a la mode COOKS ice cream

[New for 2017] About two months ago, I posted a shot of six a la mode ice cream flavors that had started popping up at my local Shaws supermarkets. I had never heard of them before because they are just a mere two years old, yet here they are with some fun looking pints and flavors. Every young company needs a hook, and theirs is making ice cream that is nut-free, egg-free and sesame-free. You may be thinking "plenty of ice cream is technically 'nut-free'" but that's not the same with so much cross contamination nowadays. A la mode is made in an actual nut-free facility. I believe the only other company doing this is Chapman's up in Canada. When Chapman's built a new facility, they converted their old facility into a nut free facility (which is awesome ofcourse). I was going to try a la mode later this year, but then I found new...

a la mode COOKS ice cream

combination of vanilla & chocolate cookies,
classic vanilla ice cream swirled with chocolate fudge

That's kind of unexpected, and also kind of intriguing.

First impression: I like it. If I had a nut allergy and was worried about main stream ice cream, this would be a solid choice for the freezer. It's got a nice texture, it's visually appealing, and I'm enjoying it.

If wanted to get nitty gritty, I want to say it needs a little bit more pop to it. I want there to be a little more... distinction when it hits my tastebuds. Also, I can't discern a huge difference between the two cookie styles, so adding a bit of brown sugar (and cinnamon?) to the base might really bring this one alive. Ok, technically my first thought was to add a little more salt to it, but I think brown sugar might work best.

It's not quite as dense as Ben *& Jerry's, and definitely not as dense as Haagen-Dazs, but it's good and fairly easy to scoop. It's also fairly smooth without being gummy. It's equivalent to the high end of mainstream market textures.

The fudge swirl is interesting and definitely not the Hershey's Syrup style stuff we find in so many other brands. I can't describe it too well, but it's fairly mild yet also somewhat omnipresent. The funny thing is that it's the number four ingredient and listed as "hot fudge".

And just like that, almost half the pint is gone. That sounds like a thumbs up to me.

On Second Scoop: I broke the rest of the pint up into two different servings and overall, yeah, I like it. The only "problem" per say is that because this is my first pint from them, I'm not 100% sure of their approach to things. One pint can be a good estimate for quality, but not necessarily a company's style. The second scooping was still a little flat, but then on the third scooping I started wondering "are they going for a sweeter approach here?". I'm wondering if that easy going, kid-friendlier subtlety is part of what they do. I mean they have a blue cotton candy flavor as well as a "pink sprinkle" flavor. I think the idea might be to be enjoyable for adults but attractive to kids as well. Or better yet, they are aiming at the seven year old in all of us. 

To put this all another way, nice job giving us a nut free ice cream, I appreciate it and someday my son will too. I will definitely be trying at least a few other flavors to test my kid friendly theory. This is a pleasant, easy scooping, sweet ice cream and I wish them the best.

You can grab more a la mode info at dessurtcorp.com

Verdict?  enjoyable
Buy Again?  yeah