Top Ten New Reviews of 2017

Hey everyone! We've already covered that sugar replacement is hottest topic on the blog (despite not actually reviewing it), and we've covered what's least trendy on the blog. Now, FINALLY, we'll cover the top ten new reviews of 2017. Are you ready?

Magnum White Chocolate Vanilla Ice Cream Pint

[New for 2018] Magnum Ice Cream pints have come to America! Other parts of the world have seen these "tubs" before in three flavors: classic, almond, and white. Ofcourse we have to be different so there are four flavors coming to the U.S. for 2018. A few grocery stores have put them out a little early. I had to choose between dark chocolate raspberry, milk chocolate vanilla, milk chocolate hazelnut, and....

Magnum White Chocolate Vanilla Ice Cream

vanilla ice cream and white chocolate shards
in a cracking white chocolate shell

Talenti adding low calorie flavors in 2018

[New for 2018] Well well well, color me (not really) surprised. Unilever has jumped on the low cal (via sugar replacement) bandwagon. It's kind of funny because I feel like Unilever tries to pretend that they don't meddle with Talenti, but then something like this comes out. For all of our friends who prefer low cal stuff, I present to you....

Talenti's 120 calories per serving Gelato

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Pie

I'm pretty sure that a lot of you have heard me profess my love for ice cream cake. It's a magical thing from the random varieties  to your standard version filled with a layer of chocolate crunchies. I don't cover these types of treats a lot (because I rarely see a "new" one around), but it seems these things are always called cakes, not pies. The only "pie" I've reviewed was the cookie dough one my wife brought home from Cold Stone way back in 2011.

Well this was a present from my in-laws yesterday. It's a Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie from New City Microcreamery in Hudson, MA. It's Pumpkin Pie ice cream, whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and something they call a "cone-cookie crust". I didn't have the description when I first dug in, so I couldn't quite place the flavor of the crust at first, but once I was told it had to do with waffle cones then it all made sense. It's unique though I wish that they mixed more little bits with all the big bits to make a crust that was a bit more traditional.

Did I mention that NCMC uses liquid nitrogen in their ice cream making process? I should stop by and see it for myself because I dont know if you are allowed to eat it freshly frozen or if you have to wait until after it spends two hours in the freezer. I bring this up because I had no idea how long to let the pie (and then the slices) temper. The softer the slice got, the more the pumpkin spices came alive. With less tempering, the ice cream was quite dense and also not as flavorful.

They also had an eggnog version (no thanks), a pecan version (not safe to bring home), and an apple version that had some kind of crumb top. Which one would you have brought home? Or for a more general question, have you had ice cream made with liquid nitrogen?

P.S. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas yesterday.

Least Viewed Reviews of 2017

I like doing the top ten most viewed reviews list every year because it's both interesting and easy to compile. Doing the top ten least viewed reviews requires a bit more effort, but I did sit down and manage to get a list out of google analytics, but I'm not sure a direct list is the best way to describe what I am seeing, so let's do things a little differently.

The first big surprise was finding all of my Perry's reviews in the bottom 25% of the 2017 reviews and taking up 3 of the 10 bottom spots. On one hand, this seems unfair because they make fun flavors. On the other hand, they are just a small company out of Buffalo and so their appeal to most of you is very limited.

Not surprising is finding all but one of my local Cumberland Farms reviews in the bottom 20 reviews. Again, we are struck by limited interest because of limited exposure. Thankfully for them, their flavors and packaging make for catchy instagram photos. (if you are curious, it was the Toasty S'mores review that did best)

The next big surprise is finding my Baskin-Robbins reviews near the bottom of the list. Not a single review breaks in to the top half of reviews and the worst one clocks at #10 on the least viewed list. It figures that the one involving Reese's was the most viewed of the bunch. I know this is a freezer aisle blog but ouch...  apparently I should stick to DQ reviews which do way better.

The last surprise was how badly my fast food shake reviews do. The Hardee's Milkshake review clocks in as the worst review of the year. Maybe there's just too much online competition for things like the BK cereal shakes and such? The Arby's Cookie Butter Shake, while disappointing, made the best showing yet still didn't break in to the top 50 reviews.

