Milkjam Creamery - Sour Cream Apple Pie

Sour Cream Apple Pie - Sour Cream Ice Cream with Caramelized Apples and Pecan-Oat Granola

 

The third of Milkjam Creamery's November flavors (instragram link here) is called Sour Cream Apple Pie (instagram link here).  This flavor looks similar to a flavor which they had last November called Cute Guys and Apple Pies.  Both feature a sour cream and buttermilk base, apples and granola.  In the old flavor, there was more apple in the base and some apple butter swirl.  This flavor has caramelized apple chunks and the granola now includes pecans.  I guess that's enough to warrant a new review!  Ha ha... Let's go!

Removing the lid, the sour cream and buttermilk base is a bright white color.  I can see some of the nutty granola but I can also see some small chunks of caramelized apple.  Digging in, like last year's flavor, this sour cream and buttermilk base is quite tangy.  I really like it, but I guess I could see someone being caught off guard.  Balancing the buttermilk are the caramelized apple pieces which include just the right amount of apple pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) so as to make me feel like these chunks came from a caramel apple pie.  The pecan granola is also quite good and gives me the crunchy illusion of eating a slice of pie with my ice cream.

This is an excellent pint of ice cream.  Apple pie flavors such as those from Bebe Zito, Talenti, Sweet Science and Sebastian Joe's are usually quite good -- and the apple-y parts of this are good, too -- but Milkjam's addition of the tangy sour cream and buttermilk base really makes this uniquely delicious.  It is quite a bit like last year's Cute Guys and Apple Pies, but I think I like this flavor better because it's got more apple.  I look forward to another permutation of this next November.  Enjoy.

Cheesecake Factory - Cookies & Cream

Cookies & Cream - Premium Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Ice Cream with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream and Chocolate Cookie Swirls

 

Today's flavor comes from the Cheesecake Factory At Home brand.  It is their implementation of Cookies & Cream.  Just about every brand implements a cookies & cream flavor.  I have had pints from Sebastian Joe's, Jeni's, Graeter's, Coolhaus, Ben & Jerry's (limited batch), Sweet Science, Izzy's, Häagen-Dazs, and McConnell's.  That's just the most straightforward implementations that I could find.  Milkjam has a very good one which includes pieces of Peanut Butter.  Izzy's has a current pint which includes a caramel swirl.  There are a lot of other variants which include chocolate bases or coffee bases, or they use chocolate-chip cookies instead of Oreo-style sandwich cookies.  I could go on.  Today's pint looks fairly straightforward with the exception of the use of a thicker cheesecake base.  Let's see how it tastes.

Removing the lid, there are pockets of air around the rim again.  I have seen this from Cheesecake Factory before.  It is possible that it doesn't affect the amount of ice cream that I get, but it always makes me feel like I am missing out of an ounce.  The base ice cream itself is very white with lots of speck-sized cookie crumbs immersed in it.  Some larger cookie pieces are visible as well.  The white base tells me that the chocolate from the crumbs has not bled into the base -- no 'cookie milk' in this pint.  Digging in, the cheesecake base is thick.  I do not taste the distinctive sour cream and cream cheese blend that I taste in their Original flavor, but it serves as a good vehicle for all the cookie mix-ins.  The cookie pieces are not specifically Oreo's but they quite Oreo-like.  As I dig down further, I see some bigger cookie pieces in the mix.

This is a good cookies & cream implementation from the Cheesecake Factory.  As mentioned above, there is a lot of competition for this flavor.  My favorite straight rendition is probably Graeter's.  Coolhaus has a cookie milk base.  Locally, Sebastian Joe's is excellent.  But you can't really go wrong with any of them -- including today's flavor.  

This concludes my survey of Cheesecake Factory flavors.  They just have seven flavors so far:  Original, Key Lime, Chocolate, Strawberry, Salted Caramel, Birthday Cake and Cookies & Cream.  My favorites were probably the first two: Original and Key Lime.  I could taste the distinctive sour cream and cream cheese blend in both of those pints.  They made me feel like I was eating a slice of their cheesecake from the restaurant.  That flavor blend seemed to be missing from the rest of their flavors -- or maybe it got overwhelmed by the other ingredients.  The gritty graham cracker swirl present in many of their pints was also excellent.  It was one of the better pie-crust swirls that I have encountered.  The caramel flavor had a nice caramel swirl that I don't see often enough and although the birthday cake flavor doesn't fit their slice-of-cheesecake flavor pattern, it was very well done.

