar.  It is always interesting to have a nougat-flavored base.  I tend to thick of nougat as having a texture and consistency, but it has it's own distinct flavor as well.  Immersed in the ice cream are the peanut mix-ins.  About half of the peanuts are covered in chocolate while the other half are not.  This difference is quite fun.  Biting into each type of peanut is a completely difference experience so I did not know what to expect from bite to bite.

This is a good implementation of a nut-goodie-inspired ice cream from Izzy's.  There is more chocolate in the candy bar than there is in the ice cream flavor, but otherwise they nailed the flavor of the maple nougat filling almost exactly.  Izzy's has other nuttier flavors like Nut Crazy and they have a few other candy bar ice creams that they stock more often.  The appeal here is for those who have a specific affection for the Nut Goodie candy bar.

Pumphouse Creamery - Sea Salt Caramel and Praline Pecans

Sea Salt Caramel and Praline Pecans - Salted Caramel Ice Cream with Praline Pecans

Today's flavor is from Pumphouse Creamery in South Minneapolis.  It is called Sea Salt Caramel and Praline Pecans.  Their website lists it as one of their older (2004) and most popular flavors.  I like caramel and praline pecans so I figured I would give it a try.

The top of the pint is a fairly light beige color lighter than most caramel bases.  With the first spoonful, it is a fairly mild caramel base.  It is tasty, though.  Reminded me more of the old-fashioned salted caramel from Graeter's than the stronger and saltier caramels that seem to be common these days.  I think the point here is to serve as a vehicle for the mix-ins.  As I dig down into the ice cream, I run into the pecans.  The praline coating here is light.  It is not the thick candied brittle-like coating that some praline pecans have.  It tastes like the pecans have been soaked in salted maple syrup before mixing them in.  I can taste the pecans more than the usual praline mix-ins.

This is a mild, yet delicious version of a pralines and cream from Pumphouse.  A muted caramel base is used with simple maple-syrup-coated pecan mixed in.  I don't mean to knock it though.  It was quite delicious to eat.  It was almost like a cross between a butter pecan and a pralines and cream.  As long as you know what to expect.  Try a sample at the scoop shop and see if it is for you.

Ample Hills - Maple Bourbon Barrel

Maple Bourbon Barrel - Maple bourbon ice cream made with Widow Jane bourbon and Crown Maple Syrup aged in Bourbon Barrels and Sprinkled with Chocolate-coated Maple-candied Pecans

I always like to try a pint of the Brooklyn-based Ample Hills whenever I visit New York.  The selection at the Whole Foods on the Upper East Side was not great, so I trekked down to one of their newest scoop shops in the Essex Market on the lower East Side.  I ate the pint down there, so you'll notice my photos have a different look to them than usual.  For this pint, I got their featured fall flavor called Maple Bourbon Barrel.  It's a bourbon and pecan implementation which has been very popular with other brands in recent years.  I have seen similar flavors from Graeter's, McConnell's and Häagen-Dazs.  Here the bourbon is from Widow Jane and the maple syrup is from Crown Maple.  It will be fun to see how this one compares.

This pint was hand-packed at the scoop shop.  So, it's a bit softer than I am used to seeing it from Ample Hills, but it is only half-melted on the surface.  It still has the same ice cream texture that I am used to once I get my spoon dipped into it.  Anyhow, the maple bourbon base as a very light neutral color to it and I can see the pint is chunky.  Digging in, I can taste both the bourbon and the maple at the same time.  It is a sweet bourbon and not a bourbon that has a biting kick to it.  That said, the bourbon is not too intense.   It blends with the maple well and provides a bit of 'aromaticity'.  The praline pecan pieces are crunchy and have a very flavorful praline coating on them.  The website link mentions a bit of chocolate in the coating as well, but I did not specifically taste that.  I didn't miss it, though.  The candied pecans were delicious.  There was also some larger chunks of the coating which was separate from the pecans.  I enjoyed this as well.  It was like having a bit of brittle mixed into the ice cream as well.

This is an excellent new flavor from Ample Hills.  It is a very well done implementation of a bourbon-infused pralines-and-cream which ticks all the boxes for me.  As I write this, this is my new favorite bourbon pecan flavor, but I confess that I might have a bit of recency bias.  Looking back at my reviews of  Graeter's, McConnell's and Häagen-Dazs I really enjoyed those as well (especially the Häagen-Dazs) but I do recommend that NYC-area folks that enjoy this type of flavor should check out this pint from Ample Hills as well.  It is very good.

Izzy's - Nut Crazy

Nut Crazy - Maple Syrup flavored Ice Cream with Almonds, Brazil Nuts and Cashews

Today I returned to Izzy's Ice Cream in Saint Paul for a flavor called Nut Crazy.  This is not an award winning flavor or anything, I'm just a big fan of nuts and felt like I needed to give it a try.  On closer inspection, it looks like a twist on their Maple Nut flavor which I reviewed a couple of years ago.  Both have maple syrup flavored bases.  Maple Nut just has walnuts while this flavor has almonds, brazil nuts and cashews.  Lets check it out!

