Ever since I discovered a pumpkin-based pint hiding in the depths of my grocer's freezer a few months back, I've been on the lookout for seasonal offerings out of season. Luckily for me, Blue Bell's July rotational flavors have made this much easier for us living in the Southern part of the United States with their Christmas Cookies in July. Blue Bell has this to say about their ode to Christmas during the Summer, "Let's Celebrate Christmas in July! Your favorite holiday cookies – chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, and sugar – combined in a tasty sugar cookie ice cream with festive red sprinkles and a green icing swirl throughout."
Although I'm a fan of chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and sugar cookies, I'm mostly intrigued by the thought of the tasty sugar cookie ice cream. Considering there weren't any pint-sized portions of this flavor, I had to spring for the half gallon tub. I was somewhat skeptical that that I'd be left with a huge helping of something I hated, however that still didn't manage to get in the way of me going forward with my purchase. At 210 calories per serving, this is one of Blue Bell's heaviest offerings, but considering the large assortment of cookies inside, it's understandable.
After removing the golden top, I learn the lid had been hiding a lightly shaded sugar cookie ice cream that wasn't shy about showing off all the red sprinkles and green icing. The familiar smell of holiday cookies had me reminiscing on memories of Christmas past. The more ice cream I explore, the more I appreciate the aesthetics involved with some flavors and after digging just a few layers down, Blue Bell's Christmas Cookies in July is one of the more captivating ice creams I've come across when it comes to appearance.
I try to refrain from eating straight from the carton, so I scooped a few servings into a separate bowl for further investigation. The bite-sized cookies were able to block the path of my ice cream scoop on several occasions. I began with a bite of the base to see whether or not Blue Bell had successfully reproduced a frozen version of sugar cookies. It should come as no surprise that the first-class ice cream fabricators can replicate the tastes of distinguished desserts, but this is impressive. Prowling around the outside perimeter with my spoon, I grabbed four or five big bites of pure sugar cookie ice cream before I was able to process how well executed this was. I slowly incorporated the festive sprinkles and icing swirl to up the ante. Not only did they add to the appearance and sugar content, but the crunchy sprinkles and smooth icing swirl added a depth of texture as well.
After becoming acquainted with the other components, I was ready to try the trio of cookies. Considering I have no quarrels with sugar, snickerdoodle or chocolate chip cookies, Blue Bell might have this one in the bag. My bowl is boiling over with big chunks of all three of these coveted Christmas cookies. The chocolate chip cookie crumbles were dense and chewy, but lacked enough flavor to really be distinguishable from the rest. If I hadn't seen the signature chocolate chip spots, I'm not sure I would have been able to interpret what type of cookie it even came from. The sugar cookies shared the same sugary makeup as the base ice cream; only adding more texture, but then came the squadron of snickerdoodles. It had been ages since I had enjoyed a nice snickerdoodle and these were sensational, especially when dripping with sugar cookie ice cream, but these really sealed the deal for this flavor.
You rarely see three of any mix-in in an ice cream, especially cookies, but this trio make each bite different, providing tons of possible flavor combinations. Unlike my previous poor experience with a full half gallon portion, this didn't last very long in my freezer. It wasn't easy to come to terms with the fact that this will only be around for a month or so, but hopefully we'll all be seeing this again in December sans the in July tagline. With two possible chances a year to catch this rotational flavor, I'll be sure to take advantage of both.
Where I Found It: Super Wal-Mart
Grade: A
