Milkjam Creamery - Roasted Pumpkin Dulce

Roasted Pumpkin Dulce - Roasted Pumpkin with Dulce de Leche Swirl

 

The Milkjam Creamery of Minneapolis has four new flavors for November!  It seems like I just finished the October flavors.  I can't complain about more flavors, though.  The instagram link for the new flavors is here.  The new flavors are all in pints, so I picked them all up.  I will try to finish these and write them up faster than I did last month.  For the first flavor, I chose Roasted Pumpkin Dulce (insta link here).  This is a pumpkin-spice ice cream with a swirl of dulce de leche.  Dulce de leche is a caramelized milk -- not strictly caramel, but close.  The closest I have had to this flavor is a Pumpkin Salty Caramel flavor which I got from Sebastian Joe's last year.  It'll be fun to see how this flavor compares.

Removing the lid, I see the orange-ish brown color of the pumpkin base.  Digging in, I taste a good pumpkin flavor.  It has some spices in it, but it does not try to be super spicy.  This is pumpkin pie level of spice.  As I eat my way down I do notice some darker brown stripes which are evidently the dulce de leche swirl.  I do taste it a bit.  It adds a bit of body to the pumpkin, but it is not super strong.  Dulce de leche is caramelized milk which is by its nature milder than caramel itself which is made from heating up sugar.  It also looks like the swirl here is half-blended.  Which is OK, but it also lessens its effect.

This is a tasty pumpkin-based ice cream from Milkjam Creamery.  The dulce de leche swirl has more of a subtle effect than one might expect, but it still succeeds in deepening the flavor of the pint.  If you're expecting strong caramel, I'd stick with a flavor more like the aforementioned Pumpkin Salty Caramel, but this pint is still quite successful as a pumpkin/caramel blend.

 

 

Bebe Zito - Animal Frossting

Animal Frossting - Chunks of Frosting Ganache with Frosted Animal Cookies. Topped with Rainbow SPRINKLES and Keebler Animal Cookies

Today I return to the Minneapolis-based Bebe Zito for their Animal Frossting flavor (instagram link here).  I bought it at their scoop shop at 22nd and Lyndale in south Minneapolis.  I am not sure what the extra 's' in 'frossting' is for.  It's not written that way on the carton, but it is written that way on the website.  I'll keep the different spelling here because I like unique spellings.  This is flavor based on frosted animal cookies.  It's a similar flavor to one I reviewed at the end of the summer by Sweet Science called Animal Circus. 

Removing the lid, I see a very busy top of the pint.  The base ice cream (which the flavor description does not describe) is a dough-y color.  Perhaps it is cookie colored?  Immersed in the ice cream are a lot of mix-ins.  The cookie pieces cool reddish pink, the frosting is pink and then there are rainbow sprinkles.  Digging in, the mix-ins dominate the flavor.  The cookie pieces are a combination of chewy and crunchy.  The pink frosting sections are sweet, but not overly so.  They reminded me of the frosting sections in the Sweet Science version of this flavor.  They are more creamy that sugary.  Then the sprinkles provide the occasional crunch but mostly supply the color.  As I continue to eat my way down, there are still a lot of cookie pieces in the middle and the bottom of the pint.  Sometimes Bebe Zito sprinkles most of the mix-ins across the top as a garnish but not here.  This is chunky all the way down to the end.  It's quite good.

This is a fun version of a frosted animal cookie flavor from Bebe Zito.  Comparing it to the Sweet Science Animal Circus flavor, both have a mild base with a dough-like flavor and both have creamy but not too sweet frosting sections.  The key difference is that Sweet Science is a smooth pint while Bebe Zito is loaded with cookie pieces.  For that reason, I like the Bebe Zito pint a bit better, though both are good.  If frosted animal crackers are your thing, give this flavor a try.

 

 

Sweet Science - Pumpkin Pepita Brittle

Pumpkin Pepita Brittle - Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream with Pumpkin Seed Brittle

 

Today's flavor is a new fall flavor from the Saint Paul-based Sweet Science Ice Cream.  I bought it at the scoop shop inside the Keg & Case Market in Saint Paul.  This flavor is called Pumpkin Pepita Brittle (instagram link here).  Pepita is spanish for 'little seed' and usually refers to pumpkin seeds.  So, it's a pumpkin ice cream with a brittle made with pumpkin seeds.  Sweet Science has had pumpkin-based flavors before.  I tried a Pumpkin Cheesecake a few years ago which itself contained a Pumpkin Five-Spice flavor which I have not tried by itself.  We all want pumpkin flavors in the fall and I like the idea of trying to find new ways to deliver it.  Let's check it out.

