Having enjoyed cotton candy as I child, I've always wanted to try Blue Bell's flavor of the same name, but have been deterred by its absence from their half-gallon lineup. If an ice cream is good, a pint just isn't enough! Also, I have been deterred by the mediocre grade given to this flavor in the official Ice Cream Informant review. But since Blue Bell has given no indication that tubs of this flavor will ever be forthcoming, and I am adventurous by nature, I finally broke down and invested in a pint.
Blue Bell does not describe Cotton Candy! I've never seen this for any flavor, I guess that just means we are supposed to know what it tastes like from all those trips to the circus. Alright, well let's see.
Opening the lid, I am initially pleased: The ice cream is a swirl of the familiar pastel pink-and-blue colors that cotton candy comes in. However, spoon exploration reveals that this is basically all there is to this flavor. No mix-ins of any kind are apparent. I love mix-ins, so that means the pink and blue swirl flavors better be pretty special. And you know what? They come pretty close to being so. This ice cream has two great things going for it: It is light and yet also rich and creamy. More importantly, Blue Bell does manage to somehow capture that sticky-sweet and admittedly indescribable flavor that we all know as "cotton candy". And, like the real circus treat, the colors are strictly cosmetic. Blue or pink, a scoop tastes the same. Still, in the end, the absence of mix-ins caps this flavor's upside potential pretty low. I had it with a slice of birthday cake, and it complemented the cake nicely while the cake substituted for the ice cream's lack of mix-ins. So I would recommend Cotton Candy as a complement to pie or cake, rather than as a stand-alone treat.
Where Steve Found It: Walmart
Steve's Grade: C