Enlightened Cookie Dough Bites and Sugar-free Cones

Last week, Enlightened announced their new sugar-free cones. They come in at just 30 calories a pop because of sugar replacement. Now, you know that sugar replacement is not my thing, so I called in my buddy Eric to see if he would be interested in trying these out for us.

Why yes, that is Enlightened light ice cream in that Enlightened cone. You see, they didn't just send him the new cones, they also sent...

Pretty cool right? He got cones, 2 pints, and these Keto cookie dough bites that were announced back in September. The bites were his favorite part and also come in chocolate chip, fudge brownie, peanut butter, and birthday cake flavors.

They kind of look like the Ben & Jerry's ones don't they? Our friends with allergies need to be careful though as almonds are the main ingredient in this treat.

If you are curious, Eric greatly preferred the "ooey, gooey, savory and salty" Caramel Fudge Pretzel pint over the artificial tasting Cookies & Cream pint.

That about wraps up this new treat announcement. Thanks to Enlightened for the free samples and thanks to Eric for trying these! [Time to see what else I can get sent his way]

Slim Twin Ice Cream

*** Please Note, Three Twins has gone out of business ***

[By CT, 2018-2019] Over Labor Day weekend, my 9-year-old son made the observation that I had put on some weight. A quick stop on the scale and a look back and records of my weight revealed that in the last two years, I had put on about 25 pounds. It was an eye-opening moment and caused me to quickly adjust my food intake over the past couple weeks.

With a reinvigorated desire to shed pounds and eat better, what's a guy to do if he wants some ice cream? Well, along comes Dubba and says, "Hey, wanna try some Slim Twin Ice Cream?"

Harvey's Black Forest Cake Milkshake

[By Jeffrey, New for Canada for January 2017] When it comes to fast food, Canada has the same big players as the US (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, etc) but we also have one uniquely Canadian fast food burger chain, Harvey's. You order your food, then top it, Subway-style, with your choice of about 30 different ingredients. In the past few years, they've really added to their menu with unique limited edition items such as a Pizza Burger, nacho cheese sticks, and...

Harvey's Black Forest Cake Milkshake

Haagen-Dazs White Russian Ice Cream

[By Jeffrey, New for Canada late 2016] Your friendly neighborhood Junk Food Jeff with another review from north of the border. Last week, I was lucky enough to be the first person to spot the new Haagen Dazs White Russian Ice Cream which contains 1% abv (note: it isn't noted on packaging at all, just according to the Nestle sales rep I talked to). This is their first mainstream alcohol-infused ice cream and apparently the first flavor in a line of these slightly drunken desserts.

Haagen-Dazs White Russian Ice Cream
coffee, vodka, and pure cream

Blue Bell Cookie Two Step Ice Cream

[New for 2016, by CT of Nerd Lunch] Oh people, how you love your froyo and your over-indulgence of toppings mixed with multiple yogurt flavors. If I love Snickers pieces on ice cream and I love marshmallows on ice cream and I love butterscotch sauce on ice cream, why wouldn't I love all three together? I guess on some level that makes sense. Although that's not how it works for me. I'm a man of simple taste. When I hit the froyo place, I get one base flavor and maybe one complementary flavored topping. It's a different philosophy and neither approach is right or wrong.

Blue Bell Cookie Two Step Ice Cream

"vanilla ice cream with hints of brown sugar, combined with chunks of
chocolate crème filled cookies and tasty chocolate chip cookie dough pieces"

Baskin-Robbins Summer Breeze Cheesecake Ice Cream

*Note: This flavor was only listed in Canada last month but is now on both the U.S. and Canadian versions of the Baskin-Robbins website. We have reports that the U.S. does have it, but please call your store ahead of time to verify that they have it in stock.