Removing the lid, I see the brittle right away.  I think I even see a pumpkin seed or two in the brittle.  The pumpkin base behind is a light orange color.  Digging in, the brittle is delicious.  The side of the pint says that it is made with pumpkin seeds, brown butter, brown sugar and honey.  I really like it.  I can definitely taste the brown butter and the brown sugar and the pumpkin seeds is what provides the crunch.  The pumpkin base behind is perhaps a little milder than what I have had from them before.  I can still taste the spices, but it's more of a pumpkin-pie level spice than a full five-spice flavor.  The base is playing a different role here than it did in the Pumpkin Cheesecake linked above.  There the base provided most of the flavor which was balanced by the cheesecake.  Here, the brittle is the star of the pint and the pumpkin base is holding it all together.  There certainly is quite a bit of brittle here!

I really liked this pumpkin and brittle themed pint from Sweet Science.  This is another example where I feel like I'm getting my money's worth by getting more mix-ins than I expect.  I have had one similar pint before, Milkjam's Pecans in Molasses Pumpkin (PIMP) from a couple of years ago.  Both use pumpkin as a base for crunchy mix-ins.  There the mix-ins were molasses-based pecan brittle and here the mix-ins is a brown-sugar-based pumpkin seed brittle.  I think I think Sweet Science pint better, but it could be that I have had it more recently, ha, ha.  For a fun twist on a pumpkin flavor, check out Pumpkin Pepita Brittle.

Bebe Zito - Dad's Coffee

Dad's Coffee - Coffee Ice Cream with Bourbon and Chocolate Chips

 

Today's flavor comes from the Bebe Zito scoop shop on 22nd and Lyndale in South Minneapolis.  This one is called Dad's Coffee and it is a coffee ice cream with bourbon and chocolate chips.  It looks like a coffee chocolate chip flavor with the addition of bourbon being a bit of a twist.  Let's see how this turns out.

Removing the lid, I see a lot of chocolate chips right away sprinkled on top.  Bebe Zito likes to add extra mix-ins across the top for you to see right when you open the pint.  These looks like miniature chips that you can buy in the store.  Digging in, coffee base is delicious.  It is creamy and has a good coffee flavor which is not too strong and not too bitter.  Underneath, I can taste a touch of bourbon.  I taste it mostly in 'finish' meaning that it changes the aftertaste a little.  It's a nice effect which I like.  I do notice that there are not many chocolate chips underneath.  It seems like the chocolate is mainly just a garnish for the top of the pint.

This is a well-done implementation of a coffee ice cream which has a twist of bourbon.  Neither the coffee nor the bourbon is very strong, but together they make a pleasant blend.  This is a simpler flavor than the description implies in that the chocolate chips are rare -- they act almost like a topping here.  That's fine, but just to let you know what to expect.  Expect mostly base ice cream here.

Sebastian Joe's - Chocolate Cinnamon Pretzel

 

Chocolate Cinnamon Pretzel - Cinnamon Chocolate Ice Cream with Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Pieces

Today's flavor comes from the Sebastian Joe's scoop shop in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis.  This flavor is called Chocolate Cinnamon Pretzel.  The flavor is self explanatory.  It is a relatively unique combination of flavors.  There are lots of chocolate-cinnamon flavors (sometimes called Mexican Chocolate) and lots of chocolate pretzel flavors, but I believe this is the first pint I have had which contains all three.

Removing the lid, I see the cinnamon chocolate base has a deep brown color.  I can see at least one of the pretzel mix-ins as well.  Digging in, the chocolate flavor is quite good and I notice the notes of cinnamon in the mix right away.  The mix is good.  It is more of a sweet cinnamon than a hot cinnamon.  Scattered throughout the pint are little chocolate coated pretzel balls.  There is not a whole lot of them, but they provide quite a bit of crunch when you do encounter one in your spoonful.

