Ben & Jerry - Mint Chocolate Chance

Mint Chocolate Chance - Mint Ice Cream loaded with Fudge Brownies

Ben & Jerry's has new flavors for 2022!  The first new flavor is called Mint Chocolate Chance which is a partnership with Grammy-winning recording artist Chance the Rapper.  More links on this flavor collaboration are here.  Profits from this flavor will be donated to Chance's Chicago-based charity SocialWorks.  I also found a fun interview with Stephen Colbert where Stephen ribs Chance about trying to compete with his own flavor Americone Dream.  I bought this flavor at the Ben & Jerry's scoop shop on Lake & Excelsior in Minneapolis, but since then I have seen this at almost every grocery store in the Twin Cities.  It's in full circulation now. 

What flavor ice cream is it?  It's a mint ice cream with fudge brownie mix-ins.  Ben & Jerry's does not have a simple Mint Chip flavor so this is a mint-and-chocolate variant similar to their popular Mint Chocolate Cookie flavor.  Double-checking my archives, this flavor looks very close to a special limited batch flavor in 2016 called Empower Mint.  That flavor had an extra fudge swirl.  Today's flavor contains only brownie mix-ins.  Enough talk, let's get to the ice cream!

Removing the lid, the mint ice cream has a white color (Ben & Jerry's does not use green coloring) and I see a couple of the brownie pieces already.  Digging in, the peppermint flavor is good as always.  Soon, I encounter the chocolate brownies.  These are soft, chewy and chocolatey as always.  Ben & Jerry's helped popularize brownie mix-ins in the mid-1980s and they still do it very well.

This is a fun new flavor from Ben & Jerry's.  Mint chip was my favorite ice cream flavor when I was a kid, so I welcome more mint-and-chocolate combinations.  If I had a complaint it would be that there are not as many brownies as I expected.  The mint-chocolate balance is weighted more on the mint side than I am used to.  I think the extra fudge swirl of the old Empower Mint flavor I liked above was a good idea.  That's something they could tweak later (or maybe I got a mint-heavy batch?).  But it is still delicious and peppermint fans will want to check it out.

 

Baskin Robbins - Mint Chocolate Chip

Mint Chocolate Chip - Mint Ice Cream with Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

 

I return to the Baskin Robbins brand for their Mint Chocolate Chip flavor.  I bought this at Cooper Foods in the West 7th neighborhood of Saint Paul.  Long time readers may recall that mint chocolate chip was my favorite flavor as a kid.  This blog has me trying new flavors all the time, so the only time I get to have mint chocolate chip is when I am reviewing a new brand.  Baskin Robbins is certainly not a new brand, but I was delighted to find out that I have not had their mint chocolate chip before.  Let's see how it compares.

Removing the lid, the peppermint base has a very pale green color to it.  It is almost an off-white green.  It is not as green as I was expecting.  As an old-school brand, I had guessed that Baskin Robbins may embrace the era of artificially coloring peppermint bases bright green.  This is more subtle.  Some of the chips are visible on top as well.  Digging in, the peppermint flavor is cool and refreshing.  The chocolate chips are tend to aggregate in clumps of variable size, so each spoonful as an unpredictable amount of chocolate.  I like that.  This is a delicious pint.

This is a simple, well-done and solid implementation of a mint chocolate chip flavor from Baskin Robbins.  My all-time favorites for this flavor are still McConnell's and Graeter's but I can't complain with this Baskin Robbins pint.  It is cheaper and in some places easier to find.  

Milkjam Creamery - Mint Chip

Mint Chip - Salted Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

 

Today, I move onto the third flavor in Milkjam Creamery's American Classics series (instagram link here).  It is Mint Chip (instagram link here).  Long time readers may remember that Mint Chip is my favorite flavor, so I am always excited when I can review a new pint of Mint Chip.  Actually, I'm not even 100% sure if this is a new flavor because I did review a flavor from Milkjam a few years ago called True Colors which was basically Mint Chip.  So, this might be breaking my rule of not having a repeat review, but there is a chance that it might be different and of course, I do want my mint chip.  Let's dig in!