The rest of the list is basically just low end or limited availability stuff, but at this point, I think you get the idea of what the stats say. I also don't want to dig too deep and bore everyone. Now, ofcourse stats aren't everything. Just because my review hasn't been seen a ton doesn't mean the product isn't popular, this is all about recapping my reviews that were actually opened in someone's web browser. We might need to factor in frequency as well. Maybe if I had done 6-8 Baskin-Robbins reviews instead of 4, maybe Google would rank my reviews higher and I would get more traffic for them overall. For example, I do lots of B&J's reviews so I get lots of B&J's traffic.

Ok, your turn to chime in. Do you find this list amusing? Do you think something is missing from it? I just had the crazy idea to re-examine this list from a flavor perspective but that will have to wait until another night. Leave your thoughts in the comments and have a nice weekend!

Are you afraid of 2018?

Geez, could I make that headline sound any more like clickbait? Thing is, I do have something to discuss. I usually do a preliminary check on what the top ten new reviews of the year will be sometime in early December. Things don't change much at the end of the year so it gives me a sense of where we have been and where we are going. For the past 9 years, the top ten has effectively been "what has Ben & Jerry's been up to?"

Well, not this year. The #1 post of the year is my end of 2016 review of enlightened ice cream with a healthy 30% margin over it's nearest competitor, my mid summer post about Breyers going after Halo Top. That post has a 60% margin over what will be my number one new review of 2017. In other words, "healthy" ice cream is the most popular topic on a blog that has spent almost a decade enjoying premium and super premium ice cream. It also means that the most popular topic is something I can't eat because it doesn't make me feel well. This is not good.

Am I saying I'm giving up? No, that's not it. The blog still had a respectable half a million pageviews so that's reason enough to press on, but I have been using this downtime to think about how to handle 2018. Well, that and a boatload of work to do in the real world that will keep me busy for at least another month. In 2018 I want to try harder to adapt to our modern world but I don't want to be here just to add noise in the background, I want to continue to be a reliable (and relevant) place to get freezer aisle ice cream info to you, my fellow ice cream enthusiast.

Alright, time for some reading and then off to bed. Top ten will be up next week.

Hostess Ding Dong Frozen Sandwiches

[New for 2017] I realized that I forgot to actually try any of the treat versions of the new Hostess ice creams this year... ofcourse, the ice creams say "Limited Edition" but the treats do not.

Hostess Ding Dongs (Frozen Sandwiches)

vanilla frozen dairy dessert sandwiches with chocolatey coating

Revelé Whipped Gelato

[seems to be discontinued, website & social media offline - 12/2020]

About two months ago, I came across a fascinating product. Fascinating because it was a new low calorie frozen treat that wasn't relying on Erythritol or any other sugar replacement. Instead, it was whipping in more air to reach that magical double digit calorie mark. I thought "great! I need to try this stuff" before quickly realizing that they are based in Orange County, CA. As luck would have it, they contacted me through instagram and offered to send free samples. How could I say no?

Revelé Whipped Gelato

Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Party Ice Cream

It's now the end of 2017 and I've still seen very few new containers from Blue Bunny, so let's pick up something from 2016. At one point, someone left a comment that this one is a failed imitation of Blue Bunny's earlier "Peanut Butter Panic" which had the same basic components.

Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Party Ice Cream

Peanut butter ice cream, fudge and peanut butter swirls, and peanut butter cups

Price Chopper Double Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream

Time for a super quick review of something that's been hanging out in the freezer for the last couple of weeks. I tend to buy the same things when my daughter asks for something fruity or chocolatey but on occasion I will make a random purchase like the one below. "Central Market Classics" is no longer the name of the inhouse brand for Price Chopper. A lot of the current stuff is frozen dairy dessert, but there are some actual ice creams mixed in like...

Price Chopper Double Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream

chocolate ice cream with brownie pieces & fudge swirl

High Road Caramel Pecan Ice Cream

[Reader Note: High Road has checked in with us and has offered to send a fresh pint to Nick so that he can verify if he got an off pint or not.]

