2nd Street Creamery Almond Butter Hazelnut Fudge

Kyle picked me up from a ballet class the other night, and on the way home we decided to stop for gas.  After we fueled up, we headed inside to pick up a treat for the night.  Kyle headed straight for the gummy candy while I decided to check out the ice cream selection, as I do at every new store I go to.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The ice cream selection was huge for a gas station.

Recently our local grocery store changed ownership and the new store has a much poorer selection of Talenti gelato than the old store.  This gas station had what I would call a medium to good selection of Talenti, but definitely better than the new grocery store.  Also, THEY HAD AN AMAZING ICE CREAM BRAND THAT I HAD NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE.

I picked up two flavors from the new-to-me brand 2nd Street Creamery.  These ice cream flavors are inspired by different stories.  For example,  Almond Butter Hazelnut Fudge, the flavor I am reviewing today, reads:

For Dan a road trip equals singing songs, shopping roadside stands, and getting a taste of the unexpected.  Here is a pint of Dan’s adventure down Route 66.

Additionally, the website reads:

We weren't sure which was more fun: Listening to Dan recall this trip or all of us singing the song but we know that when our friend and musician, Dan, took this famed road trip, he picked up several items from roadside stands along the way.  His culinary treasures included almond butter, hazelnuts, and fudge.  Problem was... that by the time Dan got to San Bernardino, his air conditioner in his car had broken down about 400 miles earlier and all the goodies he collected had melted into each other.  The result was something very unexpected.  Who would have guessed that a long, hot trip through the dessert could yield a Pandora's Box of deliciousness.  This was the inspiration for an ice cream flavor that not only captures the true American spirit, but one that will definitely give you the kicks.

This flavor was amazing.  The base flavor was almond butter.  I love almond butter, but have never had it in ice cream form.  The first bite tasted exactly like almond butter and had the same consistency, just cold!  The consistency was amazing.  The outside of a scoop melted quickly, but the inside was incredibly smooth and creamy, so much so that it was almost chewy.  Oh my god it was so good.  Possibly the best ice cream texture I’ve ever had.

The hazelnut fudge swirl was also amazing.  In my opinion, ice cream companies often do not make enough distinction between a chocolate swirl and a fudge swirl.  Chocolate and fudge are two different things people!  This was fudge-y and gooey and abundant.  It could have had a little bit stronger hazelnut flavor.  I could taste it if I looked for it, but I wanted more.  The fudge consistency almost makes up for the lack of hazelnut flavor though.

Oh my god this ice cream was amazing and I can’t wait to try the other flavor, Strawberry Rhubarb, tonight.