Removing the lid, it is a green base with a dense amount of chips.  It does resemble the photos I took in my True Colors review quite a bit.  Digging in, the chips have that crumbly-flakey crunchiness which I like and they deliver quite a bit of chocolate.  The mint tastes a little bit different from last time.  This almost tastes like a mint liqueur.  There's no alcohol in it, but it has a bit of that creme de menthe aftertaste to it which I did not taste last time.  Both the instagram link above and my old True Colors review mention that it is made with large amounts of fresh mint lives rather than a peppermint oil.  This explains the color and it's possible that the liqueur like flavor may very from batch to batch when using fresh mint leaves while you wouldn't get much flavor variation when using a peppermint oil.  Overall, it is good.  I really like mint chip and this hits the spot.

This is a fun implementation of mint chip from Milkjam Creamery.  It's basically the same flavor as their old True Colors flavor but more of an aromatic liqueur-like flavor here than in the previous batch.  I still would probably go with Graeter's and McConnell's for my favorite Mint Chip pints but those are both peppermint-oil implementations and it is fun to see a mint-leaf implementation as a variation.  Enjoy!

 

Ben & Jerry's - Thick Mint

Thick Mint - Mint Ice Cream with Chocolate Cookie Swirls & Mint Chocolate Cookie Balls Topped with Chocolate Cookies and Chocolatey Ganache

 

Ben & Jerry's has new flavors for 2021!  All seven new flavors have a common theme as well -- Topped flavors.  I went to the Ben & Jerry's scoop shop on Excelsor Blvd in Minneapolis to find these.  I imagine they will start showing up in other grocery stores soon, but I have not spotted them yet.    These new flavors all are "topped" with a hard layer of either chocolate or white chocolate.  This looks similar to what the Magnum ice cream brand does with their pints.  Magnum is not on my brand rotation (yet?) so this topping is relatively new to me.  I have had a few Tillamook pints (two examples here and here) that have put all the mix-ins in a hard-top layer.  Here, Ben & Jerry's loads mix-ins in the ice cream below as well -- so the top layer seems like more of a bonus layer instead of splitting up the pint.  For the first flavor, I am trying their Thick Mint flavor.  This is a mint chocolate chip theme.  Peppermint ice cream, chocolate cookie swirls, mint chocolate cookie balls and topped with chocolate cookies embedded in chocolate ganache.  I like mint chocolate chip, so this should be fun.

Removing the lid, I see what looks like a bunch of chocolate chips on top.  They are sitting on a layer of chocolate.  This layer does not fully cover the top of the pint, but it is close.  It takes a bit of effort to dig my spoon through this top layer, but once I get through it is easy to break and the layer gets quite soft when I put it in my mouth.  You could consider a knife to make the initial cut but it is not necessary.  The ice cream below reminds me a lot of Mint Chocolate Cookie with its peppermint ice cream and cookie swirls but instead of large cookie pieces they have the mint chocolate balls from the old retired Chocolate Peppermint Crunch flavor.  Mint Chocolate Cookie is one of my old favorites that I used to eat regularly before I started writing these reviews, so I am pleased with the similarity.  The top layer adds extra chocolate which is fun.

I liked this new "Topped" flavor from Ben & Jerry's very much.  A hard top can be cumbersome and gimicky but here the top layer melts in your mouth pretty easily and the ice cream below is loaded with mix-ins.  Instead of just mint and chocolate, it is mint and several-different-kinds of chocolate.  I would recommend this for Mint Chocolate Cookie fans who want to try a suped up version.  It is fun.

Grand Ole Creamery - Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland - Peppermint Ice Cream with Red and Green Peppermint Candies

 

Today is another holiday flavor from the Grand Ole Creamery of Saint Paul.  The flavor is called Winter Wonderland and I got it hand-packed at their scoop shop on Grand Avenue.  This is a peppermint and peppermint candy flavor similar to the Candy Cane flavor that I recently got at Sebastian Joe's, but this flavor uses both red and green candies so it is going to have a different aesthetic.  Because of this, they name it after a classic holiday song instead of candy cane.  Let's check it out.

