The Big Muddy Ice Cream Blog

What in the what is wrong with me!? Why have I not tried this flavor until now!?  I love butterscotch. I love it so much. I love butterscotch pudding. I love butterscotch candies.  I love butterscotch topping.  I can't think of anything else that is commonly butterscotch flavored, but if there were, I would love it.  I hate when someone asks me what my favorite ice cream of all time is.  I don't hate it because it's hard to decide.  I hate it because my favorite ice cream ever is Scotchy Scotch Scotch, a limited edition, butterscotch flavor from Ben and Jerry's.  I hate telling people about it because they can't get it any more.  This flavor ended its run right before Lizzy and I started blogging, so I didn't get the chance to review it, but I credit it from taking my relationship with ice cream from a love to an obsession.  I probably ate 15 pints of this ice cream.  No joke.  There were weeks when I ate 3 pints. Since then, I'v...

For Labor Day weekend, I travelled home to St. Louis to visit friends and family. Although the available options for frozen dessert in Iowa City are high quality, there aren't nearly as many as there are in St. Louis. Frankly because St. Louis is bigger than Iowa City. So, of course, I spent all four hours of my drive from Iowa City to St. Louis agonizing over where to go to get frozen dessert. Go for the classic with Ted Drewes? A new favorite with Ices Plain and Fancy?? The underrated, but fun I Scream Cakes??? The family friendly atmosphere of Serendipity???? Ahh what is a girl to do? Luckily, my friend Bronwyn reminded me the new Jeni's Scoop Shop in the Central West End was finally open after all of the listeria nonsense. She lives in the Central West End now, so after hanging out and studying with her for a while and one of her medical school friends, we decided to hit up Jeni's. Upon first entering the building I was shocked by how many flavors Jeni's off...

A week or so ago I reviewed Sam's Choice Blackberry Crumble.  It had been about a year since I tried a Sam's Choice flavor, and swore that I wouldn't wait so long for the next flavor.  I didn't wait a whole year, but it was a bit of an accident.  One of my friends recommended a Salted Caramel flavor from a different Wal-Mart brand, so I headed over to pick up a container, but they were completely out! I guess people really like it, which is a good sign for me when I finally get my hands on it. Instead I picked up two Sam's Choice flavors, a Wal-Mart exclusive Ben and Jerry's flavor and a seasonal Ben and Jerry's flavor.  Thank god for self-checkout! I broke open the Sam's Choice Peanut Butter Chocolate first.  This is Chocolate ice cream with peanut butter ripple and peanut butter cup pieces. The chocolate base was a milk chocolate base.  It was a bit icy, and definitely could have had a stronger chocolate flavor. In most cases, a mediocre ...

I've got to say, I am proud of myself. I'm smoking through the Iowa City frozen dessert offerings. This past Friday, I visted Yotopia with a local fan (can I use that word?) of the blog. Thus, I participated in #FroYoFriday. By which I mean I ate froyo on a Friday, but I did not partake in any social media. It would have required me to take my attention away from my froyo for like 30 seconds and that's way too much time. I have been reviewing a lot of froyo shops as of late, so if you aren't familiar with my 8 step review process for froyo shops, you need to get it together. Please spend more of your life reading my blog and less time doing important, productive activities. 1) The variety of flavors: is there a good selection. 2) The flavor of my choices. 3) The quality of the combination of my choices. 4) The texture of the froyo 5) The variety of the toppings. 6) Quality of the toppings. 7) How well my toppings coordinated with my froyo flavors. 8) Overall ...

On a recent trip to Tim and Tom's (oh praise that bastion of rich, white suburanity which carries such a diverse and high-priced selection of ice cream!) I saw a new brand of Gelato, Gelato Petrini .  They seem to be a gelato shop based in Florida who have recently expanded into the retail market.  Obviously I had to pick up a pint.  They had several delicious-looking flavors, but I settled on Cinnamon Espresso Chip.  This is described as Our take on a deconstructed cappuccino.  True Ceylon cinnamon is used to spice up this gelato.  We then blend in fresh milk and cream to help temper some of the heat and bring out cinnamon's softer side.  Finally we fold these beautiful dark roasted espresso chips that transform the ordinary into the totally sublime. Holy. Crap.  This was, hands down, some of the best gelato I have ever had.  It's texture was amazing.  It was squishy and silky and smooth and rich and thick and creamy all at the...

I bet some of you were thinking, "I wonder when Madeline's going to get over to the great Minnesota get together?" I bet some of you were worrying that I wouldn't make it.  Fear not, I went to the fair today, ate ice cream, and lived to tell the tale. The first frozen dessert I tried was actually a sorbet, Sweet Science Honey Lemonade Sorbet.  Per Sweet Science's  Facebook page , We've teamed up with The Honey Booth to bring a Honey Lemonade Sorbet to "The Great Minnesota Get-Togehter." Fresh squeezed lemons sweetened with Alfalfa-Clover Honey from Dan's Honey Co. in Ottertail, MN combine to create a tart and refreshing sorbet that hits you with a wave of local honey flavor and finishes with the smoothness of a hint of vanilla. Perfect for those hot summer days at the fair! This was a delicious, refreshing punch in the face.  It was suuuuuuper tart, way tarter than any other lemon sorbet I've ever tried.  If lemon were the only com...

Alright, Haagen-Dazs Sorbet, it is about time we met. A while ago Haagen-Dazs sent Madeline 6 coupons for free pints and she so generously sent me 3 of them. I have been working my way through them slowly, because I keep getting "$1 off two pints" coupons from HyVee. So with all the Haagen-Dazs craziness going on in my life, I decided it was about time to try some Haagen-Dazs sorbet. I wish so hard that sorbet was healthy. Like if sorbet was frozen fruitiness and not totally packed with sugar, I would eat sorbet all day every day. However, sorbet has so much sugar and I usually spend my daily sugar allowance on ice cream. I've got to remember to give sorbet its moment more often. The description of this flavor reads Succulent, ripe summer peaches shine in this delicate and delectable sorbet . Okay folks, when was the last time you had a canned peach? This sorbet reminded me of canned peaches. However, I feel like a lot of people associate canned fruit with ...