Although not readily available in my area, I've made it a priority to seek out some more selections from Turkey Hill. It seems to be a common occurrence lately for fellow ice cream connoisseurs to leave comments on the Review Requests portion of the page recommending a flavor from the ice cream imported from Lancaster County. After trying their limited edition Pumpkin Pie and one of their original flavors, Party Cake, I was ready to turn to the people to decide which offering to take on next. Seeing as how I've been tearing through the cookie dough selections from nearly every major manufacturer, I ultimately decided to add Turkey Hill to the list.
Companies have taken a handful of different approaches in arranging their cookie dough concepts. While the most difficult decision typically seems to be whether or not the chocolate chips should be included on the inside of the cookie balls or only put outside in the vanilla ice cream, Turkey Hill has veered from the dough status quo. Instead of the traditional vanilla ice cream, they've taken a blend of brown sugar and molasses flavored ice cream with chewy cookie dough and dark chocolate chips. Although I'm not entirely sure where the inspiration came from that resulted in the deviation from the traditional vanilla base, this novel idea sounds enticing.
The first layer is riddled with shards of chocolate and even a few pieces of cookie dough show through the top. Although it looks like other cookie dough cotainers I've seen, it certainly doesn't share the same subtle smell. The scent of the molasses and brown sugar is almost as intriguing as the taste. Seeing as how the dark chocolate is so integrated into the base, it's nearly impossible to sample the ice cream void of any mix-ins, but the consistency is the first thing that catches my attention. The base is a nice thickness, and although it's not a super-premium by any means, packs all the flavor of a high butterfat brand. Neither the molasses or the brown sugar are overpowering, just mild and pleasant, providing the perfect canvas to show off these classic mix-ins. The dark chocolate chips add a richness and slight crunch to each bite, much like many of the chocolate chip creations from Talenti.
Before long I begin to run into the marble sized chunks of cookie dough. Much like those found in Blue Bell's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, these have the same soft exterior that eventually breaks down into a granulated mixture of butter and sugar. They also adopt the same method of not only placing chocolate chips in the base ice cream, but also in the actual cookie dough pieces. I'm still undecided on this approach, but it just doesn't feel right excluding them from the actual cookies, so I prefer this strategy. Although Turkey Hill's overall flavor and feel wasn't among the top, it was still able to hold it's own in a very competitive category. All at around half the calories of others.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: C