Opening the pint, I see the off-white color of the peppermint base with lots red and especially green coloring on the top.  Digging in, I taste a lot of peppermint.  This is a stronger peppermint flavor than my recent pint at Sebastian Joe's.  Also, the coloring of the candies gets more distinct as I dig in.  The murky color blending is just a surface effect -- which I have seen before.  The red and green candies each taste the same.  They are relatively soft, but not quite totally melted like some peppermint candy mix-ins.

Winter Wonderland is a simple, fun and delicious holiday peppermint pint from Grand Ole Creamery.  Compared to the Candy Cane flavor from Sebastian Joe's that I had earlier this week, this one is a bit mintier.  Because of this, I like Winter Wonderland a bit better.  It's a good choice if you are at Grand Ole Creamery and in the mood for holiday peppermint.

 

 

Sebastian Joe's - Candy Cane

Candy Cane - Peppermint Ice Cream with Candy Cane Pieces

 

Today I return to Sebastian Joe's of Minneapolis for another holiday flavor.  Last week was Egg Nog, today is Candy Cane.  The flavor is simple.  Candy cane flavored (peppermint) ice cream with candy cane pieces.  Several brands have a similar flavor.  McConnell's famously has a Peppermint Stick flavor year round, Graeter's has the same flavor during the holidays and I have also reviewed an old Izzy's implementation from back when they had scoop shops.  Let's see how this compares.

Cracking open the lid, the ice cream is overflowing the container!  Sebastian Joe's often does this and I really like it.  The base ice cream has a light pink flavor with some darker pink candy cane pieces visible.  Digging in, the ice cream has a refreshing peppermint flavor which is not too strong.  The peppermint pieces have melted a bit and end up being small pockets of peppermint syrup embedded in the ice cream.  This actually happens in every implementation of this flavor.  Evidently, ice cream melts peppermint.  I like it.

This is a fun holiday pint from Sebastian Joe's.  The peppermint flavor is a little bit milder than I like it --   McConnell's & Graeter's are still the gold standard here -- but it is still quite delicious.  If you're in a candy cane mood, this flavor will do the trick.

Sweet Science - Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper Pie - Green Mint Ice Cream with Clusters of Newman-O's and Marshmallow Fluff

As mentioned in a recent review, Sweet Science Ice Cream of Saint Paul made a few flavors specially available for National Ice Cream Day a week or so ago.  Two of the flavors were new to me, so I picked them up.  I reviewed the first flavor, Peach Cobbler, here and today's flavor is called Grasshopper Pie.  A grasshopper pie is a mint-chocolate cream pie which was likely introduced in the 1950s and was probably inspired by the mint-chocolate cocktail of the same name.  Long-time readers know that mint chocolate chip was my favorite ice cream flavor growing up, so I am always looking forward to flavors which combine those flavors.  Here, Newman-O clusters (organic imitation Oreos) deliver the chocolate into a peppermint base and there is some marshmallow fluff in the mix as well.  I have had the mint-chocolate-marshmallow combination once before with the Ben & Jerry's seasonal Minter Wonderland flavor, but that is a chocolate-mint flavor while this appears to be a mint-chocolate flavor, so they might not easily compare as chocolate-mint flavors have so much more chocolate.

On to today's pint!  Removing the lid, the peppermint base has a very light green color.  Peppermint is not naturally green, but grasshopper pies and cocktails usually are.  I checked the ingredient list and it appears that vegetable juice is used to create the color.  I can also see some of the Newman-O clusters and one large dollop of marshmallow fluff on top.  Digging in, the peppermint ice cream has a cool and refreshing flavor as expected.  The clusters of Newman-O's work quite well.  They deliver a bit of chocolate and a lot of crunch.  I like the variable sizes because it makes every spoonful a bit of a surprise.  Here, the Newman-O's act as both the chocolate source and the "pie crust".  The marshmallow fluff is found in dollop-sized pockets throughout the pint.  It adds some soft creaminess into the mix every few spoonfuls.