Jeffrey Scott aka JunkFoodJeff here with another guest review from Canada, eh? This time I've been asked to review the new Baskin-Robbins Summer Breeze Cheesecake flavor, which is currently only available in Canada for a limited time*

Baskin-Robbins Summer Breeze Cheesecake Ice Cream

lemon ice cream swirled with cheesecake ice cream

with a black raspberry ripple and oatmeal crumble 

Talenti Peach Butter Biscuit Gelato

[Exclusive to Publix for 2016, widely available 2017, by CT of the Nerd Lunch Podcast]
Talenti Gelato has released a new flavor that is exclusive to Publix. Seeing that Publix is a grocery chain located in the Southeastern states, the flavor they came up with is pretty well-targeted.

Talenti Peach Butter Biscuit Gelato

Baskin Robbins Canada BeaverTails Pastry Ice Cream

[By Jeffrey, New for June 2015, Returned July 2016]
Hello everyone, Jeffrey Scott here to give you the scoop on a new flavour of the month at participating Baskin Robbins locations in Canada. This is my first time reviewing an ice cream as I am usually a pop and chip guy, but I also love me an icy, creamy, treat once in awhile. Since Dubba's passport expired, he made a call to the bullpen for me, @JunkFoodJeff, to give it a whirl. See, I am one of the lucky people in the world to live on the Canadian/US border, in fact, the Detroit River is literally one block away from me and when it comes to "junk food", I literally have the best of both worlds at my fingertips. Today, I have the chance to try...

 Baskin-Robbins BeaverTails Pastry Ice Cream

BeaverTails pastry pieces and a fried dough flavoured ribbon

swirled within cinnamon caramel flavoured ice cream

Blue Bell Red, White and Blue Bell Ice Cream

[By CT, New for 2014] Blue Bell has gotten in to the patriotic spirit with the release of a new flavor.

The "Red, White & Blue Bell" (clever name) is a side-by-side-by-side carton with strawberry (that's your "Red"), vanilla (and this would be the "White") and blueberry (and this would the "Blue") flavors.

Blue Bell Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream

[Followed by Salted Caramel Cookie in 2019 and Salted Caramel Brownie in 2022, though the brownie version's components are closer to the 2014 offering]

[By CT, New for 2014] I've recently come to the conscious realization that caramel is my "go-to flavor." Be it coffee, cookie, candy or ice cream, if there's a caramel option, I'm going for that one. And it seems lately that caramel... more specifically... sea salt caramel, is finding its way into more and more things. And that's fine by me.

Blue Bell has launched their version of Sea Salt Caramel. Dubba gave me the heads up and I have answered the call more than willingly. Blue Bell's description of this products reads: "A creamy vanilla ice cream surrounded by a tasty salted caramel sauce swirl."

Blue Bell I ♥ Chocolate Ice Cream

[by CT, New for 2014] Blue Bell has released a new limited flavor which appears to coincide with Valentine's Day. This flavor is called "I ♥ Chocolate" and is aimed at people who like to turn their chocolate consumption up to 11 (people like my wife, for example).

It uses milk chocolate ice cream as the base and then mixes in chocolate filled hearts, chocolate coated cake pieces and a chocolate icing swirl. I do ♥ chocolate, but I think too much can be overkill so I was a little worried about whether or not I would like this flavor.

Blue Bell Christmas Cookies Ice Cream

“Christmas Cookies”

[By CT] If there are two words that bring me a greater mixed reaction when it comes to edible treats, I don’t know what they are. On the one hand, I think of the awesome sugar cookies that my family received from Nancy McEntire every year. The cookies were the perfect consistency and had the right amount of decorative icing on them. On the other hand, it seems some people go nuts with Christmas cookies every year and try to find ways to include as many ingredients as possible. Does a cookie need to have coconut, almonds, marmalade and raisins to be Christmasy? Stop treating cookies like fruitcake.

All that said, when Dubba asked if I’d scope my area for Blue Bell’s Christmas Cookies holiday flavor, I felt that internal mixed reaction all over again. However, once I read the description, my mind was put at ease. My fear of having to eat pecan-topped, cranberry-stuffed, gingerbread cookies in a peppermint swirl were gone.

"Christmas Cookies Ice Cream combines your favorite holiday cookies – chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and sugar – in a tasty sugar cookie ice cream with red candy cane shaped sprinkles and a green icing swirl throughout."

