Milkjam Creamery - Yeah Yeah Yams

Yeah Yeah Yams - Sweet Potato Casserole Ice Cream with Roasted Marshmallows and Pecans

 

Today is the second of the four November flavors from Milkjam Creamery.  It is called Yeah Yeah Yams (instagram link here).  I picked it up at their scoop shop in South Minneapolis.  It has a sweet potato base with a roasted marshmallow swirl and pecans.  I have had sweet potato bases twice before --   both times from Jeni's (review links here and here).  The second of those pints had marshmallows like this pint does.  Today's pint has pecans, which neither of the two Jeni's pints had.  The flavor name here is I believe a nod to the indie band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  I remember their song "Maps" which was one of the funnest songs for newbies to play on the Rock Band video game.  Anyhow, let's check out today's flavor.

Removing the lid, I see everything right away on the top of the pint.  The sweet potato base has a pastel orange color.  Glob-like sections of marshmallow are visible (as opposed to marshmallow pieces) and I can see some of the pecans as well.  Digging in, the sweet potato has a light and sweet flavor which is very appealing.  I am always pleasantly surprised by the flavor of sweet potato.  I did not grow up eating it, so I often brace myself for something savory like squash, but it is quite sweet.  The marshmallow sections are soft and they act like swirl.  The pecans are excellent.  They are crunchy and flavorful and complement the smooth sweetness of the rest of the pint.

I enjoyed this pint from Milkjam Creamery quite a bit.  Sweet potato ice cream works!  More brands should try it -- even if it is just for the holidays.  Because of the excellent pecans, I actually like this better than both of the Jeni's pints I liked to above.  If you missed out on a sweet potato side dish this Thanksgiving, maybe this pint will tide you over.  Enjoy.

 

Jeni's - Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows

Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows - Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Torched Marshmallows

The Columbus-based Jeni's brand had a Black Friday sale which I could not pass up.  It was everywhere online, but also a thanks to the readers who reminded me about it in the comments.  It was six pints for the price of four, so it basically ended up being the equivalent of free shipping.  That's great because my local grocery stores do not carry the full Jeni's line.  For this shipment, I focused mainly on the holiday flavors.  One exception would be the Dark Chocolate Peppermint which I reviewed last year and appears to be unchanged.  Read the old review for that one.

A fun message on the inside of the box

For the first pint, I chose Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows because I associate sweet potatoes more with Thanksgiving and we're past that already.  This flavor is similar -- but not the same as -- one of their holiday flavors from last year, Sweet Potato Eclair.  Both feature a base of sweet potatoes and cinnamon (this year's also contains nutmeg).  Last year's mix-ins were pastry flakes and white chocolate curls while this years mix-ins are torched marshmallows.  I had never heard of torched marshmallows before but I think it is just the process of laying out miniature marshmallows on a pan and then using a small kitchen blow torch on them.

Let's dig in.  The packaging is cool.  It is a lot more detailed and artistic than their standard orange and yellow cartons.  I wonder if new artwork will propagate to the other flavors.  I hope so.  Opening the lid, the sweet potato base is a yellow in color with a hint of orange and a lone marshmallow is visible on the top.  Digging in, the sweet potato base is quite tasty.  The cinnamon and nutmeg provide quite a bit of flavor, but you can still taste the sweet potatoes.  The marshmallows provide the occasional change in texture but it is not an overly marshmallow pint.

This is a really good pint of ice cream.  It is basically just a tweak of last year's sweet potato flavor but that is OK because the spicy sweet potato base is the star of the pint.  Each year the mix-ins are chosen so as not to distract too much from this base.  I think I like this year's because it is a bit spicier.  If you're craving sweet potatoes this holiday season, check this out.

  

Jeni's - Sweet Potato Eclair

Sweet Potato Eclair - Spiced Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Pastry Flakes and White Chocolate Curls

In the first review of the year, I wrote a post-holiday review of a holiday flavor from the Columbus-based Jeni's brand.  Today, I'll review another that I picked up from that same to Whole Foods, Sweet Potato Eclair.  I have not had a sweet potato flavored ice cream before, so I am very curious.  One of my friends makes a sweet potato dish every Thanksgiving, so this flavor does seem to fit in with the holiday theme.  My friend's dish is quite tasty so I am looking forward to this pint.

Opening the pint shows the bright pinkish orange color of the sweet potato base.  Some of the pastry flakes are visible right away as well.  There's a small side pocket of air on the top which appears accidental but it doesn't look like it is going to affect the flavor of the ice cream.  Digging in, the base ice cream does taste like sweet potatoes.  I don't know why but I'm always surprised by how sweet sweet potatoes are.  I know that 'sweet' is right there in the name but I always expect it to be a more savory flavor.  There is a hint of cinnamon mixed into the base but it is not too strong.  The pastry flakes provide a bit of textural change, but they are still soft.  The white chocolate curls provided a small bit of crunch into the mix.  I isolated on of these curls on my spoon once and it resembled a sprig of coconut in its size and shape.  I am usually indifferent on the inclusion of white chocolate mix-ins -- they don't have a strong or noticeable flavor to me -- but these little curls were cute and provided some crunch into the mix.

This was an unexpectedly delicious pint.  I always forget about how good sweet potatoes can taste.  If you enjoy a sweet potato dish around the holidays and are interested in that flavor in an ice cream, then you should check this out.