This is a fun and interesting flavor from Sweet Science.  As mentioned before, mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream flavor so I like any variations or twists that different brands try on that flavor combination and grasshopper pie is a new one for me.  The best part of the pint was the Newman-O clusters -- a great way to create a crunchier version of chocolate chips.  I still prefer Sweet Science's Vanilla Mint Fudge when I am feeling in the mood for mint and chocolate, but this flavor is fun for a twist.

Van Leeuwen - Mint Chip

Mint Chip - Peppermint Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

Today I review another flavor from the Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream:  Mint Chip.  I bought it at Kowalski's on Grand in Saint Paul.  Long-time readers know that Mint Chip is my favorite ice cream flavor going back to when I was a kid.  These days, the only time I get to have it is when I find a brand whose implementation I have not yet tried.  Well, today is that day for Van Leeuwen.  Let's see how they compare!

Opening the pint, the peppermint base has an off-white color.  They've gone with natural peppermint here -- no green coloring.  Lots of chips are visible right away as well.  Digging in, the peppermint flavor is cool and refreshing and not too intense.  The texture is thick but easy to scoop.  As mentioned in previous reviews, Van Leeuwen makes "French-style" ice cream -- meaning they more egg yolks than most -- so it has an almost frozen custard-like texture to it.  The chocolate chips are dispersed throughout the pint.  The chips have a high variability to their size and density which I really like.  That brings the element of surprise into each spoonful because you never know when you'll run into a large chip or a cluster of chips.  I remember saying the same thing about McConnell's which I also really liked.

This is a very good implementation of Mint Chip ice cream from Van Leeuwen.  I don't think it has quite cracked into my inner circle of favorites (McConnell's, Graeter's), but it is still quite good.  If you have access to Van Leeuwen and are in the mood for Mint Chip then this will surely satisfy.

Grand Ole Creamery - Peppermint Bon Bon

Peppermint Bon Bon - Mint Ice Cream with Rich Chocolate Chunks

When I was twelve years old, our family went on its first plane trip and left the Minnesota/Wisconsin area for the first time.  We went to New Mexico and Colorado to visit my aunt.  When we were in Albuquerque, we saw an ice cream counter at a local supermarket and my mom decided we deserved a treat because it had been in the high-90s every day that we were there.  My little sister ran up to the counter and started screaming "I want Peppermint Bon Bon!  I want Peppermint Bon Bon!"  The ice cream scooper's face turned sheet white because he had no idea what my sister was talking about.  He just sheepishly said, "... uh... we have strawberry?"  My mom calmly leaned over and said "she means 'mint chocolate chip'" and his face lit up and my sister got what she wanted.  That was the first time I learned that Peppermint Bon Bon was not what everyone in the country called that flavor.  But back then that was what the local brands (Kemps & Land O Lakes) called that flavor.  We often had a five-quart pail in our freezer back then.

Anyhow, today's flavor is from the local Grand Ole Creamery of Saint Paul and has that Peppermint Bon Bon name.  I bought it at Kowalski's in Saint Paul.  As I mentioned above, this was always my favorite flavor growing up -- I got a scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip that day in Albuquerque, too! --  so I always look forward to checking out how each brand does it.  Let's check it out.