Southern Craft Creamery Salty Caramel Ice Cream

[By CT] Hey there, On Second Scoop readers. I'm CT from the Nerd Lunch blog and podcast. I live in Tallahassee, Florida and recently discovered a local ice cream company that I thought I'd try for Dubba. I first heard about this in 850 Business Magazine that did a story about the company. Now in the interest of full disclosure, I actually work for the company that produces that magazine, but still... not every article grabs my attention like this one did.

The ice cream is manufactured in Marianna, Florida which is about an hour away from where I live. They profess to using only local ingredients including milk right from their own farm. In fact, the blurb on the carton sums it up best:

"Our ice cream is handcrafted using milk from our farm, local ingredients, and a passion for creating flavors that showcase those ingredients. In addition to the creamery, we own and operate a dairy farm where we provide our cows with special attention and care. In return, they provide us with delicious, high-quality milk for our ice cream. Thank you for sharing our passion for local farms and handcrafted ice cream. Want to learn more? Follow us at facebook.com/SouthernCraftCreamery"

Guest Article: The Science of Selling Ice Cream

Dubba's Note: The following article was provided by Wall’s Refrigeration Solutions. I don't usually do this kind of thing, but my geeky/technical side loves the design.

We all love ice cream from chocolate, fruit, nut or caramel we each have our own favorite flavors. I’m sure given the choice we would all find it hard to turn down buying ice cream when we pass it in the store, but a large amount of effort and thought goes in to making you feel this “impulse” to buy ice cream. This is not a cruel trick to try and control you it’s just our human behavior to be subtly swayed in our buying decisions. The 2012 shopper engagement study found that 55% of us are prone to making unplanned purchase decisions. It is not only ice cream manufacturers trying to be the 55% of every shopper’s unplanned purchase; most of the products in a store are trying to achieve this. The same study found that 76% of shoppers base their buying choices on attractive packaging and appearance.

The location of the product also plays an important factor, often the “impulse” or snack ice cream that we see in stores in not located in the freezer section next to frozen peas and fries. Instead it is located at the end of an isle in close proximity to the checkouts, this so that our attention is drawn towards it and in the case of snack ice cream can be purchased and eaten straight away.

The design of the freezers that display ice cream has developed since the continuous-process freezer was perfected in 1926. Ice cream freezers were originally designed to keep the products frozen and allow easy access for customers. To the right is an example of a modern but more basic freezer which serves this purpose very well but does little to really sell the product to the customer. Ice cream packaging has been designed to be bright, colorful and to stand out, so the freezer display unit plays a large part in helping to show off the product and entice customers to buy the ice cream.

Above is a much more optimized freezer display unit (Maxivision III LED)

First of all it is a bright red color that is designed to stand out at the end of an aisle. The graphics include strawberries and chocolate splashing in to cream; this is meant to give the customer the immediate association with ice cream after noticing the bright red freezer. At the top of the freezer you may notice the phrase that I used in the opening sentence of this article “love ice cream” this is meant to stir a positive emotional response towards ice cream. This ice cream freezer holds around 3 times the volume of the freezer above yet its 3 tier design means that it doesn't have to take up 3 times the amount of floor space. This allows for there to be a larger variety of ice cream on display. In addition to this the freezer is also around 45 cm taller than the freezer above which brings the ice cream further in to the eye level of the customer, it is well documented that products that are in the eye line of the customer sell better. The multi height 3 tier design also allows children’s ice cream to be placed on the lower tier where it is much more viable and accessible to children. Lastly you may notice the ice cream packaging in the freezer above appears particularly bright and colorful  this is because it has been well lit with strips of LEDs. Without lighting the ice cream packaging would not stand out at all in the dim freezer, but the lighting level is actually brighter than it needs to be which helps it stand out in the store; however this is not a waste of electricity as the LEDs are very efficient.

I’m sure after reading this you will look at an ice cream freezer a little differently and appreciate the years of research that have gone in to its design and placement to persuade you to make a purchase, however on the other hand you could just enjoy your favorite ice cream.