[By Nick] Has it already been 6 months since my last review? Time really does fly. Between my son and the doughnut shop, time to formally write a review seems to slip away. That and I’m honestly pretty lazy. But hey, I’m here now and ready to try a brand that’s new to the site but not new to us. High Road has been on our radars for years. They’re a brand that touts themselves as a culinary inclined business as you can probably tell by their “made by chefs” tagline. Not to rain on anyone’s parades but most ice cream companies do rely on chefs to help curate their flavors. We haven’t been able to find them in our stores up North. Well up until recently when I stumbled upon a few of their flavors at my local Shop Rite.

High Road Caramel Pecan Ice Cream

Praline Pecans in a Rich Brown Butter Caramel Ice Cream

A La Mode Ice Cream Bars : Part 2

[New for 2017] After I had a bit of an issue with my local grocery store providing me with a decent box of a la mode ice cream bars, a la mode stepped in with replacement samples of their tasty speed bump bar as well as free samples of the rest of their 2017 lineup. They put out four new ice cream bars in all this year, the two we already covered and...

A La Mode Wired Ice Cream Bars

coffee ice cream with chocolate chips
A La Mode Vanilla Bar Ice Cream Bars
classic vanilla ice cream dipped in a deep chocolate coating

Packaging / Branding Alert

Have you ever seen a Giant / Stop&Shop in house flavor and wished you could find it, only to remember that you only live near a Food Lion / Hannaford? Well, fret no more! In the summer of 2016, the owners of all those grocery store chains came together in a big merger and the effects of that are finally popping up in my local Hannaford (Food Lion).

So here's an example from Giant (Stop & Shop)

And here's one from Hannaford (Food Lion).

Notice that it looks like a 2017 Giant flavor but no longer has the 3 leaf logo on it. That now generic look means it can now be plopped down on any freezer shelf. So far I've only reviewed the newer Salted Caramel Toffee flavor and the older Toasted Marshmallow flavor, but with distribution reaching so many people now, I will try to pick up more of their flavors going forward.

Side note: The current limited flavor is often also offered as an ice cream sandwich!

Cool Haus Dirty Mint Chip Ice Cream

Wow, I've really fallen off the blog horse haven't I? My tentative goal right now is to make sure the freezer is flushed out and ready for 2018 by the time 2018 rolls around. There are still a few free samples floating about my stash including....

Cool Haus Dirty Mint Chip Ice Cream

fresh mint leaf ice cream, brown sugar, dark chocolate chips

A La Mode Ice Cream Bars

Dear Reader, shortly after posting this review, a la mode contacted me to let me know that at some point something terrible had befallen the box of speed bump bars shown in this review. They immediately sent over fresh samples of all of their new 2017 products and I have to say, the fresh Speed Bump bar was delicious. I am now thoroughly convinced that my local Shaws let my bars completely melt and then were refrozen. For proof, just look at the last picture and notice that all the mix-ins sank in the bar rather than being spread out like the fresh bar I just ate. For the sake of honesty, I am leaving up the original review, but rather than use it as a knock against a la mode, please use it as a reminder that there is no guarantee that the product you buy has had an easy life. Kudos to a la mode for standing behind their product!

[New for 2017] Who's ready for another nut-free, egg-free, sesame-free treat? I was originally going to break this review in two but let's keep these new bars together.

A La Mode Speed Bump Ice Cream Bars

deep chocolate with marshmallows, white and dark chocolate chips

A La Mode Partly Cloudy Ice Cream Bars

blue cotton candy ice cream with mini marshmallows

Ben & Jerry's Marshmallow Moon Ice Cream

[New for Nov 1st] Late Wednesday night, November 1st, Jimmy Fallon announced his latest collaboration with Ben & Jerry's. This "Special Stash" (aka micro batch) is only available online and in scoop shops. In other words, I just shelled out $6.50 to bring you a review of....

Ben & Jerry's Marshmallow Moon Ice Cream - Special Stash

vanilla ice cream with marshmallow & graham cracker swirls & fudge chunks

Happy Halloween Everyone!

I hope everyone had a good Halloween, though I realize it's late and many of you probably just did the Halloween party thing over the weekend. That's where these cookies came from. It's a fairly standard sugar cookie recipe with food coloring and chocolate chips for fun. At least everyone got a kick of out them, especially the kids.

