“So, how did you like the new flavors?” the young man asked. I almost pitied him.
I am, in so many ways, the worst-case scenario for restaurant workers. I try to be kind. I try to be pleasant. I try to tip well. But I also want to talk about food, like, all the time. And when you open the door to a conversation, boy howdy, I come in hot.
My friend Jess and I were enjoying a gluttonous dessert at Braum’s, because she is kind enough to put up with the way I turn everything into work, by trying all six of the recently introduced flavors on the menu. We’d all but finished our tasting when the friendly fellow who dipped our cups stopped by to check in.
I, uh...I talked that kid’s ear off. To the point he said, “Wow, you should review ice cream for a living!”
Haha. Yep. I should definitely do that.
(For more on Braum’s, click here for our Worst-to-Best list of Braum’s ice cream flavors.)
These are not in any sort of order, because I decided I didn’t want to do that. So let’s get to it:
Cookie Monster
The most-maligned flavor from the Worst-to-Best list has been reintroduced and, I don’t know what happened, but Cookie Monster got better. Did they change the recipe? Or maybe my mouth is just in a different place, philosophically, because I found this Cookies-n’-Cream-meets-birthday-cake ice cream much more appealing this time around. It wasn’t my favorite flavor, but it did seem like the ice cream I could enjoy the longest without getting burned out.
Deep Raspberry Ganache
The folks at Bedre Fine Chocolates might need to look for a spy in their midst. Is there a cow wearing a cheesy fake mustache infiltrating the Bedre factory? Because Deep Raspberry Ganache tasted a whole lot like a raspberry-filled meltaway, with lots of dark chocolate flavor and a sweet/tart pop of raspberry. While I was entranced by this one, I also worried what a whole cone would do to me. It tastes amazing, but I think I’d burn out on this one after about half a scoop. It’s just so intense.
Strawberry Blondie
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the snore-worthy Strawberry Blondie. It’s strawberry ice cream with blondie brownie batter mixed in. It’s a total snooze. All you really taste is the strawberry ice cream, which doesn’t actually taste much like strawberry to begin with. Your mileage may vary, but I don’t think this is the flavor for me.
Oatmeal Cookie
Helloooooooo! Oatmeal Cookie may not be the most glamorous new flavor, but it’s got a lot to offer. Hey, I get it. I used to think oatmeal cookies were only for old people, but then I got old and started to love them and okay now I hear it. Well, whatever, I thought it was great. Not only does it have some legit oatmeal cookie flavor, but there are these crystalline chunks of crunchy caramel flavor that just pop and flood your mouth with an extra burst of sugar. That said, it has the same issue as Deep Raspberry Ganache, where I worry that after a half a cone my taste buds would be blown out.
Peanut Butter and Jelly
It’s frankly insane that this wasn’t already a flavor. Peanut butter and jelly are such an iconic pairing, so swirling concord grape jelly into peanut butter ice cream must have been a no-brainer. But, ooh lawd, it really, really works here. Peanut butter ice cream can be way too heavy, but the addition of the grape jelly keeps the entire scoop moving. You get that rich, sweet, roasty flavor of the peanuts with spikes of sugary grape that ensure the taste never gets dull.
Spicy Mango Raspberry Fiesta Sherbet
The problem with putting “spicy” in the name of almost anything is that not everybody agrees on what spicy is. The Spicy Mango Raspberry Fiesta Sherbet tries to toe the line between no heat and too much heat, but it mostly errs on the side of caution. You might get a tickle every now and again, but for the most part this is a lovely mango sherbet with the tartness of raspberry mixed in. Certainly, someone is going to try this and tell me that it was way too spicy, but I can only judge based on what I tasted and these didn’t have that pop of heat I was expecting.