Cheesecake Factory - Chocolate

Chocolate - Premium Chocolate Cheesecake Ice Cream with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream and Rich Chocolate Fudge Swirls

Today I return to the Cheesecake Factory brand for their Chocolate ice cream.  I bought it at Target in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul.  Chocolate is a very basic flavor, but since this is the Cheesecake Factory, it is not a simple chocolate base.  The base is a chocolate cheesecake and there are swirls of fudge.  No graham cracker swirls for the 'crust' of the slice of cheesecake this time, though.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, the chocolate base has a good brown color, not too dark but not that light.  I think I can see hints of one of the fudge swirls.  Digging in, this a good chocolate flavor.  It tastes a lot like a good, thick chocolate base.  The cream cheese may be adding to the thickness, but I do not specifically taste it.  I do not specifically taste the sour cream either.  As I scoop my way down, I encounter the fudge swirls.  They are swirl-shaped, though.  It is almost like there are little dollops of fudge which are mixed in.  These are soft and provide an extra kick of strong fudge flavor into the mix.

This is a decent chocolate-based pint with a chocolate mix-in.  The fudge swirls adds a bit more chocolate into the mix, but it does not quite make it one of those decadent super-chocolate pints.  It is still quite agreeable though.  Chocolate fans who are enjoying this brand will want to give it a try.

 

 

 

 

Cheesecake Factory - Salted Caramel

Salted Caramel - Premium Caramel Cheesecake ice Cream with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream, Sea Salt Caramel and Graham Swirls

 

Today's flavor comes from the Cheesecake Factory brand and is called Salted Caramel.  I bought it at the Target in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, but I have also seen it at local Cub and Hyvee stores.  With the exception of Key Lime and Birthday Cake, many Cheesecake Factory flavors are the basic front-of-the-scooping bin classics covered by almost every brand -- chocolate, strawberry, etc.  Salted Caramel would definitely qualify as one of those.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, there are big air pockets around the rim.  I always feel like I'm getting cheated out of an ounce of ice cream when this happens.  It does make the caramel cheesecake base look think, though.  Digging in, the base is indeed thick and creamy and has a mild caramel flavor.  Most of the caramel flavor is delivered in the swirls which are pretty good.  The graham cracker crust swirls are the same as the once used on many of the other Cheesecake Factory flavors -- good flavor and a nice gritty crust-like texture.  I do not specifically taste the sour cream as I do in some of the other flavors from this brand -- perhaps the sweet caramel is enough to balance it out.

This is a well-done implementation of a caramel cheesecake flavor from the Cheesecake Factory.  I like flavors that have swirls of caramel as well as caramel flavor.  My favorite caramel-swirl flavor is still Salted Caramel Swirl from Sweet Science but this is still quite good.  The gritty graham cracker crust is a highlight of this pint -- as it is with other Cheesecake Factory flavors.  Cheesecake Factory flavors are becoming easy to find in Twin Cities grocery stores.  These are worth checking out if you like the flavor which is being implemented.

 

 

Cheesecake Factory - Strawberry

Strawberry - Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream, Strawberry and Graham Swirls

 

Today, I return to the Cheesecake Factory brand for their implementation of a Strawberry flavor.  I appear to be on a strawberry kick of late.  I did not plan this, it just happens to be what is in my freezer this week.  Since this is the Cheesecake Factory, this is cheesecake-based strawberry flavor.  Sour cream is another Cheesecake Factory signature as well as swirls of graham cracker which act as the crust in this slice-of-cheesecake flavor.  Strawberry Cheesecake is a common flavor combination.  I have had it from Ben & Jerry's, Graeter's and Coolhaus.

