After considering myself extremely lucky to have found the wide array of 2nd St. Creamery products at nearby gas stations in North Carolina, I once again had to pinch myself as I stopped into grab some gasoline. Habit had me stroll by the ice cream freezer just to make sure nothing new had made its way inside, and lo and behold, there was fresh stock of the one flavor I’d been dying to get my hands on: Can’t Tell Me No! Cookie Dough. Ever since publishing a Reader Review of this one way back in March, I’ve been fervently searching for this very pint and now I had it in my hands. To say I had high expectations of this sweet cookie dough flavored ice cream, rich cookie dough swirl, and chunks of chocolate and chocolate chip cookie dough would be a dramatic understatement. I was well aware of 2nd Street’s capability given proven ingredients, and considering the description; I wouldn’t be surprised if this skyrocketed up my personal rankings.
Cookie dough is an ingredient nearly every major manufacturer has modeled an ice cream flavor after, but not once have I seen an actual cookie dough flavored base and certainly not the rich cookie dough swirl Can’t Tell Me No! Cookie Dough offers. 2nd St. Creamery has this to say about their version, “How many times have YOU heard Grandma tell you “No!” to eating cookie dough?? Well, I’m an adult, now, and she can’t tell me no. So, for all the times I defiantly snuck a spoonful when her back was turned, we proudly present an ice cream that allows you that same feeling of “I know it’s wrong but it feels so right!” We love you Grandma, but, this ice cream is so good, we are pretty sure even you would eat it, too. Go on with your bad self! You know you want to. And while you’re at it…you don’t even have to wait an hour to go jump in the pool, either. And don’t get me started on running with scissors.”
Words can’t express how excited I was to dig into this. I quickly pulled back the lid of this hefty, 300 calorie per serving, mix-in laden, super-premium ice cream with all intentions of polishing off the entire pint in one sitting. The first layer shows off a small concentration of the rich cookie dough swirl, perhaps the aspect I’m looking forward to the most, but little else. After letting the pint sit at room temperature for a few minutes, I scoop out my first sample of the sweet cookie dough flavored ice cream: uncharted territory for me. My first bite of the dense ice cream shares many similarities with their vanilla, but incorporates a raw dough flavoring that sets it apart from any other base I’ve had. Although it’s hard to see sometimes, they've also broken new ground by including their innovative cookie dough swirl. This granulated, super-sweet sauce comingles magnificently with the cookie dough ice cream and gives each bite including some an intense burst of sugar and additional cookie dough flavoring.
Just the combination of ice cream and this swirl would have been sufficient enough to secure an A, but 2nd St. Creamery isn't even close to being finished. They cap off their epic cookie dough creation with big balls of both chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate cookie dough. This duo of dough is included in such high amounts that they make their way into nearly every single bite. The soft, chewy globes of butter and chocolate are the ideal way to finish off this fantastic flavor. They add sweetness, texture, a slight crunch from the chocolate chips, and give some bites an even added richness thanks to the cocoa powder in the dough. A bite including the base, some of the cookie dough swirl and both types of cookie dough balls is pure cookie dough bliss. This is a must try for anyone who enjoys cookie dough ice cream. The competition doesn't come close.
Where I Found It: The Market Center (Asheville, NC)
Grade: A