This article was written by Stuart Grimshaw, Marketing Manager at Wall’s Refrigeration Solutions. One of the UKs largest suppliers of refrigeration products and a Unilever owned company.

http://www.wallsrefrigerationsolutions.com/

College Mondays (late yet again) Aggies Blue Mint Ice Cream

Adam got this review to me yesterday, but I messed up and am posting it now. Big thanks to Adam for writing these posts and also big thanks to Aggie Ice Cream for hooking him up with 6 free pints of ice cream to review!

Adam Nettina is the cowriter of GrubGrade.com and a senior history major at Utah State University. While he's not savoring famous Aggie Ice Cream or making paninis, he serves as sports editor for the campus newspaper, the Utah Statesman.

So, have I sold the better part of your child's education fund on Utah State University yet? If my previous reviews of Aggie Ice Cream haven't sold you, maybe the idea of getting a virtually unlimited supply of this premium ice cream at the school's dining hall will. Students at Utah State who have access to the meal plan on campus have an opportunity to end (or begin!) each trip to the dining hall with their choice of one of three or four rotating ice cream flavors. And, unlike the pint containers I have in my fridge, these batches are stored at optimal temperature and scooped to your liking with a full toppings bar, making each trip to the dining hall like a trip to your favorite neighborhood ice cream parlor.

What better way to end our series than with USU's signature ice cream flavor - the ubiquitous Aggie Blue Mint. It's not often that you find blue ice cream, and it's even rarer that you find mint flavored blue ice cream brimming with cookies and cream pieces and white chocolate chunks. Typically speaking, I tend to gravitate more towards simplicity when it comes to flavors, but the uniqueness of this flavor alone warrants a try from anyone visiting Utah State.

Like all Aggie ice cream flavors, it starts with a dense and creamy base. I like the balance which the half-pint containers strike. There is enough overrun to give the ice cream good body without being rock hard, but not too much that the ice cream doesn't become creamy and richly satisfying after letting it thaw for a minute or two. The mint flavor doesn't strike me as exceptional, but it's balanced and sweet, and about all you could ask for.

What separates this flavor is the filling. If mint chocolate chip is classic, than mint and cookies and cream and white chocolate is decadent. The filling in my half-pint doesn't skip on the cookie and cream pieces. They're moist and abundant, and melt in my mouth with the ice cream. The white chocolate chunks - abundant as well - add a great textural contrast and a buttery, albeit artificial taste. Real white chocolate is tough to come by, and judging by the ice creams ingredient list, these pieces are made up of coconut oil, but in this application they work well. Above all, this flavor is ridiculously addictive, and almost makes me feel guilty after eating it (notice how I said, almost). It's ingredient list isn't the cleanest (partially hydrogenated oil makes an appearance) but oh well, a little can't hurt, right?

Well, that does it for our reviews of Aggie Ice Cream. Keep in mind I've only covered five of the nearly 30 flavors sold by the company, with all coming in as incredibly fresh and rich. Granted, I may not have eaten at creameries at other universities, but for my money the ice cream in Logan, Utah is second to none.

College Monday: More Aggies Ice Cream!

Ok, everybody, Adam is back with more flavors from Aggies Ice Cream. Big thanks to Adam for writing these posts and also big thanks to Aggie Ice Cream for hooking him up with 6 free pints of ice cream to review! (I've also got several suggestions on other campuses that make ice cream, so I need to get rolling to see if they would like to be on the blog too)

Adam Nettina is the cowriter of GrubGrade.com and a senior history major at Utah State University. While he's not savoring famous Aggie Ice Cream or making paninis, he serves as sports editor for the campus newspaper, the Utah Statesman.

Basketball and ice cream. That's what we like here at Utah State University, and now that late autumn has arrived, you can find Aggie fans cheering on our preseason WAC favorite basketball team with plenty of 1/2 pint Aggie Ice Cream containers in hand. This week we're taking a look at two more of the some 26 flavors offered by the Logan, Utah creamery: Caramel Cashew and Cookies and Cream.

