A few weeks ago, Blue Bell gave the go-ahead that their Holiday Favorites lineup was going to begin hitting grocer's freezers. Although not new to the brand itself, the first I was able to get my hands on was their Spiced Pumpkin Pecan. Sharing the same bright orange shade as their Southern Peach Cobbler, as well as the patented metallic gold lid, this flavor revolves around a much different concept. Blue Bell has opted for the approach below.
Using three ingredients that I've yet to have tasted in any previous Blue Bell flavors, I'm coming into this one blind. They've decided to stick with the proven formula used in most of their other flavors. Blue Bell brings a high quality base with the pumpkin ice cream, a crunchy mix-in in the form of sugar-coated pecans and a finishing swirl of cinnamon-honey-praline sauce. For a flavor containing all these components, 190 calories per serving seems to be on the lower side.
Removing the golden lid, a khaki colored Pumpkin ice cream littered with the sugar-coated pecans create a luscious looking first layer. Resisting my scoop more than a standard Edy's or Blue Bunny flavor, the denseness of Blue Bell's ice cream lands somewhere amongst the middle of ice cream manufacturers, but remains thick enough to stay relevant in the rankings. As I begin to scoop the ice cream into a bowl, the cinnamon-honey-praline sauce looks to be the most impressive part of the trifecta.
Grabbing some of the pumpkin ice cream first, I'm surprised by the amount of spice used. The familiar notes of cinnamon and nutmeg are powerful, but aren't too overwhelming to ruin the overall flavor. The thick, yet still fluffy ice cream takes a while to melt down in your mouth, allowing the consumer the chance to appreciate all the reasons why we love pumpkin. The sugar coated pecans are worked into nearly every bite, giving the ice cream a tremendous texture. Much like the aromatic, candy-coated nuts sold from street-side carts, the coating gives the nuts a crunchy outside, breaking away into a chewy pecan inside, which compliments the pumpkin ice cream perfectly.
The final component of Spiced Pumpkin Pecan comes in the form of the cinnamon-honey-praline sauce swirl. Larger than their standard swirls, the influx of ingredients in this swirl must have resulted in a larger quantity as well. Although it takes some concentration to identify all the individual components, the end result plays well with the pumpkin ice cream and coated pecans. Blue Bell takes an interesting approach to pumpkin ice cream, perhaps the most unique thus far, but yields some impressive results in the process.
Where I Found It: Super Wal-Mart
Grade: B