Removing the pint and the maple base has a light beige color.  Digging in, the maple flavor is quite noticeable.  I think it is actually a bit stronger than the flavor of the previous Maple Nut pint.  I expected that flavor to be more maple-y while this flavor would be more nutty.  This is definitely more maple-y!  Checking the ingredient list, this pint lists "maple background flavor" while Maple Nut lists an organic maple syrup from a local brand.  So perhaps maple syrup connoisseurs would prefer that pint.  I was raised on the name-brand artificial syrup, so I do not mind. As I scoop further down, I quickly encounter the nuts.  Boy, are there a lot of nuts!  I taste the brazil nuts and the cashews right away.  The almonds are not as easy to spot, but on further inspection, I do see them.  I got a few hazelnuts (a.k.a. filberts) too, which I was not expecting as the flavor description on their website did not advertize though.  That's great though.  I absolutely love mixed nuts -- the 'deluxe' kind with no peanuts -- and this pint has just about all of them.

This is an excellent nut-based flavor from Izzy's Ice Cream!  There is just about every deluxe type of nut in the mix and there are quite a lot of them, too.  This is definitely the nuttiest pint I have ever had.  Nut lovers should not hesitate to try this flavor.

Tillamook - Pendleton Whisky & Maple

Pendleton Whisky & Maple - Whisky Frozen Custard with a Whisky Maple Swirl

Today we return to Oregon's Tillamook valley for other flavor from the Tillamook Creamery.  This flavor is called Pendleton Whisky & Maple.  Pendleton is a brand of Canadian Whisky which is distributed in Hood River, Oregon.  I see the 'whisky' spelling and I am used to it being spelled 'whiskey'.  I can't remember if I have looked this up before, but I will look it up again.  The 'whisky' spelling is Scottish while the 'whiskey' spelling is Irish.  Here the whisky is paired with maple syrup.  I have only had a few maple-syrup-centric pints before -- flavors from Graeter's and Izzy's which use a maple-syrup base and flavors from Coolhaus and Yeti which include a maple-syrup swirl.  This pint is also listed as a frozen custard rather than an ice cream.  This usually means there is more than the usual amount of eggs in the base mixture. Anyhow, I am looking forward to this flavor.

Removing the lid, the whisky base is an off-white tan color.  Digging in, the base is creamy.  As for the frozen custard label, it may be slightly easier to scoop of the carton out than the usual ice cream, but it still feels like ice cream to me.  Soon after digging in my spoon, I encounter the whisky maple swirls.  These are delicious, they taste like good maple syrup but there is a little bit of whisky blended in which keeps it from tasting too sweet.  There is some whisky in the base as well, but it is fairly mild.  Here the base serves as the vehicle to deliver the swirls.  I am impressed that the maple swirls manage to stay intact because maple likes to blend in and become part of the base.  Here, the swirls have a caramel-like consistency while tasting like maple syrup, of course.

I really enjoyed this pint.  The maple syrup swirls are excellent and the whisky darkens the flavor up a bit without being at all boozy.  It is a unique flavor as well.  It doesn't compare directly to any of other maple syrup flavors I listed above because of the whisky and also because there are no mix-ins.  Check it out.

Graeter's - Maple Cinnamon Crunch

Maple Cinnamon Crunch - Maple-flavored Ice Cream with Cinnamon-Sugar-coated Shortbread Cookie Pieces

The fourth pint of my six-pint shipment from Graeter's is another limited batch flavor:  Maple Cinnamon Crunch.  This is a unique flavor combination for me.  I have only seen a maple base a few times before (Yeti, Izzy's and the recent Coolhaus).  Cinnamon cookies are interest mix-in to go with it.  I can't wait to dig in.

Opening the pint, the base ice cream is a light tan color.  A couple of the cookie pieces are visible right away.  Digging in, the ice cream tastes just like maple syrup.  It is still ice cream, but it has the full flavor of maple syrup, too.  Graeter's did the same thing with a graham cracker base recently.  It is uncanny how they are able to reproduce these flavors.  The cookie pieces dispersed throughout the pint.  They have a moderate mix of softness and crunchiness.  The cinnamon flavor is not too strong, yet they taste quite good.

This is a well-done implementation of an interesting flavor combination.  In particular, the maple syrup base does an amazing job of giving you the feeling like you are eating maple syrup in an ice cream form.  The cookies provided a decent contrast and gave something to chew on.  This is one for lovers of maple syrup, though others would probably like it as well.

Coolhaus - Buttered French Toast

Buttered French Toast - Buttered Brown Sugar Ice Cream, Pecan Pralines, Cakey Toast Pieces, Maple Swirl

Today is the final review from my recent Coolhaus shipment. Shipments are six pints, but there were only five pints on their menu which I had not had before so my sixth pint was a duplicate (Balsamic Fig & Mascarpone if you are curious).  Today's pint is called Buttered French Toast.  This one looks very intriguing.  They bill in on the pint as being "our take on butter pecan", but they use praline pecans and there are cakey toast pieces and a swirl of maple syrup as well.  This looks very interesting.

