After trying Publix Premium's incredible Pumpkin Pie flavor, I continued my exploration through their limited edition holiday lineup. Consisting of six flavors in total, the second half gallon container I decided to sample was their Deep Dish Apple Pie. Publix takes apple-flavored ice cream with apple chunks and sugar rolled pie crust pieces and swirls them together with rich cinnamon and brown sugar sauce. I recently tried a similar sounding selection from Breyer's, Apple Cinnamon Crumble, but with the ingredient rundown inside here, coupled with the fact that this comes from the same pedigree as their Pumpkin Pie, I'm expecting a better experience with this carton.
After discarding the lid showing grandma baking up fresh pie, as well as removing the plastic seal protecting the first layer from freezer burn, the first layer looks tame enough. Since this offering only contains 170 calories per serving, especially considering the ingredients inside, I was a bit worried about the consistency of this base, but my worries were put to bay as I began to scoop some into a bowl. The ice cream wasn't overly resistant, easily gathering on the end of my spoon, all the while showing off the large pieces of sugar rolled pie crust and swirls of brown sugar and cinnamon. The first thing I notice about the apple-flavored base is the intense sweetness. While Breyer's version had a bit of a tart bite to it, this drowns out the majority of the apple flavoring with cinnamon and sugar, but in doing so creates one of the most accurate apple pie bases imaginable.
Soon enough I begin to encounter the dual swirls. Depending on which one lands on my spoon, the notes of cinnamon or sugar are intensely amplified, all while adding a slight bit of texture because of their liquid-like state. The crowning jewel comes in the form of the pie crust pieces, which have been rolled in sugar incase you haven't gotten enough already. The fragments of crust were large, substantial and varied in texture. Some were soft and chewy, some were crunchy, but they were all bursting with cinnamon-sugar flavor. Although this couldn't quite compete with the quality of New Orleans Ice Cream Company's vanilla ice cream or bits of Hubig's Pie, it wasn't far behind, and seems to be much more obtainable.
Where I Found It: Publix Super Markets
Grade: B