Caramel Cashew : Caramel flavored ice cream with roasted cashews

One thing I like about Aggie Ice Cream is the variety of nut-based flavors they offer. While Caramel Cashew is the only one sold in the 1/2 pint container, our creamery also makes some other solid flavors, including the famous Maple Nut and Chocolate Almond. As for Caramel Cashew, this ice cream has a great initial sweetness with notes of buttercream and caramel. Thick, earthy and salty pieces of cashew accent the richness of the ice cream, and counterbalance the otherwise overly sweet caramel taste. They say salt goes a long way in bringing out the sweetness of flavors, and in that account I can't disagree. The ingredient list is pretty simplistic, and the flavors are pronounced and brought out in the creamy ice cream. There aren't many cashews in here, but I actually like that. Instead of dominating the ice cream and making for gritty chewing, the scattered and modest sized pieces play in harmony with the caramel element.

Cookies 'n' Cream : Vanilla ice cream with chocolate cookie pieces

Up next is Cookies 'n' Cream. This is actually the first time I've tried this flavor of Aggie Ice Cream, and instantly I'm loving the sweet and classic taste of cream-filled sandwich cookies within the rich vanilla base. There are lots of little cookies pieces which are moist and have a smooth mouth feel, and they aren't gritty in the least. Unfortunately, I can't help but think some of the pleasant mouth feel is created by the presence of partially hydrogenated oil on the ingredient list, but hey, I'm a super-healthy eater for the most part, so I subvert the thought for the time being. I encounter several larger cookie pieces, which dissolve on my tongue in a creamy blend of vanilla and cream.

I like these two flavors, but I have to admit that it's kind of a bummer to see partially hydrogenated oils on the ingredient list for the Cookies and Cream flavor. I'm a big oreo fan, and as much as I like Aggie Ice Cream's rendition of the classic, I think I'll just stick to breaking my own oreo cookies over vanilla ice cream. Trans Fat or not, I won't let that stop me from next week's flavor of the week - USU's signature ice cream, the famous Aggie Blue Mint.

Nutrional Note: Both flavors are 320 calories per serving, 160 calories from fat (18g total fat)

New Feature: College Mondays! (wait, it's Tuesday!) "Famous" Aggie Ice Cream is up first!

Ok, everybody, time for another guest blogger! Big thanks to Adam for writing the upcoming series of posts and also big thanks to Aggie Ice Cream for hooking him up with 6 free pints of ice cream to review!

Adam Nettina is the cowriter of GrubGrade.com and a senior history major at Utah State University. While he's not savoring famous Aggie Ice Cream or making paninis, he serves as sports editor for the campus newspaper, the Utah Statesman.

When you think of great ice cream in the United States, the state of Utah probably isn't the first place to come to your mind. Shakes? Pastrami Burgers? Fry Sauce? Sure, we do those quite fine, but tucked into cozy Cache Valley (not far from the Idaho border) is one of America's best kept Ice Cream secrets: The Utah State University creamery, and the deliciously indulgent treat known simply as "Aggie Ice Cream." Make that "Famous Aggie Ice Cream," as they say up here.

As a senior at Utah State University, I've developed a love of this delicious product over my academic career at the Logan, Utah university, and have encountered no other ice cream (or frozen dessert, for that matter) to match it. It wasn't always this way, however. In the interest of full disclosure, I come from a long line of suburban "light ice cream" eaters, and grew up mostly eating reduced fat and fat free ice creams that were staples of my family's weekly shopping list. And while I still enjoy a good bowl of Edy's Slow Churned or Breyer's Smooth and Creamy line, my introduction to the world of fresh made, 12% butterfat ice cream from the Utah State creamery has been something of a tasting nirvana.

Like most colleges with their own dairies, Utah State has a reputation as a premier agriculture university. The ice cream first got its start back in 1922, but really took off in the 1960s, when the dairy fused with the College of Family Life to pioneer a food and nutrition program here at the university. Today, ice cream is made in a modern facility on campus, and is available bot only n a retail store operated by Utah State, but also in the college's main dining hall and in Utah based grocery stores throughout northern Utah.