Removing the lid, there is a 'winking face with tongue' emoji (U+1F61C) on the foil.  I had been appreciating some of the wittier phrases that have been appearing here on recent pints but this is pretty fun as well.  Peeling off the foil, the base is a milky off-white beige color and there is a beautiful swirl of maple syrup visible right away.  Coolhaus does these top-of-the-pint swirls quite well.  Digging in, the buttered brown sugar base is quite good.  It is thick and creamy and serves as a good vehicle for the swirls and mix-ins.  The maple syrup swirl is also quite tasty.  I've seen a few maple bases and swirls that get blended in to the point where it loses its punch.  Here, you can distinctly taste the maple syrup.  It is as if one had added maple syrup as a topping to a bowl of ice cream (I have never tried that, but now I am curious).  The mix-ins were dispersed throughout the pint.  The toast pieces were indeed soft and cakey.  They absorbed the flavor of the base and maple swirl and dissolved in your mouth, so it seems like their main role here is textural.  The praline pecans were crunchy and quite good.  There were about half as many as are usually included in a pralines-n-cream implementation which makes sense because they share the pint with the cake pieces.

I really enjoyed this pint.  It is one of the better pints in my recent Coolhaus shipment.  Sometimes a Coolhaus flavor is not what you imagine it to be from the flavor name and side-of-the-pint descriptions but it ends up being quite delicious anyways.  That happened here.  I was expecting some sort of butter cake or bread pudding ice cream, but it ended up being a maple syrup pralines & cream -- the cake pieces played only a supporting role here.  I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys maple syrup and praline pecans.  Enjoy.

Izzy's - Maple Nut

Maple Nut - Maple Syrup Ice Cream with Salty Walnuts

I am in Minnesota for the holidays so I am again sampling the local brands of ice cream.  Izzy's Ice Cream is a Saint Paul institution so I had to check their first.  I found a pint of Maple Nut and decided to give it a try as I have not reviewed too many maple-syrup based flavors in the past.

Removing the lid shows a light creamy color to the base.  Maple syrup does not evidently add too much of its own color into the mix.  The worry with a maple syrup base is that its flavor won't stick out either but digging in, I could taste it.  It was not too strong and checking the ingredient list on the side of the carton confirms that there is also some vanilla in the mix as well, but a distinct maple flavor was in there.  Dispersed throughout the pint were the walnut mix-ins.  The walnuts had their skins still on and much of the unique flavor of the walnut is in the skins.  Often the walnut skins are too bitter, but here there appeared to be some maple syrup mixed in.  It was a good combination.

I enjoyed this pint.  It was simple, basic and well done but the walnut skins added just enough flavor to prevent the pint from being boring.   I think this would be a good fall flavor, so perhaps I am eating it a couple of months too late in the year than I should be but I still enjoyed it. 

  

Yeti - Blueberry Pancake

Blueberry Pancake - Blueberry Ice Cream infused with Maple Syrup

People who know me in real life know that in addition to loving ice cream, I also love pancakes.  So when I saw a Blueberry Pancake flavor, I had to give it a try.  The brand is Yeti Frozen Custard.  Yeti was started by Andy Ramos and Brad Hardin in Austin, Texas.  Originally, Yeti was a food truck, but in 2014 they started focusing on distribution to retain stores. I found my pint at Sprouts.  It is frozen custard instead of ice cream.  As mentioned in previous reviews, that means there is higher percentage of egg yolk solids in the mix.


Removing the lid shows an light purplish blue of the blueberry base with some small dark blue flecks visible.    Eating my way into the pint, the ice cream has a cool blueberry flavor which was delicious.  It turns out the flecks are small pieces of blueberry peel.  These pieces do not provide much taste or texture but it is a nice bit of authenticity to the flavor.  As I continued eating, I got a bit puzzled because I did not find anything added which was pancake-related.  I checked the list of ingredients to see what I should be expecting.  Maple syrup is indeed listed as an ingredient fairly high up on the list but its flavor did not stick out.  I did some further research online and came across this promotional video which appears to show a maple-flavored ice base with much darker blueberry swirls.  Also, although I normally don't read other reviews before writing my own, I checked a few of them just for screen shots.  Their images match the video -- maple base and blueberry swirl.  I wonder if something happened to the batch that was used to make my pint.  Perhaps, the blueberry swirl was fully blended into the base to make one homogeneous blueberry-maple flavor.   I'm not sure.  If you've had this flavor before, then let me know.

Overall, this pint tasted good enough -- it had a nice blueberry flavor -- but the pancake lover in me was a bit disappointed by how it all got mixed together.  Maple syrup is a flavor I might have noticed alone but when completed blended with the blueberry, it just tasted like blueberry.  One day, maybe I'll try this again to see if I get a different mix.