Removing the lid, the strawberry cheesecake base has a light pink color.  A couple of the strawberry swirls are visible around the edges as well as a couple of chunks of the graham cracker crust.  Digging in, the strawberry cheesecake base is quite delicious.  It is not as thick as some strawberry cheesecake bases are.  It could almost pass for a simple strawberry ice cream base.  The sour cream in the mix is fully blended in and not specifically noticeable as it is in a couple of the other Cheesecake Factory flavors (Original and Key Lime).  It could be the sweetness of the strawberry which is doing that.  Strawberry is a very sweet flavor which is often muted with things such as sour cream and cream cheese.  The strawberry swirls are delicious and like previous Cheesecake Factory flavors, I really enjoy this graham cracker swirl.  It has a good flavor and a very gritty texture reminiscent of pie crust.

This is a good strawberry cheesecake flavor from Cheesecake Factory.  It has a simple strawberry flavor where the cream cheese is fully blended in (no chunks).  The gritty graham cracker crust is a highlight.  Strawberry lovers looking to try this brand will not be disappointed.

 

 

Cheesecake Factory - Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake - Premium Cake Flavored Cheesecake Ice Cream with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream, Cake Pieces, Swirls of Icing and Candy Sprinkles

 

Today I am continuing my survey of ice cream flavors from the Cheesecake Factory's "At Home" collection of ice cream flavors.  Today's flavor is Birthday Cake.  I bought it locally at either Cub, Target or Hyvee (sorry, I forgot, but I see this brand at all three places regularly).  Like their other flavors, this pint features a cheesecake base made with a cream cheese blend and sour cream.  What is different here are the mix-ins: cake pieces, swirls of icing and sprinkles.  This type of "birthday cake" flavor (based on a sheet cake, frosting and sprinkles) is not uncommon.  I have tried it from McConnell's, Graeter's, Coolhaus, Ample Hills and Ben & Jerry's.  Mostly in limited batch releases.  Let's see how this flavor compares!

Removing the lid, the top of the pint has a bright white color and some of the rainbow-colored sprinkles are visible on top.  Digging in, the ice cream has a thick, creamy and appealingly sweet flavor to it.  It takes like a piece of birthday cake!  There are a few cake pieces embedded in the mix add to this effect.  There is also the occasional swirl of frosting (see the small blue streaks in the photos below).  These are fairly small, so this is not a frosting-heavy pint.  It is quite good.  Some birthday cake implementations are too sweet from all the frosting, but the best ones prevent that.  Here, there is not a large amount of frosting in the mix to begin with and the cream cheese in the cheesecake base also does a good job of muting excessive sweetness.  I like it.  One thing I notice about this flavor compared to other Cheesecake Factor flavors is the lack of tangy-ness from the sour cream.  I noticed it in both their Original and Key Lime flavors and figured it was part of their signature blend.  Here, it either got muted by the extra sugar of the cake and frosting or they chose to de-emphasize it in the mix.  I don't miss the tangy-ness -- I do not think birthday cake is supposed to be tangy -- I am just bringing it up as a notable difference.

This is a solid and delicious implementation of a birthday cake flavor from the Cheesecake Factory.  It tastes like birthday cake and it avoids being too sugary sweet.  My favorite birthday cake flavor is still McConnell's, but this flavor is much easier to find (cheaper).  So, if it's your birthday or you just want to pretend that it's your birthday, go ahead and treat yourself.  I should also note that similar cake flavors are coming soon from both Talenti and Jeni's.  Cake flavors appear to be a thing this year.

 

 

Cheesecake Factory - Key Lime

Key Lime - Premium Key Lime Cheesecake with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream and Graham Swirls

 

A few days ago, I tried my first pint of Cheesecake Factory Ice Cream and was pleasantly surprised.  That first flavor was just their Original (plain) flavor, and I am curious to see how their flavored pints turn out.  Today's flavor is Key Lime.  I like key lime flavors and have had them from Talenti, Graeter's and Izzy's.  Let's see how this flavor compares.

Popping off the lid, the key lime has and off-white greenish-yellow color to it.  I can see the graham cracker crust swirl, but it is not as pretty as the swirl in the Original pint I had last week.  There's also a fair amount of air pockets near the edges of top of the pint.  I am sure this is just a random fluke, but I may have gotten cheated out of an ounce.  Digging in, the flavor lime is quite delicious.  As a 'finish' flavor, I also notice the sour cream.  It adds tanginess.  I noticed this in the previous Cheesecake Factory as well.  It is looking like this is going to be a signature trait of this brand.  I do like it.  It is unique and distinctive and keeps the cheesecake from feeling too heavy.  The graham cracker swirl is nice and gritty as it was before.  It acts as the 'crust' in this slice-of-cheesecake flavor.

