Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Which would you rather? (13th anniversary post)


Not dead, just really quiet in the freezer aisle. I kind of feel like I tried everything already but how can that possibly be? I have two more Talenti layers to try when I finally find them, I should try more of the Topped line up (though a lot of it carries an allergen warning), I'm debating the new Magnum truffle line up, and then there's a bunch of junky frozen dairy desserts to pick from. Is that really all there is this year? Maybe I could try to hit a whole foods and find something new from Jeni's? I am open to suggestions.

In the meantime, let's pose a question: Which of these two products would you buy?

Carvel's New Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake

or these ICEE mystery flavors (Mermaid & baby narwhal)?

While both cute and eye catching on the freezer aisle shelf, I'm not really a fan of mystery flavors. Apparently the mermaid flavor came out in a separate tube pack last year (see TIB post here), but the baby narwhal was an actual ICEE last year (see TIB post here).

Me? I want that cookie dough cake. Sure it's basically just a regular ice cream cake with cookie dough mixed in and then more cookie dough pieces on top, but that sounds kind of awesome in my book. Well, maybe not awesome, but like a step right below awesome.

One more foot note. A reader pointed out that basically all of Blue Bunnies offerings have switched over to frozen dairy dessert. While I hadn't noticed because their tubs aren't really in my area anymore, it was still pretty disappointing to..... holy freholy! I just realized that I missed the blog's 13th birthday! Things have been pretty crazy in the household these last few months, so I guess I shouldn't be totally surprised I missed it. 

Do I have anything meaningful to say at 11pm at night? Ummm, yeah, no. I have been thinking alot about the death of mainstream ice cream and have basically just been improvising my own flavors for the last few months (aka mixing turkey hill all natural vanilla with either mix-ins or some other premium product). I know my peers all dig those super fancy pints with tons of mix-ins, but I spent a lifetime eating a big bowl of good ice cream rather than a small bowl of great ice cream (I hope that makes sense). I'm not saying that one way is right and one is wrong, I'm just saying that I'm kind of old fashion when it comes to my daily serving of ice cream (I'm still more than happy to try those flavors as a treat!).

The blog will continue on, but I won't be back to official ice cream hunting until the fall (at least that's the tentative plan). I will keep searching at my local stores for new stuff and I will try to do at least one post a week, but I make no promises for what I might bring home.

Be well everyone!

17 comments:

  1. Most of Jeni's new stuff is available only at the shops or online. The only new thing I saw, at Whole Foods, was her birthday cake. How does that differ from 'Ooey Gooey'? That was surprisingly awesome.

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  2. I'm usually a sucker for mystery flavors, but honestly those look kind of gross. So, the ice cream cake it is for me.

    If you're looking for things to review: McDonald's has their new brownie caramel McFlurry and Dairy Queen has their new summer blizzards (Thin Mint, Drumstick, Frosted animal cookie, Brownie Batter, Raspberry Fudge, and the old stand by cotton candy). Skittles has a new Ice Pop line which (spoilers) was disappointingly disgusting. I'd love to see more Jeni's reviews on this site...it's obviously expensive but is the farthest thing from frozen dairy desert. I'm just trying the Salted Caramel which is simple but sublime. Would also like to see some more Topped reviews if you're able or when you get the chance.

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  3. you say your peers, are there other ice cream blgs you recommend?

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  4. I think the Icee tubes would be the more 'interesting' option, but my taste buds would much prefer trying out the ice cream cake.

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  5. Anne Monaco SuttonMay 13, 2021 at 11:03 AM

    I would definitely choose the Carvel cake over the icee pops. I did see some new Turkey Hill ice cream sandwiches at Wal-mart. Wal-mart also released new flavors including mint brownie and creme brulee under their brand name. They are selling those as a premium over their regular line (mint chip, vanilla, etc). I enjoyed both a lot. I also liked the Trader Joe's coffee and boba ice cream and new coffee mini cones. I'm eager to try the new Oat milk strawberry flavor at Baskin Robbins. I think oat milk based drinks at Starbucks have been good. Oat seems to lend itself to dairy well in my opinion.