This is a fun flavor from Sebastian Joe's.  It's basically a Mexican chocolate implementation with pretzel balls mixed in.  The pretzel balls played more of a supporting role in this ensemble.  If you like a non-hot cinnamon-chocolate blend and you see this in the scooping bin, then give it a try.  The pretzels are a bonus.

Sweet Science - Raspberry Cheesecake

Raspberry Cheesecake - Cream Cheese Ice Cream with Raspberry Sauce and Graham Cracker Clusters

 

Saint Paul's Sweet Science has been releasing new flavors every week or two for most of the fall.  Their latest flavor is called Raspberry Cheesecake (instagram link here).  It's a cream cheese ice cream with a swirl of raspberry sauce and graham cracker clusters as a mix-in.  I bought this at the scoop shop in the Keg & Case Market in the West 7th Neighborhood of Saint Paul.  Checking my archives, this is surprisingly my first raspberry cheesecake flavor.  I know Talenti has a Raspberry Cheesecake flavor, but I have not had it yet.  Most of the reason for me writing this blog is to keep track of what I have already eaten.  I will have to remedy that Talenti omission soon.  I have had a few other berry cheesecakes, though.  I have had three strawberry cheesecakes (Ben & Jerry's, Coolhaus, Graeter's), one blueberry (Izzy's) and one Marionberry (Tillamook).  Let's see how raspberry works out!

Taking off the lid, there is a lot to see on the top.  I see quite a few graham cracker clusters right away as well as quite a bit of the raspberry sauce.  Digging in, the raspberry swirl is delicious.  It's very flavorful and a good balance of sweet and tart.  The cream cheese base does a very good job of balancing the flavor of the raspberry.  It does not have a very strong flavor by itself -- no cream cheese aftertaste.  I can just tell that it is not vanilla.  The graham cracker clusters are amazing!  There are a lot of them, some large, some small.  It's amazing how a variable size can make a mix-in more memorable because I am never quite sure how much I'm going to get in each spoonful.

This is a top-flight berry cheesecake flavor from Sweet Science.  I feel like I'm really getting my money's worth when I have a pint like this.  The raspberry and the cream cheese were both quite good, but my favorite part of the pint was these graham cracker clusters.  Yum.

 

OddFellows - Budget Breakfast

 

Budget Breakfast - Honey Ice Cream with Chunks of Homemade Honey Bun Cake and Coffee Soil

Today is the last of the six "Bodega Capsule" flavors which I ordered from OddFellows Ice Cream in Brooklyn.  See the first review in the series for more on this shipment.  A note to local readers that this flavor is not available in Twin Cities grocery stores.  The flavor is called Budget Breakfast and it is a honey ice cream with honeybun cake and coffee soil.  I did not immediately recognize what a 'honey bun', but once I found the wikipedia page I knew that I had seen it many times before.  It's those pre-packaged cinnamon buns that are sold in convenience stores (and bodegas) everywhere.  Hostess even makes a version of these, so the last review from this shipment was a cupcake flavor and today's review is a honeybun flavor.  Let's check it out!

Removing the lid, I see a lot of the 'coffee soil' right away.  I was not sure what that term was supposed to mean, but one look at the top of the pint and I got it.  It almost looks like someone spilled coffee grounds on top -- and spilled a little bit of coffee on there too.  I'm not sure if it actually is the grounds, but it's probably coffee flavored powder of some kind.  Digging in, I do taste this coffee right away and then the honeybun pieces.  It's like it turns the honeybun cake into coffee cake.  The honey ice cream beneath these mix-ins is quite good.  I like honey ice cream.  It has a very nice agreeable sweetness to it.  It works well with the mix-ins here too.

I enjoyed this pint from OddFellows.  Honey, honeybuns and coffee make a delicious combination.  This wraps up this Bodega Capsule shipment.  Overall, I liked the shipment.  With the bodega theme and Desus & Mero promoting it, I expected these to be very bold and over-the-top flavors but the implementations turned out to be very nuanced and almost understated in a couple of instances.  I will always remember this collection as containing my first meat-containing flavor in baconeggncheese, but my favorite flavor was actually Chico Stix -- peanut butter and coconut go well together.  The shipping was a bit expensive going all the way to Minnesota, but if you're closer to New York, this brand is worth checking out.