After 2nd Street Creamery’s Can’t Tell Me No! Cookie Dough and Tons of Brownies both surpassed my expectations; I had to try their cannoli-inspired flavor. 2nd Street Creamery always brings a solid base and tons of high-quality mix-ins, so I had a feeling this version might be able to beat out Ben & Jerry’s Cannoli. Although the descriptions may sound similar, there are some slight differences. Cannoli Di Nonni is made up of a mascarpone base, fudge and caramel swirls, cannoli pieces and finally finished off with pistachios. The first layer effectively shows off the aforementioned caramel and fudge swirls, so right away I knew I was in for a treat. I loved the amount of mix-ins included in their cookie dough and brownie flavors, so I was looking forward to what I was about to uncover in Cannoli Di Nonni.
After taking a few bites, it’s evident that at least one of the swirls is going to make its way into every single spoon full. Compared to the mascarpone swirls found in Ben & Jerry’s Cannoli, 2nd Street blows the away the competition as far as quantity is concerned. The mascarpone base found in Cannoli Di Nonni is a little sweeter than that found in the competition and seems to land somewhere in between that of a cheesecake and cake batter ice cream when we’re talking taste. Before long, I begin to run into the minefield of pistachios and cannoli pieces.
As you can see from the pictures, about halfway through my pint, the influx of swirls of fizzled out. Throughout the entire carton I only ran into five pieces of cannoli and a few pistachio pieces, which surprised me considering the amount of mix-ins within their other flavors. The base of this pint provided an excellent foundation and the swirls were sensational; but the low amount of other ingredients had me questioning their quality control. The other reviews I’ve seen have included many more cannoli pieces and pistachios. Although 2nd Street’s version of cannoli ice cream still surpasses that of Ben & Jerry’s, the low amount of mix-ins hindered Cannoli Di Nonni from receiving the A it’s capable of.
Where Bob Found It: Wal-Mart
Bob's Grade: B