Ok, back on Thursday with a new post. Note that Dairy Queen announced the new Hot Cocoa Blizzard which is just really sad on their part because it's just a chocolate Oreo blizzard. What's the point of even reviewing it? They couldn't be bothered to add a marshmallow factor or maybe even Hot Cocoa Oreos? Uggg. DQ also brought back the Candy Cane Chill Blizzard (reviewed here). I think DQ needs someone new on the flavor team and I'm open to relocating if that's what it takes to join. Give us something! How about a Candy Cane Brownie blizzard? Candy Cane Bark blizzard? Everyone else is stepping up their game, they should too!

Alrightly, keep commenting on my last post and dig in to that Halloween candy! I'll also continue to dig in to this bag of Reese's Dipped Pretzels that I have at work. If you've had Utz Butterfinger Pretzels then these are similar in flavor. I love Reese's and pretzels so this was easy to enjoy.

The floor is open for comment....

I swear I was going to write the A La Mode ice cream bar review today. I even have the pictures taken (but not cropped). But I have failed once again, so I'll ask a question. What do you want me to cover until the 2018 season kicks in? I know I usually get a couple of calls for some head to head matches or some specific flavor rankings, but please keep in mind that I have both a monetary and caloric budget to factor in. I also can't review anything with erythritol so I know that knocks out most of the so called "healthy" stuff. What else is out there?

Note (if you really want to know where the day went): I got to hollow out a pumpkin that my wife and son carved while my daughter painted the other pumpkin. I actually tried roasting pumpkin seeds and making pumpkin butter (both went ok). Super Mario Odyssey is pretty awesome. My son is really digging the co-op mode. We watched Spider-man: Homecoming. We had a full day.

Have a good week everyone.

How do you feel about salt on cookies?

Today, one of my vendors was nice enough to bring in several cookies for me and my coworkers. Since technically he was there to see me, it seemed only appropriate that I claim dibs on the biggest cookie in the Panera box. This is the kitchen sink cookie.

It's pretty obvious that this no mere cookie but checking out the Panera website reveals it to be a mighty 800 calories. That's a hearty lunch right there my friends, but in it's defense, the website points out that it's "big enough to share". The cookie contains semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel pieces, pretzels, and flake salt.

Wait, flake salt? You mean those aren't giant sugar bits on top?! Curse your trendiness Panera! I get the whole salty and sweet thing, but not like this and not on my cookies! Salt crystals this big are basically mini salt licks. I picked off what I could but the salt factor was still very prevalent.

Did I resist (finishing) the 800 calorie cookie? Yes I did, but I think it's more about salt than self control in this instance. It wasn't exactly filling and I could have easily inhaled a non-salted version. I'll probably eat the other half tomorrow morning, but I'll be honest, the salt factor really does make me question if that many calories is worth it. There's just no need for that much salt.

Has anyone else had this tasty yet salty cookie? Have I scared anyone off?

Breyers Butterscotch Blondie Frozen Dairy Dessert

[New for 2017] Wow, just wow. This frozen dairy dessert (not ice cream!) is possibly the worst thing I've tried all year. A flavor like this should never be combined with a texture like this.

Breyers Butterscotch Blondie Frozen Dairy Dessert

buttescotch flavor with other natural flavors and blondie pieces

Three Twins joins the Halo Top bandwagon

Look, this isn't the first trend we've seen ripple through the freezer aisle, but for whatever reason is does seem quicker than say the greek froyo trend. The latest to join the high protein, low cal, low fat frozen dessert trend are the folks behind Three Twins ice cream. Not too long ago, they were announcing a mainstream version of their organic ice cream and now we have...

Slim Twin by Three Twins Ice Cream

There will be seven flavors to start: vanilla, chocolate, coffee, mint chip, cookies & cream, lemon cookie, and cardamom. Each pint packs 24 grams of protein. They seemed inspired by the regular three twins lineup and that should be a good thing.

The slim twin webpage doesn't have nutrition info posted yet, but the PR person told me that it's "cane sugar, monk fruit, and small amounts of erythritol". I had hoped for something without erythritol but I guess I am out of luck.