Popping off the top, I see all mint!  No chocolate is visible on the top of the pint.  It is a green mint, too.  Many brands have gone away from using food coloring in their mint bases -- mint leaves are green but there is not enough green color in the mint leave to turn an ice cream mint by itself so most natural mint bases are white.  Grand Ole Creamery has used food coloring before in their Cookie Monster flavor and they choose to use it here -- perhaps to increase the nostalgia factor.  The light green base here is actually so smooth and bright that my camera had trouble focusing for the first image.  I am just an amateur photographer and I leave autofocus on.   That's OK almost all of the time, but super-smooth, single-color glossy surfaces can confuse the camera.  Once I dig in, the texture of the ice cream is visible and the focus works again.  The peppermint base is decent and pleasant and not too intense, but it takes a while before I see any chocolate.  Then I see why.  The chunks of chocolate are fairly large -- perhaps sugar cube-sized.  Each chunk is a bit chewy and delivers quite a bit of chocolate flavor when you bite into it.  Eating my way down, I enjoy the texture of the ice cream.  Grand Ole Creamery bases stay firm in the container -- they are not soft serve, but they do melt in your mouth into a cream a little more than other brands.  It is a nice effect.

This is a decent implementation of a mint chocolate chip ice cream from the Grand Ole Creamery.  It has a unique way of mixing the mint and chocolate.  Instead of blending the chocolate into every spoonful, there are large sections of the pint which are mint-only and then some nice large chunks of chocolate once in a while.  I think I would have preferred some smaller chips in the mix along with the bigger chunks (Graeter's does this mix quite well) but I do appreciate the variation from the norm.

Pumphouse Creamery - Mint Chocolate Chip

Mint Chocolate Chip - Peppermint Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

The next flavor is from the Pumphouse Creamery in south Minneapolis.  I picked this up in the "before times" but I just checked their website and their temporary hours during the pandemic are 12-6 for pints/quart sales only.  The flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip.  Long-time readers will know this is my favorite ice cream dating back to when I was a kid.  Pumphouse has had a lot of unusual and eccentric flavors this winter (e.g. Corn Masa, Black Garlic, Dill Pickle) so I feel I should be showing that they do standard and popular flavors as well.  Pumphouse has recently written about this flavor in their website diary describing how they have found a new source of mint -- the Seeley Mint Farm in Oregon.  Let's check it out.

Cracking open the lid, the peppermint base is bright white and there are lots of fine chocolate chips visible right away.  Digging in, the mint flavor is quite potent but not overpowering.  It's strong yet not chalky or dry, the base remains quite creamy.  I like it.  It is very delicious.  The chips provide a bit of chocolate but since they are small chips it is not as much as I expected.  This is not a complaint, I am just noting that this is a very minty version of mint chip.

I quite liked this implementation of mint chocolate chip from Pumphouse Creamery.  As I mentioned above, this is not as chocolatey as some mint chip pints are, but it is one of the best peppermint bases that I have yet tried.  That Seeley Mint Farm makes really good mint!  So, this is more of a mint-lovers mint chip and that is OK. 

Izzy's - Candy Cane

Candy Cane - Peppermint Candy Ice Cream 

Candy Cane ice cream seems like a great thing to eat on Christmas day.  Thankfully, I have a hand-packed 'tall cup' from Izzy's Ice Cream in Saint Paul in my freezer.  It looks like simple peppermint candy ice cream which a few brands have implementations for.  I have seen similar flavors from McConnell's and Graeter's and if you allow for a bit of white chocolate in the mix, Jeni's as well.  It will be interesting to see how Izzy's compares to those. Let's dig in!

The top of the pint has a dark pink color and I can see some specks of candy cane on top, too.  Digging in, the base ice cream is actually white with lots of pinkish red swirls in it.  I believe the top being all pink is something that happened in my freezer.  The color diffused to the surface.  I had this happen with a pint from McConnell's once.  This is not a complaint -- it is a very thin layer -- this just a scientific curiosity.  The ice cream itself has a strong peppermint flavor as expected.  Not only that, it tastes just like candy canes specifically.  I do not know how to describe that, but I can tell the difference between a candy cane and another kind of mint and this tastes like candy canes.  The red swirls are also minty.  There are no crunchy pieces in the mix.  I think peppermint candies dissolve in ice cream.  I have seen that with both of McConnell's and Graeter's brands linked above.