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  6. Just had my first Carvel experience in decades, as we found a Carvel shop in downstate. Still pretty awesome, especially those crunchies. So, my answer is easy here.

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  7. Also, Turkey hill has some new ice cream sandwiches...I've tried the mint chocolate chip one and thought it was solid.

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  8. I agreed that the mainstream (quality) ice cream rollout has been a bit uninspiring this season. But of note: Target just released its new "Favorite Day Gourmet" line, and it's definitely a step up from their previous Market Pantry pints (which were like Cool Whip to me). I grabbed the Midnight Mix to test the waters, and if it's any indication, I went back to try 2 more flavors. I hope they're out in your area— would love to know how you'd rate them.

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  9. @RabbitGirl, Blogs for ice cream content have fallen aside for a while now. The best content is on Instagram and Youtube. IceCreamBuyThePint and FamilyFoodDude are the best follows IMO.

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  10. I may need to walk back my enthusiasm about that Target ice cream... it was notably downhill from the Midnight Mix I first tried. I don't know if they were mishandled, but the texture was a little off, for starters. (They were the Brookie Dough and S'mores flavors.) Still would be interested to see what you think if you end up trying them.

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  11. Sorry everyone, I got a little behind!

    @ibagoalie: bummer

    @Woodersone: I should make another run to Wegman's at some point for Jeni's, Turkey Hill novelties and whatever else they have available. (I haven't been to a DQ since fall of 2019!)

    @RG: like anon#2 mentioned, I was indeed speaking of my peers on instagram. Long form ice cream blogs seem to be pretty dead. A lot of ice cream people have gone quite on instagram (dont think the pandemic helped). @IceCreamBuyThePint for sure. For Eric's (familyfooddude) ice cream review, head over to youtube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxjBOt6VEw28lAkzNt6Own8dEXvNCzTYv. You could also check out ice_cream_fiesta or thecoldhardscoop or maybe even chunkcreamery just to get an idea of what can be done.

    Personal Note: I think instagram tends to be about pictures not reviews, and youtube involves watching people eat (which I prefer not to do). I traditional blog will always be my favorite, even if they have died off. A traditional blog is the only one that allows you to properly label/tag everything so you can jump around by flavor or brand or whatever.

    @Anne: I saw the new Walmart flavors but didn't realize they were better than their regular stuff. I'll look closer next time I go.

    @Sascha: nice!

    @May: Yeah, I definitely need to try those favorite day flavors. I think I need to try that Peanut Butter Cookies 'n Cream flavor first.

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  12. Definitely the cake. Those Icee's look disgusting.

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  13. Does anyone make anything almost exactly like the old Edy's Nuts About Malt? That and Vermonty Python (B&J's) remain my favorite flavors.

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  14. You piqued my curiosity with that one. I looked up Edy's Dreamery "Nuts about malt" which was chocolate malt flavored ice cream, rich swirls of fudge and chocolaty covered almonds. The downside is that malt gets very little love nowadays. The last good malt flavor I had was from Three Twins and they are gone now. 7-Eleven has a malt crunch flavor that might be fun but also might be too far from the original for you.

    Check this out incase it helps
    https://www.onsecondscoop.com/search/label/malt

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    1. Thanks very much for your reply. I've just discovered your site while searching in vain for any sign of hope (the night was long and I was reflecting on how many ice cream flavors have disappeared). I love malt flavor. Too bad that adventurous flavors or old-fashioned flavors seem to just die.

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  15. I am striking out lately! I just tried the Turkey Hill cookie sandwiches (the PB one)— the ice cream filling had no heft, cookies were a weird dry but chewy texture without a deep cocoa flavor (which I'd expect from something calling itself Double Chocolate Chip)... clearly my mileage did not go as far as Wooderson's did!

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  16. To the malt seeker, I think B&J's Chocolate Shake It flavor had a chocolate malt base, and I remember it being quite enjoyable! Tillamook is another mainstream-ish brand that makes a vanilla Malted Moo Shake flavor. I've not tried, but my local Wegmans carries it. ...(I totally miss Edy's Dreamery line too!!)

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