At the moment it looks like it's going to start off as a west coast thing, but I felt it was important for everyone to see just how quickly things can change. To put that in question form: who do you think will jump on the bandwagon next? could we see weight watchers or healthy choice take the plunge? Haagen-Daz? Turkey Hill? Take a guess and leave it in the comments.

Parting thoughts: 1) I'm trying to get Nick to actually review a pint of Breyers Delights.
2) I apologize that my posting is still inconsistent since I was sick. I guess I'm using the slowness of the freezer aisle as an excuse to take better care of myself. In the past, I would force myself to post no matter what but recently I'm letting my self slide with a movie or early bedtime. Gotta recharge before ice cream 2018 starts. New review will be up on Monday.


UPDATE: I forgot to go back and check ingredients. So much for "small amounts of erythritol".

Slim Twin Vanilla = organic nonfat milk, organic egg yolk, organic milk protein concentrate, organic erythritol, organic soluble tapioca fiber, organic cream, organic vanilla extract, organic cane sugar, organic locust bean gum, organic monk fruit extract.

Granted I don't know the flavor to quantity ratio, but that order of ingredients does not match how it was described. That really annoys me since they were annoyed when I pointed out the erythritol... yet here we are and what's the fourth ingredient? erythritol.

Edy's Slow Churned Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

[New for Fall 2017] As I was walking the freezer aisle the other day I realized that I need to kind of step back a bit and do a little bit better job of rounding out the frozen reviews here on the blog. To be less vague, what I mean is I picked up a container of Breyers and a container of...

Edy's Slow Churned Pumpkin Pie Light Ice Cream

pumpkin light ice cream with a graham cracker swirl

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bites and the end of The Nosh Show

It's a sad day in the world of podcasting. Ok, most of the planet won't notice, but I certainly will. It's going to be weird not talking to my Nosh Show cohorts every other Wednesday. It's been 4.5 years since the first episode and I've grown accustomed to being able to share my love of food in this unique way. Without the show, where is my excuse to try things like new Oreos and...

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bites

soft donut bites with a sweet cinnamon filling

Ben & Jerry's One Sweet World Ice Cream

[New for Fall 2017] Alrighty, time to take one for Team Dubba. No, wait, I'm Dubba. Time to take one for Team Second Scoop! Meh, still doesn't sound right, but whatever. Everyone remembers I don't like coffee ice cream right? Ok, good, because I'm about to step out of my comfort zone and in to the scoop zone with the new limited edition....

Ben & Jerry's One Sweet World Ice Cream

coffee caramel ice cream with fudge chunks
& swirls of marshmallow & salted caramel

Perry's Let's Dough Buffalo! Ice Cream

[New for October 9th, 2017] Did you see Perry's teasing their latest flavor on social media these last few days? Perry's loves to team up with their local sports teams and they've decided to replace their old Buffalo Sabres collaboration, Top Shelf Sundae, with the new...

Perry's Let's Dough Buffalo! Ice Cream

cookie dough ice cream with crushed cookie swirls & cookie dough pieces

Burger King Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shake

[Limited starting Oct 2017] We knew this day was coming right? BK is having way too much fun not to throw another silly cereal flavored shake our way. The best part is that these shakes seem to be available as soon as I hear about them. So, let's head out and grab...

Burger King Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shake

vanilla-flavored soft serve, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, and sweet sauce

Baskin Robbins Candy Bar Mashup Ice Cream

[New for Oct 2017] Ok, I'm a little hurt. I've been gone for almost a week and I'm not sure anyone really noticed. It's ok and I do understand. I'm sure there were still plenty of ice cream pictures in your instagram feed while I was sick. It's the quiet time of year anyway. All we really have to keep us going until 2018 is monthly specials from whoever will serve them up.

Baskin Robbins Candy Bar Mashup Ice Cream

a mashup of SNICKERS, MILKY WAY and TWIX bar pieces
in chocolate ice cream, swirled with a caramel ribbon

Arby's Cookie Butter Shake

[New for Sept 2017] Dear Arby's, I'm going to keep this simple. Cookie butter is a very distinct flavor that is meant to be sweet and wonderful. Gingerbread flavor is not cookie butter flavor!