This is a very delicious implementation of a candy cane ice cream.  It is a thick and rich base as with other Izzy's flavors and it very accurately reproduces the flavor of candy canes.  Comparing it to McConnell's and Graeter's, this is at least as good which is high praise (I really liked both of those).  This is a great holiday flavor for kids who love candy canes and for adults that love peppermint.  I am a bit slow writing up my holiday ice cream tastings this year, so this flavor is likely cycled out by now, but next year don't hesitate to give this one a try.

Jeni's - Snowflake

Snowflake - Spearmint and Peppermint Ice Creams with White Chocolate

I ordered six pints from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream!  This is becoming a bit of a Black Friday tradition for me.  The first flavor is a flavor called Snowflake which is the result of a collaboration with Tyler the Creator.  I must admit I did not know who he was at first.  I thought he was some sort of chef or food guru, but it turns out that he is a rapper and musician.  He has branched out into fashion designing a little bit and now he wants to try his hand at making ice cream.  He says that he has always been a fan of white chocolate and mint but has been frustrated that white chocolate cookies always have macadamia nuts and mint ice cream almost always has chocolate chips.  So he wanted to have a flavor which contained his two favorite flavors together instead of with their usual companions.  Interestingly, Jeni's already has two mint-and-white-chocolate combinations in White Chocolate Peppermint and Savannah Buttermint, but in Snowflake they include both peppermint and spearmint.  I have had spearmint gum, but not spearmint ice cream before, so this should be interesting.

Removing the lid, I see a marbled green and white colors on the top of the pint.  I guess spearmint is naturally green.  Digging in, the ice cream is very cool and minty.  I recognize that spearmint is in the mix right away -- I taste it more in the finish.  Dispersed throughout the pint are these small little white chocolate pellets.  They look a little bit like large sprinkle candies but they have a denser texture which provides a bit of 'crunch' when you bite into one.

This is a very cool, refreshing and unique pint of mint ice cream.  The marbling of the spearmint and peppermint is beautiful visually and quite interesting to boot.  Then the white chocolate pellets provide a bit of crunch.  With three mint and white chocolate flavors now, Jeni's would seem to have you covered.  White Chocolate Peppermint is the traditional holiday flavor, Savannah Buttermint re-creates the flavor of those soft, buttery mints that everyone's grandmother seemed to have and this Snowflake flavor introduces Spearmint into the mix.  This particular blend is well done and is worth checking out if you love mint.

Pumphouse - Dark Chocolate Mint

Dark Chocolate Mint - Dark Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream

I am back from my Thanksgiving trip and ready to get back to Twin Cities ice cream brands again.  Today's flavor is from Pumphouse Creamery from south Minneapolis.  It is called Dark Chocolate Mint.  This is a seasonal flavor from the fall that was leftover in my freezer from before my trip.  It is no longer available in the scoop shop, but maybe it will it will come back next season.  Dark Chocolate and Mint is not an uncommon combination during the holiday season.  Jeni's had a holiday flavor a while back which was this exact combination.  Allowing for mix-ins McConnell's Reindeer Tracks is this flavor with a small amount of cookies while Ben & Jerry's Minter Wonderland is this flavor combination with marshmallow and a cookies.  Let's see how this flavor from Pumphouse compares.

Removing the lid, the dark chocolate base is a medium brown color.  Digging in for my first spoonful, the chocolate is not too dark and the peppermint is not too intense but it is a good flavorful mix.  This is a homogeneous pint with no mix-ins.  Long-time readers know that mint chocolate chip is my favorite flavor so I am always up for having chocolate and peppermint together in ice cream in any combination.  I was able to easily eat the entire pint in one sitting.

This is a solid pint from Pumphouse.  It is not as intense chocolate-wise or mint-wise as Jeni's implementation of the same flavor but it is a likable pint which is easy to eat.  There are many ways to mix mint and chocolate.  They have the standard mint chocolate chip (I hope to try that soon) plus there is the holiday Peppermint Bark flavor and now this flavor.  Dark Chocolate Mint is you are more in the mood for chocolate than mint (yet still want both).  Look to see if it comes back next year.