Mrs. Freshley's

Convenience store or vending machine baked goods.  I can't say I generally seek them out, even though I certainly eat plenty of desserts.  Even as a kid, I didn't grow up with these sorts of items in the snack drawer, or packed in my school lunches, as my mom was an avid baker, and I always had fresh homemade items.  On the rare occasion that we got a box of Little Debbie Nutty Bars, it was actually a treat in my mind.  I still remember those (and oatmeal creme pies!) fondly.

Maybe because they have only been around since 1994, or maybe due to my general lack of knowledge in this industry, but Mrs. Freshley's was entirely unknown to me until this past summer, when I tried one of their products, quite randomly while in New Hampshire.  I then noticed them at nearly every gas station around town, basically, the same products as my Little Debbie (yes, they have "Buddy Bars" and all!), but also a few more unique ones.

I wish I had been able to try more items, but alas, I returned to the Bay Area, and haven't seen them here.  I'll be on the lookout next time on the east coast though ...

Reese's Deluxe Peanut Butter Flavored Cupcakes: Shockingly good!

These were the first, totally random product I tried from Mrs. Freshley's, on a total whim.  I couldn't believe how delicious they were.

Cream Filled Cakes

"Theres something special inside these Mrs. Freshley's cakes and you can taste it in every bite - delicious creme. We've got creme-cakes for every sweet tooth - from our icing-topped Chocolate Cupcakes to our special Swiss Rolls and Red Velvet Creme Cakes, a Southern specialty. After one taste, you'll agree that Mrs. Freshley's creme-filled cakes can't be beat! "

The cream filled cakes lineup contains Mrs. Freshley's spin on all the classic packaged snack cakes: Swiss rolls, "Dreamies" that look very much like Twinkies (and come in several flavors, besides just classic vanilla, there is a raspberry one), Snow Balls, and the chocolate cupcakes have the same hard chocolate topping and white drizzle as another well known snack cake ... 

But Mrs. Freshley's also has some unique items, a large cupcake lineup ranging from orange, vanilla, peanut butter, and red velvet to even *banana pudding cupcakes*, the last of which I'd love to try - it has banana pudding filling and is made with vanilla wafers!

But it was one signature item I couldn't pass up as my first dive in Mrs. Freshley's products: yes, they have a regular peanut butter cupcake, but they also have Reese's co-branded ones, part of the Deluxe lineup.  The Deluxe lineup also has other co-branded items with Hershey's, so, chocolate lovers, be on the lookout!  They aren't exactly hard to find, found at Walmart and gas stations everywhere.

Reese's Co-Branded Deluxe Peanut Butter Flavored Cupcakes: Twin Pack.

"Reese's Peanut Butter Flavored Cupcakes are made with Reese's peanut butter."

The Reese's line bears packaging that makes it easily recognizable.  A version is available with Reese's Pieces on top, or, as I went for, orange/yellow/brown sprinkles, and a drizzle.

How is this different than the standard, non-deluxe, peanut butter cupcake?  The regular peanut butter cupcake is a chocolate cake with peanut butter filling too, but lacks the extravagant topping, settling for a simple swirl like the chocolate ones.  The Reese's ones are higher calorie, but the ingredient list is shorter, fewer chemical sounding ingredients ...

Deluxe Reese's Peanut Butter Flavored Cupcake.

I had zero expectations for this packaged product, and ... well, I was blown away.  I *really* liked it.  Granted, I had been on a chocolate and peanut butter kick, but, wow.  I *really* liked it.  As much as any fancy bakery baked good, or even my mom's homemade desserts.

Ok, starting on top ...

The peanut butter icing was fantastic.  Hard style, crusted on, thick, and loaded with peanut butter flavor.  Loved it.  Loved the sprinkles.  Sweet - check.  Peanut butter - check.

Deluxe Reese's Peanut Butter Flavored Cupcake.

Ok, how about what lie under the icing?

A chocolate cupcake, actually pretty good.  Not dried out.  It didn't taste stale, it didn't taste generic, it didn't taste fake.  Better than most grocery store cakes, better than box mix cakes/cupcakes.  It wasn't amazing or anything, don't get me wrong, but it was light, fluffy, moist, chocolatey.  Far better than any other packaged snack cake I've had, and blew away my expectations.

And then, the filling.  Peanut butter cream.  More excellent peanut butter flavor.  Filling amount was decent, well distributed.

A bite of all elements - fluffy cake, creamy peanut butter filling, and sweet toppings - was really fantastic.  The peanut butter flavor was really quite strong, and it all combined together fairly magically.

I was thrilled to just eat this, as is.  I didn't need to pair it with ice cream, warm it up, or anything.  It is rare for me to be satisfied with something so "simple" but, this was a winner.  I'd get it again.

I was glad they were fairly small size, but a bit stunned at the nutrition stats, but I guess it was loaded with sugar, is highly processed, and does have peanut butter ...

****+.

Snowballs.

"Mrs. Freshley's Pink Snowballs are deliciously created with a moist chocolate devil's food cake with a yummy creme filling. This sweet creation is covered in a thick layer of marshmallow and then dipped in a pink coconut."

After the success of the  Deluxe Peanut Butter Flavored Cupcakes I decided I wanted to try more products from Mrs. Freshley's, so when I was at a gas station, and saw a huge display of Mrs. Freshley's goods ... I definitely impulse shopped, randomly grabbing the fluffy pink snowballs.

Spoiler: I didn't care for them AT ALL!

The pink coconut outer layer was pretty I guess, but just kinda dry.  The "thick layer of marshmallow" really seemed more like a very odd sponge cake, I really truly hated the texture, and would never identify it as marshmallow.

Snowballs: Inside.

Inside, the "moist chocolate devil's food cake" also did not live up. The cake was extremely mild in chocolate flavor, and I wouldn't call it "moist", but it wasn't too tried out.

And the "yummy creme filling"?  CRAZY sweet, tasting basically of corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup and probably some palm oil too, you know, what it is actually made of.

So yes, these were a fail for me on every dimension, honestly, more of what I'd expect from a package snack cake, after all. 

*+.

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Good Humor Ice Cream

Ice cream.  I eat a lot of ice cream.  It is part of my *daily* life (yes, really).  Thank goodness I have a large freezer.

I eat ice cream as the "a la mode" to warm pie or fruit crisps, I stuff cookies with it to make ice cream sandwiches, and of course, I make a mean ice cream sundae. 

I've been this way my whole life.  As a kid, we always had gallons of multiple flavors of ice cream in the freezer, Carvel ice cream cake was the birthday cake of choice (even though my mom is an avid baker!), and for a quick grab-n-go, we always also had assorted "novelties" from the frozen food delivery service on hand.  And of course, elementary school lunch had ice cream day, iirc it was Fridays, and I took it quite seriously - I was the one who took the ice cream order regularly, or was the distributor, etc.  

For the most part, I left generic ice cream novelties, the kind sold from neighborhood ice cream trucks or the school lunch program, behind long ago.  I continued my ice cream eating, no question, but upgraded to more premium brands (ok, in college I'd trade in my "meal equivalency" for pints of Ben & Jerry's at our diner ... sssh, don't tell mom!), but otherwise, I've turned towards more ... grown up offerings.

That is, until I started traveling for my job frequently, and learned about all the generic brands in other countries, which were rarely better than what we had, just, different.  It became part of my world travel experience, checking out the ice cream freezers at every office, and trying as many ice cream novelties as I possibly could (like Heartbrand in Europe or its Australian counterpart Streets).  And of course, for the lucky offices that had quality products, trying those too (such as the Belly Artisan Ice Cream in Toronto, the Great British Ice Cream Company or Jude's in London, Mövenpick Ice Cream in Zurich, and international only flavors of Ben & Jerry's).  It was during these times that I also got back into American novelty ice cream, partially out of curiosity how we compared, but also, well, because the ice cream freezers in other US offices had them, so, why not try?  In the Cambridge, MA office I had all the regulars - Hood, Nestlé, and Blue Bunny/Blue Ribbon - and really fell back in love with novelties (but sorry, I still will rarely go for an It's-It ... does this make me a bad San Franciscan?

Anyway.  Are you still reading?  Let's get back to reviewing some ice cream, er, frozen dairy desserts.

Good Humor is perhaps the most well known brand in the US.  They were the original sponsors of ice cream trucks, the ones who introduced us to "the ice cream jingle", etc.  I probably don't need to tell you much about their product line: ice cream sandwiches, eclair bars, etc.  These are the same kind of items I remember from elementary school, although I do not know for sure what brand we had in particular then.

It turns out, some are actually quite decent ...

Giant Vanilla
"Frozen vanilla dairy dessert sandwich"

The ice cream sandwich.  Classic as they come.  

Not a treat that I think I have ... ever picked?  Literally.  I am pretty sure I never, ever, ever picked an ice cream sandwich like this in my life.  I have no idea why, but, they have never called out to me.  Even as a child.  

And yet, here I am, an adult, deciding to try one for the first time.  I tried it on a day when I was having a strange craving for a chocolate whoopie pie (so random) but also kinda wanted ice cream, and remembered seeing the classic, soft chocolate cookie, vanilla ice cream filled, ice cream sandwich in my parent's freezer.

It was time to try.  This one came supersized, "Giant".

Giant Vanilla.

"A giant treat with vanilla ice cream packed between two chocolate flavored wafers – each bite better than the last."

I knew exactly what to expect, having obviously seen many an ice cream sandwich consumed over the years, although this one was, as named "Giant", bigger than a standard ice cream sandwich.  Otherwise, it looked exactly like every ice cream sandwich I have seen other's enjoy: large, soft, chocolate rectangular wafer cake-like cookies that have little tiny holes in them for some reason, filled with vanilla "dairy dessert".  Simplicity.

I took one bite, and ... well, I liked it.  It really did match the craving I had, in many ways.  Sure, not a whoopie pie, but the "chocolate flavored wafers" were quite soft, lightly chocolately, and more like a soft whoopie pie cookie than anything else I can think to compare them to actually (certainly not a cookie ...).

The vanilla dairy dessert inside was sweet, not really "vanilla" in any way, but sweet and plain, and quite smooth.  Not a premium ice cream, not even an ice cream, technically, but it melted perfectly, and balanced well with the chocolate wafer.

I also truly enjoyed the form factor - not sure why I always went for other sorts of novelty treats, really, as it fun to lick around the edges as it melted.  I will note however that it did leave quite the chocolate residue on my hands!

Overall though, this matched my craving, and pleased me.  Classic for a reason.  I'd have another, if the mood ever hit.

***+

Chocolate Eclair.

"Chocolate and cake on a stick, yum! We wouldn’t blame you if you d-éclair this cake-coated frozen Chocolate Éclair dessert bar as your favorite."

Another variety I don't really remember often going for: the chocolate eclair (nor, the strawberry eclair for that matter).  Although I did vaguely remember liking the crunch coating, so, as an adult, on a research mission, I tried one.

It looked better out of the package than I expected.  I enjoyed ... elements of it.

Chocolate Eclair: Coating.

"Creamy chocolate and vanilla dessert bar. Made with our famous signature cake coating."

The "signature cake coating" really was quite generously, and well, applied.  

The "signature cake coating" really was quite generously, and well, applied.  You could see the bits of 3 different styles of cake - two chocolate, one white.  All was stuck on with some kind of very mild chocolate ("milk chocolate flavored coating"), per the ingredient label.

I liked the coating. It didn't taste stale, was sweet, was really just pretty tasty.

***+ for the coating.

Chocolate Eclair: Inside.

Inside though, is basically just ... kinda icy, not really creamy, ice-cream-like vanilla stuff, and, a fudgicle/fudgsicle like core.  Not really my thing.

I do think there is a time and a place for a fudgicle, perhaps, but just not what I go for.

** for the core.  I won't likely grab one of these again.

Oreo Dessert Bar

"All those Oreo® Cookie Pieces! Our fan-favorite frozen dessert bar is loaded with Oreo® Cookie Pieces, with scrumptious Oreo® cookie crunch coating. Glass of milk not required."

Well, this was ok, but keep in mind that I only quasi-like Oreo.  You definitely need to want to be in the mood for Oreo to enjoy this bar - this is for Oreo and cookies-n-cream lovers, no question.

Decently coated in chocolate bits, "Oreo Crunch", tons extra in the bag.  They were, well, Oreo crumble.  

Oreo Dessert Bar: Side View.

From the side, it was less well coated, but this allows you to see the "milk chocolate flavored coating".  It really just helped affix the crunch bits, didn't really have any flavor nor add to the bar.

Oreo Dessert Bar: Inside.

Inside was the ice cream like filling, studded with Oreo cookie pieces. 

The ice cream wasn't very good, not creamy, icy, but if you like the sweet "stuf" inside an Oreo, it surely tasted like that.

So ... overall, you had the Oreo cookie bits, the sweet "stuf", and it certainly had a lot of Oreo going on, and would appeal to any cookies-n-cream lover, but, you had to want, well, Oreo.

*** for me.

Reese's Dessert Cup.

"Made with REESE’S Peanut Butter Swirl! Enjoy this fan favorite peanut butter ice cream cup with chocolatey coating."

While the other items I mostly tried just out of curiosity, and were not things I ever cared about even growing up, *this* one I was extremely excited for.  Peanut butter cups?  Sign me up.  I adore a chocolate + pb combo.

I gleefully broke into it.

It delivered.  It was delicious.  And yes, it tastes pretty much like a peanut butter cup.

The chocolate shell had a nice snap, creamy milk chocolate, seemed reasonable quality.  It was quite satisfying to bite into, cracking open.  Reminded me of a Klondike Bar (Klondike also makes a version of this, but people tend to have higher accolades for the Good Humor version).

And inside?  Um, yeah.  PEANUT BUTTER.  This is a peanut butter forward product, no question.  So rich, truly wonderful tasting peanut butter ice cream.  Unlike many of Good Humor's frozen novelties, this one is actual ice cream, and you can tell.  Considerably creamier.  Great peanut butter flavor.

It took a while to find the "real Reese's Peanut Butter swirl" it said it was made with, but I suddenly found a harder chunk near the middle, off center a bit, that turned out to be basically pure peanut butter.  Glorious.

Overall, this was a delight.  You definitely need to be in the mood for peanut butter, and richness, but if you are, and if you love peanut butter cups, this is basically a giant ice cream version of a peanut butter cup, and is done really quite well.

****, and I'd certainly have another when craving peanut butter.

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Three Twins Ice Cream

Once upon a time, years ago, circa ... 2005, I attended an event in the Mission, with local artisans and restaurants.  I remember trying a fascinating ice cream there, lemon cookie, shocked that I liked it as I don't generally go for lemon desserts.  It was a small local vendor, just getting their start.  The founder was the one scooping the ice cream.

That vendor was ... Three Twins ice cream.  They soon became very successful, with multiple ice cream shops, deals with restaurants around town (I know Chile Pies & Ice Cream featured their ice cream), and pints distributed at grocery stores in the area.  And then they spread nationwide, even in my tiny hometown in New Hampshire I could find a few flavors of their ice cream.  They expanded to a few novelties, to selling their own ice cream cones, to expanding the flavors offered.

They expanded but kept a focus on organic ingredients, no corn syrup or seaweed derivatives, just, quality ice cream (and later even introduced their non-organic more mainstream line, Maxine's).  

Somewhere along the way, I won a lot of pints of ice cream through a contest they ran.  I remember having the choice of getting 1 pint of every flavor they made sent to me on dry ice, or I could get a bunch of coupons and redeem them myself.  The number of coupons was more than double the number of pints.  Clearly, I had to pick the coupons.

And so I did.  They *did* expire at the end of that year, which lead to a bit of a funny scramble near the end when I realized it - and you can only redeem one coupon at a time - so I needed to use them at a rate of multiple per week.  I may or may not have had ice cream stored in a friend's freezer at one point, and I may or may not have gifted free ice cream coupons to nice friendly cashiers at Whole Foods, or interesting individuals I met in the ice cream aisle.  

But I loved the experience.  I tried every flavor, obviously.  I doubled and tripled up on others.  And really, just became totally and completely addicted to Three Twins ice cream.  At some point I moved on to ordering full scoop shop/catering 5 L pans at a time.  And trying the novelties.

For the most part, their ice cream is simple.  No crazy mix-ins.  But so so good.  The Madegascar Vanilla is the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had.  The Bittersweet Chocolate?  Same thing.  I've yet to find a chocolate ice cream I enjoy more.

Sadly, at the beginning of the pandemic, Three Twins shut down.  That was the final blow, to their already precarious situation (it sounds like they did expand too fast, and the margins in the retail business really hit hard).   For a while you could still find pints around town, but alas, those days are long gone.

I never published this review back when Three Twins was in operation, even though I collected all my notes, and diligently tried all the flavors.  I leave this to them as a tribute, my favorite ice cream brand for *years*, and one I truly miss.

Vanilla Based

Vanilla.  The most basic of ice creams.  Not one that I ever eat on its own, but what I always have on hand to enjoy with a warm piece of pie or fruit crisp.  Which I do often.  Also the base for several other flavors.

Madagascar Vanilla.

Three Twins vanilla is made with organic madagascar vanilla, from Nielsen-Massey.  Simple ice cream base, with high quality vanilla added.

Unremarkable look, incredible flavor.

This is, hands down, the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had.  It looks like any old vanilla ice cream. And, who really cares about vanilla ice cream?  I never just have vanilla ice cream, to me it is just something to pair with pie.  Or turn into a sundae.  Well, that is, I never *used * to have plain vanilla ice cream.

But this?  I do actually sometimes just have a scoop of this.  The vanilla flavor is just so intense.  I don't know how else to describe this, but ... so very vanilla!  Of course, I usually use it with pie or crisp, or add toppings, but the number of times I go for this plain vanilla, uh, right from the pint, surprises me!

Fair Trade Vanilla Bean Speck (Discontinued).

Wait, didn't I just review the vanilla ice cream?  Three Twins actually makes two varieties, which is a bit surprising, given that they only make 17 flavors.  Having two be plain vanilla seems a bit strange, when they could make so many other varieties!

But I digress.  The ingredient list for the Vanilla Bean Speck is nearly identical to the Madagascar Vanilla, basic cream/sugar/eggs, but this time, the vanilla extract is fair trade certified (and produced specially for them), and ground vanilla bean is added, for the "speck" aspect of the name.

Let me digress again.  The first time I went to get a pint of Three Twins, I was standing in front of the freezer at Whole Foods trying to pick a flavor.  A guy came up to me and told me I had good taste in ice cream, and that Three Twins was his favorite brand.  I asked what his favorite flavor was, and he told me, "I know it sounds crazy, but they make the best vanilla bean".  So I got it.

Tiny flecks of vanilla bean.

I totally understand my fellow shopper's point.   Like I said, I'm not one to just eat vanilla ice cream plain, but this was really quite good vanilla ice cream.

I even started by having some just plain, to really evaluate it. I can't say I've had any particularly memorable vanilla in the past, so I hesitate to say "best vanilla ice cream ever", but it was creamy, the flavor was great, truly vanilla bean, not just an extract.  The flecks of vanilla bean gave a tiny bit of texture, but mostly just reminded you that you were eating the real deal.

I've had this many times since, sometimes paired with warm fresh fruit crisp or crumble, sometimes just as a base for a sundae topped with caramel, nuts, whipped cream and a cherry.  Its amazing in all of these forms.  This is some seriously good vanilla, but I do prefer the Madegascar Vanilla.

Vanilla Bean (5L).

Yes, another version of vanilla.  The Fair Trade Vanilla Bean Speck was replaced by a new version of Vanilla Bean, still made with fair trade vanilla extract, and flecks of organic vanilla bean, but the name changed to drop the Fair Trade designation.

I had it from a 5L tub (the kind you find at scoop shops and restaurants, or, uh, if you are me, my freezer), but it is also available in regular pints and quarts.

I loved it as much as the other two versions of Three Twins vanilla.  Creamy, premium, great vanilla flavor.  Another version that taught me that I like vanilla ice cream, even just a simple scoop sometimes (although, who are we kidding, I usually have it paired with warm pie or other main attraction).

Cookies & Cream.

Not to be left out, let's return back to the vanilla base, and start adding to it instead.

My father loves Oreos, and so we always had cookies & cream flavor in my house growing up.  Of course, Three Twins must always kick things up a notch, so again, they use their vanilla base instead of plain, and add two types of crushed cookies into the mix.

So much cookie!

The color of the ice cream was not white, as it was absolutely loaded with cookies, blended in, and in big chunks.  It had more cookie flavor than most ice creams of this variety, but I didn't really find much of the cream.  My favorite cookies & cream style ice creams always leave the cream layer intact.

Vanilla Chocolate Chip.

If you've been playing along, you can probably guess the base for this: the Madagascar Vanilla ice cream.  Loaded with little dark chocolate chips.

Tiny little dark chocolate chips.

As you can see, these are tiny chocolate chips.  Not flecks like most ice cream that calls itself chocolate "chip", but actual full chips, just tiny ones.

I really liked the crunch from the tiny little chocolate chips.  They say that they prefer the small ones so they can be more easily distributed throughout the ice cream.   They were definitely right, as there were plentiful chips in every bite.  The choice of chip size in here was clearly a success.

As was the choice to use dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate.  These actually tasted like chocolate.  Quality dark chocolate.

This is one of the best chocolate chip ice creams I've had.  Not a flavor that I normally seek out, but I'd certainly consider getting this again.

Mint Confetti.

Now, moving on to more interesting flavors!  Mint Confetti is one of their original flavors, and one that has stood the test of time.

Chocolate "flecks"

This is a mint ice cream base with chocolate "flecks".  Unlike most mint ice cream, it actually starts with a vanilla base (their Madagascar vanilla of course), to which they add mint extract and dark chocolate flecks.  The ice cream is not artificially green, making it appear to be vanilla based, until you taste it.  Unlike the Chocolate Chip, they use dark chocolate flecks, rather than tiny chips.  I'm not sure why they choose chips for the vanilla, and flecks for everything else.

The ice cream was creamy like all of their flavors, but the mint was a bit too muted for my taste.  I would have liked it stronger.  It also was a bit too sweet, which I know sounds crazy coming from me.

The flecks came in assorted sizes, and added texture.  I appreciate that they use dark chocolate, not milk chocolate, as it had richer taste.

Overall, this was fine, but not really something I'd go back for.

Mint Confetti (2018).

Except of course I've had Mint Confetti many more times.

The less-than-intense mint aspect does always make me a bit sad, and my previous comment about being too sweet seems to have just been a one time thing ... perhaps that batch, perhaps just how I felt that day?

The recipe also could have changed, as the amount of chocolate flecks seems decreased as well.

Overall, this flavor is fine, but its not high on my list, as some of the others are just stunning.

Chocolate Based

Moving on from classic vanilla, we turn to the next basic flavor: chocolate.  Except of course, it isn't just chocolate, it is very intense chocolate, with far more cocoa than most on the market.  And, like all of their ice creams, it uses a vanilla base as well.

Bittersweet Chocolate.

I don't normally gravitate towards chocolate ice cream.  I'm not sure why, but I always prefer a vanilla base with mix-ins, or really any other flavor.

But this was a very good chocolate ice cream.  Like all Three Twins ice cream, it was creamy, high quality ice cream.  But the chocolate flavor was just incredible.  Dark, intense, it reminded me of chocolate mousse, more than chocolate ice cream.

While I'd still likely pick another flavor over chocolate in general, this could have been the best chocolate I've ever had.  Since I know I don't normally go for chocolate ice cream, I intended to share this pint with others after I tried it, but, let's just say, no one else got a chance at this ...

Update: I had another pint of this, and it continues to be the richest chocolate ice cream I've ever had.  I can't get over how much it reminds me of a perfect chocolate mousse.  It is decadent and perfectly fine on its own, but also goes great with whipped cream, or, as I discovered on day, peanut butter.  Even better if that peanut butter is warmed up to turn it into peanut butter sauce.  Oh my.  How do you resist the killer chocolate and peanut butter combination?

Update #2: I had yet another pint of this, and it continues to be the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had.  I never normally pick chocolate ice cream, but if I was ever going to, it would be for this.  So rich.  So fudgey.  Just amazing.

Chocolate Malt.

Stepping up a notch past simple chocolate, is the chocolate malt.

It is incredibly creamy, with a mild chocolate flavor, slightly malted.  I don't normally go for chocolate ice creams, but this was pretty good.  I still prefer the Bittersweet Chocolate however.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup.

Now, it is time to start adding things into the chocolate ice cream base.  Like, you know, peanut butter cups.  Yes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup (inside).

This turned out to be mild chocolate ice cream, no where near as intense as the bittersweet chocolate.  The peanut butter cups are tiny little cups.  Not nearly enough peanut butter flavor for me.

One of my least favorites, which surprised me, as I adore chocolate and peanut butter together.

Chocolate Orange Confetti.

"Chocolate ice cream with an orange flair and flecks of dark chocolate."

Adding on to the base chocolate ice cream again, this time with orange oil and chocolate flecks!

Chocolate Orange Confetti: inside!

The ice cream was a decent milk chocolate base, and it was very clearly infused with orange.  The orange flavor was quite strong, although it didn't overpower the chocolate.  Orange and chocolate are a classic combination, although not one I generally like that much.  It was far more successful here than I expected.  The flecks of dark chocolate seemed to be the same as in the Mint Confetti, and I again appreciated the strong dark chocolate and the texture added by the flecks, much more fun that standard chocolate chips.

Brownie Batter Chunk.

"Few of life’s pleasures are better than licking the bowl when making a batch of brownies. While Brownie Batter Chunk might not perfectly replicate that experience, I hope that you’ll love this dark chocolate base made with a custom organic black cocoa and chunks of frozen brownie batter. Plus, there’s a lot less cleanup afterwards..."

This is one of the newer Three Twins flavors, introduced in 2014.

For some reason, I really didn't care for this chocolate base.  It was fairly bitter.

The frozen brownie batter chunks however were tasty, buttery, chocolately, good.  And really large chunks.  But since I didn't care for the base chocolate flavor ice cream, this wasn't the flavor for me.

Mexican Chocolate.

"This combination of indulgent cocoa powder, smooth cinnamon and a healthy dose of vanilla is so delicious you might need to build a wall around it to keep it to yourself. But, ice cream's better shared, so go ahead and grab some spoons and share this one with your amigos."

This is a good chocolate ice cream.

I'll be the first to admit that chocolate is never my first choice of ice cream.  And I'm not a huge fan of "Mexican Chocolate".  But this is good ice cream.

The same base creamy chocolate ice cream that I always like more than I expect.  VERY aggressive cinnamon, there is no question that this is a Mexican chocolate flavor.  If you like chocolate and cinnamon, I suspect you'll love this.

Classic Flavors

Three Twins made 17 flavors at the maximum, so of course they included a few other "classics".

Strawberry.

And, the final classic ice cream flavor is of course, strawberry.

Strawberry Insides.

They do not use chunks of strawberry, just blend it, but the seeds are evident, scattered throughout.

Now, I don't really like strawberry ice cream.  My dad always likes it, but me?  Always one of my last choices.  That said ... this is actually really good strawberry ice cream!

The strawberry flavor is crazy intense.  Just like the Bittersweet Chocolate, I was really impressed with the flavor they managed to get into such a simple, classic flavor.  It just tastes, well, good.

I've had this many times over the years, and I keep expecting to have a day where I don't like it, because, it *is* strawberry ice cream after all, but, each and every time, I really like it.  I can't explain.  It also makes incredible milkshakes.

Strawberry Je Ne Sais Quoi

"Strawberry with splash of balsamic vinegar."

Three Twins used to also make this fancier version of strawberry, with balsamic vinegar added.  It sounded really interesting to me, but I guess it was too adventurous for most, as they have basically discontinued it (I say basically because they add a splash to the standard strawberry).

Where is the balsamic?

I honestly didn't taste the "je ne sais quoi". It was just like any old strawberry ice cream to me, which is never a flavor I'd pick, so this one I wasn't very thrilled with.  I really preferred the plain strawberry, so, I agree with removing this flavor from the lineup.

Milk Coffee.

Ok, I lied.  The final classic flavor of course is coffee!  This is one of Three Twin's newest flavors, just added to the lineup in 2013. 

Now, I love coffee.  I drink several cups every morning.  But, I don't tend to gravitate towards coffee ice cream.  I'm not sure why.  Perhaps because I like to limit my caffeine intake to the morning hours, and, even I find it a bit hard to justify ice cream for breakfast.  That is, until I met this ice cream.  Don't judge.  Once you try this ice cream, you'll have it for breakfast too.  Hands down, the best coffee ice cream I've ever tasted.

The coffee flavor is deep, yet not harsh or acidic.  The base is rich and creamy.  The only problem with this ice cream is that it has a LOT of caffeine in it.  I felt it instantly, even after consuming only a small bowl.

Proceed with caution.  Have it for breakfast.  I promise I won't tell.

Mocha Difference.

If you liked the flecks of dark chocolate from the Mint Confetti, but want something with a bit more kick, go for the Mocha Difference: coffee ice cream with dark chocolate flecks.

And by a bit more kick, I mean a lot more kick.  This is very caffeinated ice cream; a single scoop has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.  Like the Mint Confetti, it is one of their original flavors.

It was creamy.  It was intensely coffee-y.  And the dark chocolate flecks added some fun texture.  I loved this, but it left me WIRED.

[ Update: again, I loved it.  Nice mocha flavor, creamy base, texture from the chips.  A winner, wish I could have it more regularly ... perhaps they could make a decaf version? :) ]

Unique Flavors

Ok, now that we've covered classic vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and coffee, with or without mixins, it is time to get to some more interesting flavors.

Sea Salted Caramel.

Ah yes,  Salted Caramel.  The darling flavor of the past few years.  Everyone makes it now right?

Yes, but as one friend said after trying this one, "most aren't this good!". Another taster repeatedly said, "This is really tasty!"

Like all of Three Twins flavors, it is creamy, and starts with a vanilla base.  The salt level isn't very high, in fact, I would have believed it was just caramel.  It was very sweet, such that I think a really large bowl would be too much, but a few bites is just right.  That said, it also had a complexity to it, from the deep caramelized flavor.  One taster said it reminded him almost of a coffee flavor, in that it had a bitter undertone.

I like it in small quantities, but it is overall too sweet, and I think it would be even more amazing with some texture to it, or something to cut the sweet a bit.  I could imagine pretzel bits going really well, adding some crunch, and additional salt.  In fact, I may just add some crunched pretzels on top next time!

Sea Salted Caramel (Grab N Go).

I've had the salted caramel a few more times since my initial review.  It continues to be a bit too sweet on its own.  Great as a tiny scoop with something else, or with plentiful toppings, but on its own, I still find it to be a bit too much.  I also like to add a sprinkling of salt to amp up the salted aspect a bit.

Land of Milk and Honey.

"Land of Milk and Honey doesn’t depend on bells and whistles to woo your taste buds. Rather, it’s a simple, blissful combination of some of nature’s finest treats."

This is an incredibly pleasant ice cream.  Very simple though, standard ice cream base of milk/cream/sugar/egg yolk, with only one additional ingredient: honey.

It is sweet, but in a subtle, light way, not like the sea salted caramel.  The honey flavor is simply beautiful.  I don't know how else to explain it.

I actually enjoy this plain, on its own, with nothing added, but it pairs great with nuts, and I bet it would be amazing served alongside baklava.

This has turned out to be one of my favorites, very surprising due to its simplicity, although, at this point, that is what I've come to expect from Three Twins.

Note: during Pride, this flavor is renamed to "Harvey Milk & Honey".

Butterscotch Pecan.

It was almost like Three Twins read my mind.  I liked the Sea Salted Caramel, but I wanted something mixed in for texture.  Enter: Butterscotch Pecan.

Butterscotch Pecan sounds like my absolute dream flavor.  When I was growing up, we ate a lot of pie, especially for the holidays.  My grandmother made THE BEST butterscotch pie ever.  And my mom held her own with a classic pecan.  It was always a toss up every single time for me to pick my favorite between the two.  So this ice cream, made with both my favorite pie flavors in one?  PERFECT!

Chunks of pecans inside.

"Creamy, golden butterscotch with a helping of chopped pecans."

My first thought in tasting this was that it was crazy sweet.  I like sweet, but this was a bit over the top, particularly if you didn't get in bites with pecans in it.  The bits of pecan did help balance it out a bit, as they had a slight bitterness to them.  I really appreciated them for the crunch too.

But back to the butterscotch.  Once I got past how sweet it was, I realized that I'd never be able to distinguish it from a caramel flavor.  There was something about it that seemed more caramel-like than butterscotchy, and I'm not sure what it was.  In fact, it reminded me of the salted caramel ice cream, but with nuts added.

I still liked it, it was like an elevated version of butter pecan, but I somehow was looking for something different.  As in, I wanted the lovechild of my grandmother's pie and my mother's pie, somehow in ice cream form, and this wasn't it.

For a standalone ice cream, no toppings needed, this is a good pick, since it is like a sundae with the nuts and butterscotch already mixed in.  And once I went back for later servings, and knew not to expect it to be my pies magically transformed into ice cream, I did enjoy it more.  I still think it is a bit sweet, and can use some whipped cream to mellow it out, or, at least, a smaller portion.  You can't eat an entire pint of this one in just one sitting.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Update: I've continued to have this flavor many more times, and am no longer overwhelmed with the sweet, particularly when compared to the Salted Caramel.  Butterscotch Pecan remains one of my favorites to eat alone, since it already has nuts mixed in.

Caramel Truffle Swirl.

"Sweet cream with a caramel swirl and salted caramel truffles".

And another caramely offering, Caramel Truffle Swirl, complete with truffles inside.

Inside Caramel Truffle Swirl.

Again, I felt like Three Twins did a great job of tapping into my thoughts refining the previous flavors that I had tried.  The salted caramel was delicious, but a bit one dimensional in its sweetness.  Butterscotch pecan was even sweeter, but benefited from the addition of crunchy nuts.  Caramel Truffle Swirl was even more balanced.

The sweet cream base was very rich, pleasantly sweet, not overboard.  It was even a bit tangy.  Then there was a caramel swirl that was very sweet, but wasn't as overpowering as the Salted Caramel or Butterscotch Pecan bases, since it was just a swirl, mixed in with the less intense sweet cream base.  It wasn't a gooey swirl like I was expecting though, more just like caramel ice cream swirled amongst the sweet cream ice cream.  I would have preferred gooey.

And finally, since I like to have something interesting mixed in, I was excited about the caramel truffles.  Small little chocolates , that I guess were filled with caramel, although I didn't notice that aspect.

This was a hit with friends, and I thought it was good, but not in my top few flavors.

Update: We had a second pint of this, and it really grew on me.  I loved the not-over-the-top sweetness of it, and while I still wished the caramel was more gooey, I still really liked the overall result.  After more consideration, I put this in my top 6 or so flavors, and is one I'll gladly eat more of.

Dad's Cardamom.

"An aromatic spice for an extraordinary taste sensation."

And now for a truly unique flavor: Dad's Cardamom.  The naming of this has a cute story.  It used to be called just "Cardamom", but people would often incorrectly say "Cardamon".  So, they put the "dad" in front to mimic the "mom" at the end, hoping to teach people the real name.  I perhaps was guilty of this in the past, so I love that they taught me a new way to remember the proper pronunciation!

This is a simple recipe, the classic Madagascar vanilla with ... ground cardamom.  Nothing more.

Flecks of cardamom.

The aroma on this was pretty lovely, clearly cardamom.  The texture was their classic creaminess.  And the flavor?  Yup, cardamom.  It was lovely, and floral, and if you like cardamom, you'll love this ice cream.  Since I don't really care much for cardamom, I didn't love it, but I could tell it was a delicate, well crafted flavor.

Update: I had this another time, and, I guess I've decided that I like cardamom? It had this lovely floral undertone, and felt like a really "grown up" flavor.  It was my favorite ice cream at the time, which surprised me, given all my prior reviews.  I guess my taste is refining ...  I liked it best paired with some coffee cake.

Lemon Cookie.

"Lemon ice cream with vanilla sandwich creme cookies."

Lemon Cookie was the first Three Twins ice cream I ever tried, at Chili Pies & Ice Cream.  Apparently it is also their most Tweeted/Facebook'ed about flavor too.

It has a lot more going on than their other flavors, as it has both a flavored base (lemon!), and has chunks of something inside.  Besides the chocolate flavors, it is one of only a handful of their flavors that doesn't use Madagascar vanilla.

Inside the Lemon Cookie.

As you can see, the ice cream has chunks of the sandwich cookies throughout.  As someone who loves chunks of things in my ice cream, I appreciate this, particularly since most of Three Twins flavors do not.  Sorta the opposite of Ben & Jerry's where ever flavor has a slew of mix-ins.

The base ice cream wasn't as creamy as other flavors I've tried, almost a bit icy.  I'm wondering if my batch accidentally got a bit freezer burned before I opened it.  It was lemony, and very sweet.  This is really interesting, as I re-read my previous review, and I specifically mention it not being too sweet.  But this time, it was too sweet for me, and I found myself wanting something to temper the sweet.

The vanilla sandwich creme cookies did not meet that need, as they were also quite sweet, but I did think the sandwich cookies and lemon flavor worked very nicely together.  Since I remember really liking this flavor in the past, I think I may have just been in the wrong mood for this at the time, and I'll certainly have to try it again.

Update Review:
I like the concept of this flavor, but I don't seem to ever really like it.  The lemon cookie chunks are nice to have mix-ins, and the ice cream was creamy, but, it was sweet, the cookies were a bit mushy, and I don't care that much for lemon desserts.  Eh.

Copycat Flavors

And finally, the flavors I wouldn't call "original" exactly, as they are clearly, um, copycat flavors of a certain well known mass market ice cream distributor.

Cherry Chocolate Chunk.

"You’ll be grateful that this sumptuous combination is available in organic."

This flavor I tried in my mom's honor.  Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia is her absolute favorite, and, this flavor is clearly a play on that.  But organic.  Which they certainly point out.

The base ice cream is cherry flavor, and really quite sweet.  Too sweet for me, and actually just not a very interesting flavor.  The dark chocolate chunks were good, and distribution of them throughout was fine, about the same as Cherry Garcia.

But, that is all this ice cream was.  Sweet fruity ice cream with chocolate chunks.  I felt about it about the same way I feel about Cherry Garcia, except, that Cherry Garcia has an aspect that I do like: the bits of semi-frozen cherry chunks.  Those are what I dig through a pint of Cherry Garcia looking for, and here, without them, the pint just didn't have much to offer me.

One of my least favorite flavors, and I'm curious what my mom would think of it.

Novelties

For years, Three Twins only sold pints of ice cream.  Then, in 2013, they introduced an ice cream sandwich (the first fair trade, organic certified one on the market).  They have since expanded to offer 4 types of ice cream sandwich (two cookie based, two wafer based), and two types of sundae cones.  I've tried several.

Cones

Cones are available in a classic vanilla sundae cone style, or, triple chocolate (chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, chocolate chips).  I tried the classic.

Sundae Cone.

"Madagascar vanilla sundae cones topped with chocolate and roasted peanuts."

The cone is a classic individually wrapped cone,  unroll the paper wrapper, pull off the top.

The components of the cone itself, again, classic.  Sugar cone, lined with chocolate, filled with vanilla ice cream, and topped with chocolate and chopped peanuts.  You've seen this before, from other manufacturers like Nestlé Drumsticks, which I've reviewed both the US and Canadian versions of, or Streets brand Cornettos in Australia.

Now, this review is going to get less useful fast.  I got my cone via Uber Eats, and it is clear that they did not handle it well.  Unless Three Twins really made a horrible product, this thing suffered big time from both freezer burn, and from being re-frozen.  

The cone was soggy.  Like, flexible soggy.  I can say that it was nicely lined with quality chocolate, and the tip was more generously stuffed with chocolate than many.  But, the cone was ruined and I don't feel fair evaluating it.

The ice cream was ... gummy on top and the edges, and crystalized elsewhere.  I know Three Twins Madagascar Vanilla ice cream, and this was not representative of it at all.  The nuts were crunchy and a great topping, but, that is about all I can say positive about this, unfortunately.

I wanted to try another one of these from a different source to truly evaluate, but never did.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Three Twins makes 4 types of ice cream sandwiches, two cookie based, and two wafer based.  Each category has a classic and a unique offering.  For wafer based sandwiches, you can pick between the classic chocolate wafers filled with madgascar vanilla ice cream, or, the Three Twins special, a lemon version, with their lemon ice cream and vanilla wafers (aka, the ice cream sando version of their popular Lemon Cookie flavor!)  In the cookie version category, you can again go classic with chocolate chip cookies and vanilla bean ice cream, or, Three Twins-ify it, with their most popular sea salted caramel ice cream and sugar cookies.

Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream Wafer Sandwich.

"Madagascar vanilla ice cream sandwiched between chocolate wafers."

I've never liked this style of ice cream sandwich.  Never in my life.  Never when I ate generic ice cream novelties as a kid.  Not now.  So this wasn't for me, it was for someone else, but I of course asked to try it.

It was ... well, that style of ice cream sandwich.  The ice cream was good, since I like Three Twins Madagascar vanilla ice cream, but, I still don't like soft chocolate wafer cookies like this, even if they are quality ones.

However, the person who wanted it really enjoyed it, and said it was a far better tasting version of the classics he grew up with.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Sandwich.

"Vanilla bean ice cream sandwiched between chocolate chip cookies."

Oh wow, this was good.  Seriously good.

I don't like cookies, but, for some reason, I like them when used for ice cream sandwiches.  Which I guess is part of my point of not really liking cookies, it isn't that I think they taste bad, I just don't really consider them a dessert.  Luckily for me, the fancy ice cream sandwich trend has hit SF pretty hard, with places like CREAM and Over the Moon offering customizable versions with fresh baked cookies and housemade ice cream, with all sorts of things you can roll them in.

This wasn't trying to compete with those sorts of places.  The ice cream flavor was simple: vanilla.  The cookie variety?  Classic chocolate chip.  No funfetti cookies, no crazy blue ice cream inside, no fruity pebbles to roll it in.  This wasn't made for Instagram.  It was made to be good.

On the surface, it looked just like a Nestlé Toll House ice cream sandwich, which I've had before, and thought was ... ok.  Or the Chips Galore! version from Blue Bunny, which I actually enjoyed.  One of my co-workers agreed, saying, "It was reminiscent of those Toll House ice cream sandwiches you can get at gas stations and movie theaters (which is super nostalgic for me) while also being better in every single way."  I agree completely.

Yes, this is just two chocolate chip cookies, and yes it is just vanilla ice cream inside, but, when you use quality components, just, wow.

So, let's start with the cookies.  They were somehow perfectly soft.  I don't understand how this was achieved, given that it came from the freezer.  They were also amazingly buttery and sweet.  The little chips were quality chocolate, and well distributed.  For someone who doesn't like cookies, I kinda loved these, and I *almost* think I would have been happy with just a cookie.

The ice cream was standard Three Twins vanilla bean ice cream, which I've declared before is the best vanilla ice cream I've had.

Add these things together?  And it was fantastic.

Another co-worker agreed: "That ice cream sandwich was surprisingly satisfying!", he proclaimed.  That about sums it up.

Sea Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sandwich.

"Organic caramel ice cream with sugar cookies."

The salted caramel version is perhaps more unique than the chocolate chip cookie and vanilla ice cream standard, but I liked it less.

Sea Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sandwich: Inside.

The ice cream was Three Twins standard salted caramel ice cream, which I never really taste the salt in, and find too sweet.

The cookies were sugar cookies.  Soft, sweet, perfect texture, but kinda boring and a bit sweet with the sweet salted caramel ice cream.  I preferred the buttery chocolate chip cookies.

I'll go back to the simple classic instead, but if you prefer sugar cookies and sweet caramel ice cream, by all means, this is a high quality product, and the texture of the cookies in particular is exemplary.

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