Arby's Cookie Butter Shake

"Indulgently sweet with cinnamon spice"

Marvel Defenders and The Nerd Lunch Episode 285

Bad news: new ice cream is still very hard to come by. Good news: I got the late call to come be part of the latest Nerd Lunch discussion. While I do love ice cream, it is nice to talk about other things too. In this particular episode, we talk about every season of the Netflix Marvel Defenders universe. As you might expect, there will be several spoilers on the show.

Alright, back on Thursday with a review of a fairly new treat, and then next week there will be a brandy new flavor on the blog, but I can't tell you what it is, 'cuz it's a secret!

Perry's Candy Bar Ice Cream

[New for 2017] When Perry's announced several new flavors in the spring, you might remember that they also sent over free samples and there is one in particular that I never reviewed. Well, I dug it out from it's hiding place, took it to work, and dug into the delightfully flavored....

Perry's Candy Bar Ice Cream

nougat ice cream with salty caramel swirls, peanuts, and fudge chunks

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Ginger Mini Ice Cream Cones

[New for Sept 2017] Did you know that Trader Joe's changed their "Hold the Cone" production company this summer? Instead of a 5.9oz 8-pack box coming from Germany, they are now a 7.9oz 8-pack coming from California. I didn't know until 30 seconds ago. I never got around to trying the old version, but when I saw these pop up on TIB today, I knew I should go shopping.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Ginger Mini Ice Cream Cones

8 mini gingery cones filled with pumpkin ice cream
and white confectionery coating

Blue Bunny Chocolate Chip Cookie Bunny Snacks

["New" for 2017] I'll keep this quick because it's basically the same treat we know and enjoy, just without the stick. That's right, rather than have two novelties with sticks and two without, they yanked the stick out of their funwich and made it part of the "Bunny Snacks" line up.

Blue Bunny Chocolate Chip Cookie Bunny Snacks

chocolate chip cookie with vanilla reduced fat ice cream
dipped in chocolate flavored coating and chocolate chip cookie crunch

M&M's & The Nosh Show Episode 112

Hello Nosh Show Listeners! Episode 112 is live and ready for noshing, I mean listening.

The M&M we cover during the show is the White Pumpkin Pie M&M and it's a pretty good representation of pumpkin pie. My personal preference tells me it's a little heavy on the spice, but I give them a kudos for getting the flavor so close. I would definitely pick these up if you are interested (or if you were disappointed in last years version with milk chocolate).

I actually brought Cookies & Screeem M&M's as my back up snack for Nosh it Now. To keep it simple, I don't really like these, there's just something off about them. That said, they are still surprisingly easy to devour. I think my trouble is that they have that weird fake cookies & cream vibe to them, but it's still an M&M, so you keep going anyway.

Last up is the cheese pizza Cheez-its I try during Nosh it Now. I don't love them but don't hate them either. I had some more over the weekend and they aren't bad bad but I don't see repurchasing them. Ryan brought the nacho variety to NiN so they're plenty of Cheez-it recap at the end of the show. Alright, have a good week everyone.

DQ Best Chocolate Cake Blizzard

[Sept 2017] The new September 2017 blizzard of the month is here along side the returning pumpkin blizzard and now it's time to dig in.

Dairy Queen Best Chocolate Cake Blizzard

with chocolate cake pieces, fudge frosting and choco chunks

Blue Bell announces new flavor Pink Camo 'n Cream!

Camo ’n Cream is back, and the flavor is bringing a friend – Pink Camo ’n Cream

BRENHAM, Texas, September 7, 2017 - The newest flavor from Blue Bell Ice Cream is guaranteed to stand out in the ice cream aisle, despite its camouflage pattern. That’s right, the 110-year-old ice cream company is introducing a sidekick to last year’s popular Camo ’n Cream Ice Cream with its new Pink Camo ’n Cream Ice Cream.

Pink Camo ’n Cream is a tasty combination of Strawberry Ice Cream, Milk Chocolate Ice Cream and a cream cheese ice cream swirled together in a camouflage pattern.

“Our Camo ’n Cream was inspired by the camouflage design you see on just about everything,” said Carl Breed, executive director of marketing for Blue Bell. “The flavor sold very well and we knew we were onto something. Pink camouflage is popular too, so we thought why not create an ice cream in this color pattern? We swapped the Pistachio Almond Ice Cream for Strawberry Ice Cream and Pink Camo ’n Cream was created.”