I enjoyed this key lime flavor from the Cheesecake Factory.  It's simple, yet that tangy sour cream makes it unique and distinctive.  Good key lime flavors are hard to find -- they tend to be late-summer seasonal flavors.  This flavor is available year round.  Check it out.

 

 

Cheesecake Factory - Original

Original - Premium Cheesecake Ice Cream with a Signature Cream Cheese Blend, Sour Cream and Graham Swirls

 

Today I am trying a new brand!  The Cheesecake Factory has a line of pre-package pints.   I got mine at Target in the Midway, but I have also seen them at Cub and Hyvee.  I must admit that I hesitated before trying this brand.  Sometimes a brand like this is a gimmick based on name recognition, but I had heard some good things so I will try them out.  The Cheesecake Factory is chain of restaurants that started in the Los Angeles area in the late 1970s.  By the mid-1990s, they had expanded nationwide.  You may know them as the place where Penny and Bernadette first worked on the Big Bang Theory.  I have actually been to that Cheesecake Factory!  It looks much different in real life because of course they use a set for something like that when they film a television show.  Today's flavor is called Original which I think is a good place to start.  It's a plain cheesecake ice cream with a graham cracker crust swirl.  The flavor description also mentions sour cream which I think is intriguing.  Let's check it out.

Opening the pin, the cheesecake base has a bright white color and there is a beautiful swirl of graham cracker visible right away on top.  I like when you can see the swirl on top like this.  Digging in, I can taste the cheesecake, but I also taste the sour cream right away.  It's a bit tangy and it keeps the cheesecake having too heavy of a flavor.  The graham cracker swirl is quite good.  It has a very gritty texture and provides a good contrast to all the cheesecake.

This cheesecake ice cream from The Cheesecake Factory is quite good.  This "original" flavor is pretty basic but the blend of cream cheese and sour cream is quite appealing.  I am looking forward to trying more flavors.

 

 

Milkjam Creamery - Cute Guys and Apple Pies

Cute Guys and Apple Pies - Apple Pie Sour Cream Buttermilk Ice Cream with Spiced Oat Crumble

 

The fourth and final of the November flavors from Milkjam Creamery is called Cute Guys and Apple Pies (instagram link here).  Apple is a fun flavor.  Milkjam just had an apple sorbet flavor called Poison Apple last month as a Halloween flavor.  I also had an apple pie flavor a couple of weeks ago from Bebe Zito called G.O.A.T. Apple Pie.  In previous years, I have had apple pie flavors from Talenti, Sweet Science and Sebastian Joe's.  I am actually not sure what the flavor name Cute Guys and Apple Pies refers to.  Often it's a pop culture reference but I couldn't find it by googling.  If you know, drop a note in the comment section.  Anyhow, on to the ice cream!

The base ice cream is an almost white color and some of the oatmeal crumble can be seen right away.  Digging in, I taste the apple right away -- which is delicious -- but then I taste a lot of sourness.  I know that sour cream is not necessarily sour, but it can be and I might also be tasting the effects of the buttermilk as well.  It's quite delicious though.  I immediately want to eat more.  The oat crumble plays the usual role in these types of flavors -- a little bit of crunch.  I do taste a little bit of cinnamon in the crumble, but it could be that there is cinnamon in the apple butter swirl as well.  I am really enjoying the sourness of this pint, though.  It is quite unexpected, but works very well.  There's a creaminess to it which makes it very palatable and it is still very much an apple flavor.

This is an excellent apple pie flavor from Milkjam Creamery.  The sourness means that it might not be for kids, but for adults this is delicious in a unique way.  Since I have eaten so many different kinds of ice creams, I really appreciate unique types of deliciousness.  That concludes my survey of Milkjam's November flavors (previous flavors: Roasted Pumpkin Dulce, Yeah Yeah Yams and Lyndale Fog).  Today's flavor is my favorite of the four, but they are all pretty good.  I am looking forward to next month, already.