But enough of the history lesson, lets get to some tasting! Aggie Ice Cream comes in 26 flavors, although seasonal flavors sometimes pop on and off the menu. While all flavors are available at the retail store on campus, six base flavors are sold in 1/2 pint containers. Depending on where you buy them, they usually retail around $1.50. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing my thoughts on each of these flavors, starting today with Strawberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

I'm not going to lie – I start with these two flavors because they're two of my favorites. When I get ice cream in our on-campus dining hall it comes out via a large bucket and is incredibly creamy. However, if you buy the 1/2 pint you'll have to let it thaw a little. It's a densely filled container that's hard packed, and it's apparent from the texture that very little air has been pumped into the mix. After giving both flavors some 5 minutes or so on my counter, I notice that the hard nature of the ice cream begins to breakdown, and my spoon slides nicely into the creamy base.

Ok, first up is Strawberry Cheesecake. The name is a little bit of a misnomer, because there are no actual "cheesecake" pieces in mix, but rather a cheesecake flavor. Nevertheless, it's still very strong and sweet, and compliments the frozen pieces of strawberries in the ice cream. I'm impressed by the cleanness of the flavor and the richness of the ice cream, which has a pleasant mouth feel that lingers on the palate. Being a child of the 1990s, I'm usual an additive fiend, but I've grown to love the simplicity of the ingredients used, and thanks to Aggie ice cream I have begun to notice the superiority of ice cream that starts with the familiar milk, cream, and sugar ingredients. That's what I love most about this flavor - it's simple strawberry ice cream as it should be; fresh tasting, creamy and sweet. There's no ice crystals forming around the strawberry pieces and no overly sweet strawberry-type glaze, just real, honest to goodness ice cream.

Cookie Dough is next, and I've been waiting for digging into my personal my half pint all week. Because they rotate flavors in our dining halls, I can't always get my hands on my favorite flavor, so I always wait to indulge until they have it. But today I've got my own half pint, and I'm going to savor it. Unlike most major brands, Aggie ice cream's cookie dough doesn't utilize "fake" cookie pieces - that is to say, the kinds of pieces that have been so jacked up with partially hydrogenated oils that they taste overly oily. The pieces in my half-pint aren't huge, but they're nice and chewy and have a strong molasses and butter flavor. There's even an element of nougat taste in them that really comes out with a great hint of salt, and most impressively, the flavor has transferred over to the vanilla ice cream base. The chocolate chips are small and semisweet, but they provide a nice and not to overpowering compliment to the cookie dough flavor, which is the star here. What I love most about this ice cream is that it isn't just vanilla ice cream with cookie dough pieces, but a chocolate chip flavored ice cream (and think your grandma's best chocolate chip cookie) with chocolate chip cookies in it. Once more, it's incredibly creamy and fresh. 

You can order Aggie Ice Cream from their website, and of course, you can stop by the dairy on campus and pick up an over-sized cone of your own. And while you're at it, why not check out the Western Athletic Conference's best basketball team, and enjoy the many outdoor activities that Logan has to offer!

Up next week: Caramel Cashew and Cookie Fudge.

Digging into Perry's Ice Cream

The following review is brought to you by S.J. Velasquez, a 44 cent stamp, and some coupons from Perry's Ice Cream. Enjoy, and big thanks to SJV!

I grew up with Perry’s ice cream. Every birthday party was topped off with slices of supermarket-made cakes and scoops of Neapolitan. Early into my childhood, I left the safety of my chocolate-vanilla-strawberry rainbow and turned to more adventurous flavors like mint ting a ling and bubble gum.

I consider myself a mature and sophisticated adult these days, and my tastes have changed. It’s only appropriate that Perry’s grew with me, offering exciting and experimental new products. So I went to Wegmans – which, like Perry’s, is a local staple – in Syracuse, NY, and snapped up a few new, edgier varieties of Perry’s: two pints of gelato and 1.5 quarts of Buffalo Sabres-inspired Top Shelf.

The two pints of gelato were completely different in both flavor and texture.
(Update: and now both are discontinued)