The flavor that started it all, Camo ’n Cream Ice Cream, is a combination of Pistachio Almond, Milk Chocolate and cream cheese ice creams. Some consumers have been intrigued by the cream cheese ice cream.  By itself, it is sweet and many times served with strawberries or other fruits to enhance its flavor. And, it complements other ice creams like Strawberry, Milk Chocolate and Pistachio Almond.

Pink Camo ’n Cream and Camo ’n Cream are both available in limited quantities in the half gallon and pint sizes. For more information about Blue Bell and for a list of flavors now available in stores visit www.bluebell.com.

Dubba note: I'm posting news in the main feed now but reviews will always take precedence.

Gelato Fiasco first to tease 2018 flavor line up

The process from flavor creation to being on a freezer aisle shelf is a long ordeal, and in the past, I've joked about who will be first to release news about their next year's line up. Well, for 2018, Gelato Fiasco gets the early announcement prize as they teased six potential flavors on Instagram on Thursday night. (I took notes ofcourse!)

Sunken Treasure: brown butter gelato, salty pretzel booty, fudge bits, swirl
Bourbon Butter Pecan: butter pecan gelato, nip of bourbon, buttered pecans
Deep Maine Woods: chocolate gelato, smoky caramel swirl, honeycomb candy
Double Caramel Cookies & Cream: caramel gelato, salted caramel swirl, chocolate cookies
Doughing Me, Doughing You: peanut butter cookie dough, chocolate chip dough, brownie dough (& fudge truffles)
A Big 'Ole Peanut Butter Pint: salted creamy peanut butter base, rippled peanut butter swirl, chopped chocolate peanut butter cups

Could there be other flavors? Maybe!  Am I excited? Ofcourse I am! If you are a fan of Gelato Fiasco, how would you rank this lineup? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

2018 Foot Note: All nutty flavors reviewed here

Baskin-Robbins Belgian Waffle Ice Cream

[Sept 2017] There's a flavor of the month with "Waffle" in the name? Just let me check the calendar, yup, it's clear now. To the lunchmobile!

Baskin-Robbins Belgian Waffle Ice Cream

Belgian waffle pieces, praline pecans and a caramel ribbon
in maple praline flavored ice cream

Hood Snickerdoodle Dandy Ice Cream

[Limited, new for 2017] Freezer aisle.... so slow.... must.... find.... new... products... ok, I guess this budget ice cream will do. Sure it's "limited", but I still find a container 6 months after the first time I saw it. Let's see if we can do a quick review.

Hood Snickerdoodle Dandy Ice Cream

artificially flavored vanilla light ice cream
with cinnamon swirl and snickerdoodle cookie pieces

Apple Pie Oreos & The Nosh Show Ep. 111

Hey Nosh Show Listeners! Episode 111 is live and ready to brighten up your long Labor Day weekend. One of the things we talk about is techniques for tracking down new products like the new Apple Pie Oreos. As you can see below, the discussion paid off.

Apple Pie Oreos

Gelati Da returns with new 4oz offerings

Do any of you remember Gelati Da? I tried it way back in 2009 and then Nick tried their product in 2012. One of the reasons that we haven't covered them further is because they took a break from the retail game, but they are back now with some crazy flavors to get your attention.

Nick (yes, that Nick) was talking with Gelati Da the other day and got the heads up about Gelati Da being back. I liked to try and rank their 12 current flavors from classic to crazy:

Cioccolata (Italian-style milk chocolate), Coffee Fudge Latte, Chocolate Mint Milano, Red Raspberry, Strawberry Balsamic, Limoncello (not tart!), Vanilla Marsala (a hint of real Marsala wine), Amaretto Chocolate (includes hazelnut & apricot),  Strawberry Lychee, Cherry Anise (so some licorice flavor), Cherry Jalapeno, and Mango Wasabi.

That list gets pretty crazy right? The first half is fine, but you have to give them props for going out on a limb with the second half. So what do you think of that line up? And what do you think about the 4oz serving size? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Salted Fudge Truffle Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

[New for 2017] Anybody ready for the 2018 ice cream season yet? I know I am. I wound buying this pint because (one) it was on sale and (two) I just wanted chocolate.

Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Salted Fudge Truffle
Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

"rich belgian chocolate with swirls of salted fudge and chunks of fudge truffles "

Islay's Ice Cream

[Returning for 2017] Before July, several companies contacted me about wanting to do posts around National Ice Cream Day. One PR firm was representing both Yuengling's and Isaly's. Since I've already covered both of the new Yuengling offerings, I asked if they might send over samples to celebrate the return of Isaly's ice cream. See, Isaly's was bought by Connor Foods in 2015 and as the story goes, an old ice cream recipe book was found amongst some memorabilia that was part of the sale. So, in 2017, they decided to bring back six classic Isaly's flavors.

Isaly's Maricopa Ice Cream
Isaly's Whitehouse Cherry Ice Cream

Have you tried San Bernardo Ice Cream?

I've got a few reviews in the pipe but first one more spotted on shelves type post. We were at a Price Rite in the city when we found San Bernardo Ice Cream.

San Bernardo Tropical Escapes Ice Cream

You can read the whole story here, but the idea is that they came to Florida long ago to bring tropical Cuban flavors to America. There were ebbs and flows in their history and then in 2014 they re-entered the retail market. They have several different product lines but it's the Tropical Escapes line up we found for a mere $1.99 a pint. I saw Loco 4 Coco (coconut), Pina Coolada (coconut & pineapple), Guanaban-ahhh (guanabana & soursop), Guava Have It (guava), Guava Have More (guava & cheese), and Mango Fiesta (mango). They also have Cactus Pearfection (red cactus pear) and Mamey Magic (mamey) in this line up.

So have you or would you try something from San Bernardo?

Have you tried any of the 2017 Blue Bell ice creams?

So, we're at the end of summer and I'm wondering, have any of you tried any of the new 2017 offerings from Blue Bell ice cream? There was Sweet & Salty Crunch in July, Bride Cake back in May, Ice Cream Cone in February, and now we've got Banana Split Sundae. Thoughts?

official press release after the break

Three Twins debuts Maxine's Ice Cream

Now it's been too long since we've had a Three Twins ice cream review on the blog, but that doesn't mean I don't keep my eye on them. Well, rather than trying to dive in to gelato or non-dairy or some fad market, they've taken their philosophy on super premium ice cream and applied it to their new mainstream lineup.

This is Maxine's ice cream and as you can tell, it's still organic. The big difference will be that it's lighter in texture which will make it more like a mainstream brand.

They are starting off with six flavors: vanilla, vanilla bean, chocolate, coffee, mint chip, and cookies & cream. That last one makes me happiest of course.

 I don't know when this will hit your area, but I'd love to do a head to head against all natural Turkey Hill at some point. TH has more flavors but Maxine's still has eggs and locust bean gum in the mix which will provide a different texture from TH.

There's more info here if you are curious.

Smash Mallow and the Nosh Show Ep 110

Hello Nosh Show Listeners! We are back with another three man episode as our bud Ryan does a bit of traveling. Have no fear though, we fill his spot with lots of tangents and side stories. Plus, our new segment has a name, it's "Nosh it Now" and I chose to try Smash Mallow this week.

Cinnamon Churro Smash Mallow

Dairy Queen Royal Reese's Brownie Blizzard

I hate to say it, but I totally forgot that DQ had thrown a Royal Reese's blizzard up on the menu. Once I saw it, I started to vaguely remember, but on the way to DQ, I was just thinking I needed something chocolately.

Dairy Queen Royal Reese's Brownie Blizzard

Reese's peanut butter cups and chocolate brownies
blended with vanilla soft serve and filled with peanut butter topping

Haagen-Dazs Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge

[New for 2017] So how many of you know that Target is the exclusive distributor for the new Haagen-Dazs non-dairy lineup? There are four flavors in all: Coconut Caramel, Mocha Chocolate Cookie, Chocolate Salted Fudge Truffle (which I almost grabbed) and....

Non-Dairy Haagen-Dazs Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge 
peanut butter frozen dessert with chocolate swirls