Jeni's Ice Cream - Brambleberry Crisp

As per usual...During my recent Whole Foods trip, I purchased another $12 pint of Jeni's Ice Cream. This time I tried the Brambleberry Crisp, which caught my attention with two of my favorite things. Berries. And streusel (hence the "crisp" part of the flavor).

Jeni's website describes this ice cream as....

"Buttery, oven-toasted oat streusel and a striking, sweet-tart “brambleberry” jam of blackberries, black raspberries, and black currants layered throughout vanilla ice cream."

The only other words necessary to describe this ice cream flavor is heavenly. Brambleberry Crisp is unlike any ice cream I've had before. The ice cream itself is a lovely neutral flavor, with only a subtle vanilla flavor. The fruity jam swirled through the ice cream is very strong, and is both sweet and tart, with a unique flavor combination that is unlike any other berry flavor medley I've ever tasted. And the oat streusel has a fantastic chewy consistency with a mellow flavor, which really adds a nice touch to the strong flavors of the ice cream. The flavor combination, and borderline overwhelming sweetness, reminds me of Ben & Jerry's. Except unlike Ben & Jerry's, this ice cream is all quality ingredients, and you can taste them.

At the moment, I would say this is my absolute favorite Jeni's ice cream flavor. And I will be buying this again. Actually, I will be buying this regularly. And if this turns out to be a seasonal flavor, I fear I may be forced to spend a few hundred dollars, simply to be sure I have enough to last me through the rest of the year. 

Jeni's Pink Grapefruit Frozen Yogurt

I've recently gotten into the habit of always checking the Whole Foods freezers for Jeni's Ice Cream, before heading towards the checkout line. There's always at least one new flavor there, that I simply *MUST* try.

During my latest Whole Foods trip, this turned out to be  one of their newest flavors (at least new to me, it may be a seasonal item that returns yearly), Pink Frozen Yogurt.

One of my favorite sorbetto flavors is pink grapefruit, and whenever my favorite gelato shops offers it, I always have to have a scoop. But I've never really gave much thought to grapefruit anything beyond sorbetto, although I have momentarily pondered what a pink grapefruit gelato would be like. However, I'd surely never even pondered the idea of a grapefruit frozen yogurt.

I was instantly intrigued, and confused as to how it would work out. I was a bit worried that the tartness of a high quality frozen yogurt may be problematic with the sour of the grapefruit, but I was quite pleased with how the flavors melded together. The pink grapefruit flavor was authentically tart, which actually worked perfectly to offset the creaminess and slight richness of the frozen yogurt. It's definitely not the sort of flavor that citrus haters would enjoy, but it's definitely the sort of flavor that those like myself would go crazy for. I definitely will be buying this again, although next time I'd prefer to eat it during warmer months.

Jeni's Ice Cream - Orchid Vanilla Macaroon Sandwich

I've never really been a fan of ice cream sandwiches. But this is most likely due to an utter lack of quality ice cream sandwich products (at least around here). Thankfully, it seems that Jeni's Ice Cream has started to encourage this little niche to start expanding. At a recent trip to Whole Foods I noticed the Jeni's Ice Cream Macaroon Sandwiches, of which I've only ever heard good things.

The sandwich consists of two macaroons, which are actually more akin to French almond macarons (not the coconut macaroons you were most likely thinking of). The two macaroons are perfectly made, but since they're filled with a disc of ice cream (the best vanilla bean ice cream I've ever had, mind you), they literally melt in your mouth as you bite into them. Very similar to classic macarons, but no dry texture because of the ice cream. It also has a small amount of Blackcurrant Jam in the center, which I thought added a lovely, fruity taste. The blackcurrant jam only complemented the other flavors, and didn't overpower the vanilla flavor, as blackcurrant so often does.

This was (obviously) by far the best "ice cream sandwich" I've ever eaten. And that's probably why it cost around $7 (that and the fact that it has to be brought to the local stores all the way from Ohio). Although this is about twice as much as one might pay for two boxes of standard, grocery store ice cream sandwiches, I still think it's justified as a once in awhile treat. After all, it's around the same I would pay for two scoops of gelato at the local gelato shop, and the ice cream sandwich is quite large (could easily be halved for two servings). I will definitely be buying this again, and I can't wait to sample some of the other flavors from Jeni's macaroon sandwich line.

Jeni's Ice Cream - Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk

I first discovered Jeni's Ice Cream about three years ago, a few months after reading a review of their ice cream shop online. Shortly after reading the review, I heard a few other references to Jeni's, and I decided to give in and order some of their ice creams online to try (Jeni's is located in Ohio, and I am regretfully located nowhere near there).

I've always loved ice cream, but standard flavors just don't do it for me anymore, and it's hard to find more unique offerings in the area that I live in. So, after falling in love with Jeni's unique twists on more basic flavors, I began to regularly place an order through their website once every year.

But, considering how often Jeni's offers seasonal and limited edition selections, once a year just did not seem to be enough. And as fantastic as their ice cream is, paying $12 to $14 for a pint adds up, especially when you have to buy several at once for delivery, and need to add shipping and handling charges on top of that.

So when I discovered that Whole Foods now carries some of Jeni's ice creams, I was beyond thrilled. Not only could I buy their standard flavors when a craving hit, I could buy their seasonal selections when I found something interesting, without having to buy several other pints just to have it delivered.

On a recent trip to Whole Foods, I noticed Jeni's new Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk flavor. It was clearly Jeni's way of adding a unique twist to the classic Strawberry ice cream, and I knew I had to try it. And boy was I glad that I did. Not only does the buttermilk add a lovely tang to the taste, it also adds a unique creaminess. And as for the strawberries, I now fully understand why people claim that roasting strawberries helps to bring out their flavor. I've never had strawberry ice cream with such an honest and intense strawberry flavor, which complements the buttermilk perfectly. I definitely suggest that anyone that loves strawberry ice cream gives this Jeni's flavor a try. (I also suggest that brownie lovers add a scoop to their next fresh from the oven brownie. You can thank me later!)