While most companies have barely rolled out their Fall and Thanksgiving flavors, Blue Bell has wasted no time getting straight into the Christmas Spirit. After reading the description of this gold-rimmed beauty above, it seems like I've saved the last of Blue Bell's holiday favorite's flavors for last. Having previously reviewed Christmas Cookies, Pumpkin Pecan Spice and Peppermint, this half gallon of Gingerbread House combines cinnamon ice cream with gingerbread pieces, festive sprinkles, miniature marshmallows and a vanilla icing swirl together to create this succulent sounding selection. Besides the festive sprinkles that are also found in their Christmas Cookies flavor, this will be my first experience with nearly all of the components included inside this gingerbread based ice cream.
210 calories per serving seems like a small price to pay for the plethora of goodies packed inside this carton. After lifting off the lid, I'm left looking at a first layer that looks nearly identical to that of Christmas Cookies, perhaps only a slightly darker shade of beige as a result of the cinnamon base. This is one of the rare occurrences where a flavor shows it's entire hand from the beginning. The cinnamon ice cream is riddled with red and green sprinkles, loaded with small white pillows of marshmallows and not so effectively hidden hunks of real gingerbread. Much like their other seasonal selections, this is right in line with the consistency of previous Blue Bell flavors I've had.
As I begin to fill my bowl to the brim, my excitement waxes, while my patience wanes. I throw the scoop aside and grab a spoon to secure some of the cinnamon base. The thick and flavorful foundation is overly sweet, but incorporates just enough cinnamon spice to balance out the sugar. Seeing as how the base is so bombarded with other ingredients, it's really hard to taste only the cinnamon. The red and green sprinkles make their way into nearly every bite, adding a slight crunch that gives way to the subtle flavor of the Christmas colored candies, all while enhancing the aesthetics. The visible vanilla icing swirl adds even more texture and is certainly reminiscent of the piped icing lining gingerbread houses during the holidays.
Marshmallows are usually incorporated into ice cream in the form of a swirl, but after having a few of these, I'm willing to jump ship to the authentic mallow cylinders found in this container. Adding the unique, squishy texture that only marshmallows possess, these fluffy mix-ins set the stage for the highlight of the carton. As you can see from the pictures, every serving is loaded with a ton of gingerbread. These pieces bring back memories of the soft, chewy cookies found in Christmas Cookies. The unmistakable flavor of gingerbread is the perfect addition to all the sugar and cinnamon.
Don't expect to find stale, month old gingerbread house leftovers inside this one. These pieces taste fresh out of the oven, even retaining their pliability despite sitting in a half gallon of frozen ice cream. Although these pieces are larger than any of the other mix-ins and there's a decent amount of spice incorporated, the gingerbread only adds to the sweetness. My insatiable sweet tooth was highly impressed. So much so that Gingerbread House shot ahead of Dessert Trio in the Blue Bell rankings.
Where I Found It: Publix Super Markets
Grade: A
