We Reviewed the 4 New Fall Flavors of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Lotions

In the event you thought ice cream could not be cozy, suppose once more. To some folks fall would possibly imply hunkering down with a bowl of heat soup, however for me — no less than now — the flavors of fall could be captured in an ice cream.

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Lotions has turn out to be recognized for creating surprising (however undeniably appetizing) flavors, like Skillet Cinnamon Roll, Powdered Jelly Donut, and even limited-edition eclipse-inspired pints. The Columbus, Ohio-based model’s newest launch goals to seize the style of autumn in 4 fully new merchandise — plus a returning favourite — and I obtained an opportunity to attempt all of them.

Jeni’s fall assortment introduces Miso Butterscotch Brownie, Candy Potato Marshmallow Praline, Bay Leaf Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Seed & Rye Cookie — it additionally features a seasonally applicable staple from the model, Brown Butter Almond Brittle. Beth Stallings, Jeni’s Head of Innovation, says the limited-edition lineup was “impressed by the best way all of us actually need to eat fall, possibly greater than another season. It’s about late harvest, that positive steadiness between candy and savory, and our longing for contemporary and comforting meals.”

Candy and savory is an apt description as a result of this assortment has pints that can fulfill individuals who need the occasional trace of salt of their ice cream or are looking for one thing that’s not notably cloying. Notes of nuttiness are additionally a transparent theme, beginning with the one taste within the assemblage that isn’t new: Brown Butter Almond Brittle. This ice cream is tangy and wealthy and has a powerful almond style remarkably much like marzipan. Small items of brown-butter-almond sweet present little pockets of sweeter, brown sugar-like taste.

Whereas brown butter and almonds can actually style autumnal, the opposite installments in Jeni’s fall assortment dive even deeper into the season’s signature tasting notes, components, and nostalgic dishes. Wish to know which of them it’s best to attempt? Right here is my official evaluation of every new providing from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Lotions:

Miso Butterscotch Brownie

This has a buttery, toasted sugar and miso cream base, with items of darkish chocolate fudge brownies scattered all through. It positively falls within the sweet-savory camp, because of the miso that provides a contact of saltiness and a few delicate earthy notes. The chunks of brownie aren’t very large — I’d name them crumbles — however there are a lot of them, so that you’re not missing for brownie taste.

The decision? It is a nice possibility if you need one thing with chocolate and caramel notes — but in addition extra complexity. It positively gained’t fill the identical void as a brownie-packed pint of Ben & Jerry’s (which I normally discover to virtually focus extra on the mix-ins, much less on the ice cream), however it could be a classy finish to a cocktail party or a sweet-but-not-too-sweet possibility for film night time.

Candy Potato Marshmallow Praline

The Candy Potato Marshmallow Praline providing manages to channel all of the flavors of a marshmallow-topped candy potato casserole at Thanksgiving into one container of ice cream, and I used to be extraordinarily into it. Jeni’s has produced a Candy Potato Marshmallow Brûlée possibility earlier than, and it is a extra seasonal evolution of that. 

The brand new deal with is made with spiced candy potatoes, marshmallow candy cream, and candied pecans, however the candy potatoes are blended into the ice cream base, giving it a heat orange colour and pure candy potato taste in every chew. I used to be actually impressed by how strongly the basis vegetable’s taste got here by means of: It genuinely tasted like I used to be consuming a roasted candy potato.

The ribbons of marshmallow candy cream are large and daring sufficient you can clearly determine them as truly being marshmallows — not like ice cream manufacturers, the place they have a tendency to vanish into the remainder of the product. They usually’re a welcome pairing with the extra spice-forward candy potato ice cream. It’s the items of candied pecans that actually cement this dessert’s similarity to the basic candy potato casserole, along with sprinkling in bits of crunchy texture. 

Chatting with how the model develops its surprising concepts, Stallings notes, “The place we begin is dependent upon the season and the overarching assortment idea. One factor that by no means modifications is the emotional tie. The place will we need to transport folks? Are we embracing a season, whisking ourselves off to a fantastical place, constructing a complete world round taste, or are we touring again to a particular time?” The reply to those questions is apparent for this ice cream: It should undoubtedly transport you to a Thanksgiving desk.

Bay Leaf Cheesecake

With a bay leaf-infused cream cheese ice cream and swirls of crushed graham crackers, this new merchandise is a much less apparent nod to fall. However the delicate use of bay leaf lends the creamy deal with simply the correct amount of herbaceousness, which jogs my memory of the season after we begin cooking with heat spices and woodier herbs. Bay leaves could be pretty bitter when uncooked, however that doesn’t come by means of right here in any respect — as a substitute they add solely a contact of floral taste, to enhance the ice cream’s sweetness. 

I used to be pleasantly shocked to seek out that this ice cream additionally tastes very vanilla-forward, which Stallings confirmed, explaining that when brainstorming the flavour it “began as a dialog with our culinary workforce — I used to be speaking a few fig leaf, pine, and mascarpone dessert I had final summer time in Italy. How I cherished the cool, refreshing, barely herbaceous, and almost-vanilla-like notes of it. That meandered to this complete dialog about bay leaves and the way, earlier than vanilla was extensively out there, they had been used so as to add depth of taste to lotions and custards.”

Hints of aromatic herbs and florals assist hold this dessert gentle in your palate. Not like the very wealthy nature of most cheesecake ice lotions, Jeni’s rendition manages to be refreshing. My solely reservation with the ultimate product is that the graham cracker crumbs are very finely crushed and have a tendency to vanish into the background, with the cheesecake taste overpowering them. I will not inform you what to do, however I might suggest serving a scoop of this fragrant ice cream with seasonal fruit, like some baked apples or a poached pear.

Pumpkin Seed and Rye Cookie

Possibly probably the most uncommon of the bunch, Stallings tells me that this creation “began as a pumpkin seed ice cream, utilizing a mixture of roasted pumpkin seed oil and pumpkin seed butter for a wealthy, nutty ice cream.” The result’s a deal with that has a lovely earthy-green hue, studded with brown chunks of do-it-yourself rye cookies.

The style of this ice cream isn’t overpowering, and I wouldn’t say you’ll be able to detect a powerful pumpkin seed taste. As an alternative, it’s pretty mellow, however you will nonetheless get nutty and toasty notes, and it strikes a pleasant, gentle steadiness between candy and saline. The rye cookies are the star of the present for my part — their caramelized sweetness and malty essence add complicated layers of taste.

Rye has a signature taste profile that’s exhausting to overlook, and Stallings factors out that this was an intentional alternative; “We knew that rye — with its rich-brown taste notes of honey and brown sugar, toasted grain taste, and barely coarser texture that provides this cookie an virtually granola-like texture — would actually pop. There’s just a little pumpernickel flour within the cookie, too, which reinforces the rye taste.”

The feel of the rye cookie holds up fairly properly to being encased in ice cream; it nonetheless has that granola-like texture Stallings describes, which makes it simpler to tell apart the add-in from the encircling ice cream, not like among the different flavors (resembling Miso Butterscotch Brownie). This ice cream isn’t the form of dessert I’d crave at midnight or anticipate a child to like, however it’s a scrumptious exploration of nutty flavors, and I feel it’d be good for scooping on prime of a slice of pecan pie or serving sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies.