One of the most asked questions I’ve gotten over the past few months from readers of The Ice Cream Informant has been whether or not I plan on adding any super-premium, nationwide scoop-shops like Cold Stone or Marble Slab to my ever expanding list of reviews. Well, that day has finally come. I was able to find the time yesterday to stop in the Cold Stone Creamery location closest to my house and grab one of their pre-packaged quarts to go. I had contemplated getting something freshly made with custom mix-ins, but that wouldn’t really help anyone out review wise. Plus, the quart of Cake Batter Batter Batter sounded like all I’d need to keep me satisfied.
I was surprised to see that these were offered in larger, quart-sized portion and not in a standard pint, but at $5.99 each, I was glad I got a little more than usual. This combination of rich, creamy cake batter ice cream with cookie dough and brownie pieces featured the base I was recommended the most and with two of my favorite mix-ins, this seemed like the obvious choice. Sitting at 210 calories per serving and full of cookie and brownie bits, Cold Stone’s creation seemed to land in the grey area that teeters between premium and super-premium ice cream.
With the top lifted off and sat aside, I was excited to see quite a few of the brownie and cookie dough pieces sitting right on top; always a good sign. I’ve had these two particular mix-ins twisted together in a single pint plenty times before, but never have they been combined with a cake batter base. My first impressions of Cold Stone’s ice cream mix are that although it has a reasonably dense consistency, it still melts down a little quicker than you’d expect from a super-premium company. The flavors contained inside however, are some of the best I’ve had. Each bite of the base is sweet through and through, with the distinguishable taste of cake batter incorporated on the back end.
To enhance this top-notch, cake batter ice cream, Cold Stone has opted to throw in an aggressive amount of these marble-sized mix-ins. Sporting a seemingly even cookie dough to brownie ratio, practically every bite of Cake Batter Batter promises to involve at least one of these. Once chewed, the soft balls of cookie dough release their buttery flavoring and granulated texture, and when completely broken down, leave you with a mouth full of tiny chocolate chips. The rich, chewy brownie bits add the complimenting flavors of chocolate to accompany the cookies and cake batter; rounding out this creation nicely. While Cold Stone Creamery isn’t breaking new ground by combining cookie dough and brownies, the cake batter base is a nice change of scenery for these classic mix-ins.
Grade: A
