Fresh Market Sweet & Spiced Gingerbread Gelato

[By Nick] I've been meaning to check out The Fresh Market that opened up a little under an hour away from for a while now. I've just haven't been out that way or had a real reason to take the trip. Well last week not only was I in the area, but they were also having a 2 for $7 deal on Talenti so you know I had to stop in.

Let's just say that I wasn't prepared for what I saw when I made it to the freezer section. While I expected to see brands like Jeni's and Steve's, I wasn't expecting to find pints of Three Twins or quarts of Gifford's. However, it was their house brand of gelato that really caught my eye. With flavors such as Biscotti with Italian Figs, I knew I had to grab one of them to try out.

Fresh Market Sweet & Spiced Gingerbread Gelato

A custom blend of bits of gingerbread cookies and spices

This was a difficult choice but when I saw their limited edition Sweet & Spiced Gingerbread gelato, there was no hesitation in putting it in my basket. Gingerbread cookies are one of my favorites and it's not often you're able to find them in a frozen dessert. And I mean come on, just look at that packaging. I believe this is the first frozen treat I’ve encountered to sport multi-colored polka dots. They even go as far as to note that no gingerbread men were hurt in the making of this gelato. A little gem of marketing there but I prefer my gingerbread men severely maimed.

I’m surprised that a high-end company like The Fresh Market doesn’t include any type of protective seal with their products. I now that’s not a big deal to a lot of people but it’s something to note. Removing the lid reveals what looks to me as gingerbread cookie dough. I don’t see any of the promised cookies but top layers can always be deceiving. There’s definitely a strong smell of gingerbread which is a good sign.

This is one of the fastest melting desserts I have encountered. It didn’t even temper for 5 minutes before I saw signs of melting. Thankfully it retains an authentic gelato texture. It’s kind of ridiculous just how fast it got from rock hard to velvety smooth. This is gelato for those who are impatient *cough* Dubba *cough*

The base has a strong presence of ginger with underlying tones of molasses. There is a slight spiciness from the ginger but it is kept under control from the creaminess of the gelato. Honestly, the flavor is more along the lines of a gingersnap rather than a gingerbread cookie. Speaking of which, you probably want to know how those are, right? Well, I really can’t comment on them. You see that little bit in the photo? Yeah, that’s basically the extent of the amount of cookies in my pint. Sadly, I’m not exaggerating either. There might have been a couple of other bits involved but not enough to make any sort of impact. No wonder no gingerbread men were hurt, there isn’t enough cookies in here to make a pebble. I really have nothing else to say as you can tell I’m very disappointed by the lack of cookies in this pint. Moral of the story, don’t promise me cookies and not come through.

How a proper gingerbread cookie sundae should look

While I enjoyed the taste of this flavor and it is quite novel and unique, the price point is way off. At $4.99 a pint, I could’ve bought two more pints of Talenti for $2 more with the sale they had going on. This flavor had such potential and in the right hands I could see it being exceptional. The Fresh Market just didn’t do this one justice with its skimping on the gingerbread cookies. I’m hesitant to try out the other flavors now to be honest. I’ll either wait for a sale or hope one of you guys can give me a solid recommendation.

Verdict?  Tastes like a gingersnap but where are my cookies?
Buy Again?  Nope