Astronaut Ice Cream

Update Review, March 2020

Remember when I discovered astronaut ice cream a few years ago? (No? Go read my review!).  I kinda loved the mint chocolate chip.

So during the recent Shelter in Place restriction, I decided this was an ideal time to break into my pantry, and, well, pretend I was on a spaceship.

"Savor the goodness of ice cream and the crunch of chocolate wafers with this Astronaut Ice Cream Sandwich."

I was pretty interested to see how an ice cream *sandwich* would turn into a freeze dried item, after the success of the regular ice cream.  Alas, the sandwich didn't work out nearly as well.

The "ice cream" was actually still decent - crazy crispy texture that somehow is creamy on your tongue, but the flavor was just plain vanilla, which paled in comparison to the mint chocolate chip I had before.  Still, that part worked.

But the chocolate wafer cookies were just crispy, not chocolately, not really flavorful in any way, and had a "stale" feeling about them.

I salvaged all the ice cream out of this, and discarded the cookies.  Fun idea, but, I'll go back to the regular ice cream next time (uh, next time? Let's hope I get off this spaceship soon!)

Original Review, September 2019

Astronaut ice cream  Something I haven't thought about since ... elementary school?  Basically, whenever the last time I visited a planetarium and its gift shop was.

I think I always assumed it was just a gimmick.  I mean, I love ice cream, but ... yeah.  How could this be actually tasty?

Somehow, I honestly don't remember how, I wound up with astronaut ice cream in my pantry.  It is shelf stable for a very long time.

Eventually, I tried (spoiler alert: and loved!), it.

Packaging.

"Freeze-Dried ice cream and other freeze dried foods have been used by NASA since the early days of the Apollo space program and are still used by Astronauts today on the Space Shuttle. If you're looking for an out of this world snack or party treat, this fun treat can be eaten anytime, anywhere. No refrigeration needed ever!"

The outer packaging reveals very little about what will be inside, and I wasn't quite sure what format to expect inside the foil bag. 

Mint Chocolate Chip.

"This is a new twist on the classic freeze-dried space delight. You get a double hit of flavor in one great freeze-dried treat. Truly a unique culinary experience, this delicious freeze-dried ice cream is sure to make ice cream fans happy. Official Freeze-Dried Astronaut Ice Cream is a delightful dessert anytime whether on the trail or outer space!"

Ok, this was downright fascinating, far more than I expected.  I kinda assumed this was cool for kids, and slightly novel, and I'd quickly move on.  It turned out to be fun to me too, and quite delicious.

Inside the outer bag it was wrapped in another wrapper, and then, the product itself was a solid block, or, at least it used to be, before it got all broken up.

The texture is, well, freeze dried.  Super crispy.  If I just bit and chewed, I found my brain got confused very quickly, as I was biting into something crisp, yet the sensation in my mouth was, well, creamy ice cream.  It tasted like ice cream, quite rich.  It even left my mouth coated like ice cream.  But ... it was crispy.  I was drawn in immediately.

Next I let it dissolve a bit more slowly on my tongue, rather than biting.  This was even more addicting, as it spread out into ... um, melting ice cream? Seriously.  It melted in my mouth.  But it was crispy to start, and most certainly wasn't cold.

In addition to all the fascinating textures and experiences going on, it also had flavor.  Really excellent flavor.  Minty.  Rich ice cream.  Little chocolate chips studded it, well distributed throughout.  The flavor was on point with any good mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I really truly enjoyed eating this, and I'd gladly have more.  Good for a day when it isn't "ice cream weather", but you want creamy goodness?