It's been said that humans cannot live on cookies alone — we need ice cream too! Perhaps that's why the average American eats an impressive 20 pounds of ice cream, on average, each year.
Vanilla. Chocolate. Mint. Cookies and cream — a literal best of both worlds. No matter the flavor or season, we devour ice cream in any form we can: scoops, cones, even shakes. And don't get me started on the toppings.
For many of us, the frosty treat is literally one of our favorite foods. And why wouldn't it be? With its rich, creamy texture; cool, soothing temperature; and incredible variety and versatility, ice cream (like cookies) packs almost everything you could ever want in a dessert, all compressed into one tasty, convenient, and indulgent serving.
As famed New York City newspaper columnist Heywood Broun so elegantly put it nearly a century ago: “I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream."
Taking on the ice cream juggernaut
Cheryl's Cookies has been satisfying sweet-toothed cravings for more than 40 years, thanks in part to the company's world-famous buttercream frosting, which is made from just four real, but secret ingredients and spread atop a wide variety of cookies and cupcakes.
According to Alison Warner, a product development merchandise manager for the company, the success of this pairing — and the literal passion customers have for Cheryl's soft, cakey, chewy cookies topped with rich, indulgent frosting — was what inspired the development of a new ice cream category for the company.
“We know how much our customers love our mouthwatering cookies and frosting," she says, “so combining them into an ice cream made perfect sense. It's the ideal pairing of delicious and decadent."
As with previous new launches, such as Cheryl's line of cupcakes (which debuted in the spring of 2023), recipe development and testing was key to the ice cream's success. The creation of the new ice cream line took more than a year of planning, testing, and late-night nibbling before everything was just right for launch.
“It's a true gourmet ice cream that really reflects and complements the flavor of our buttercream," Warner says. “I can't wait for people to try it. We're so proud of it. I know people are going to adore it!"
A sweet symphony of flavors
Building off Cheryl's most popular cookie flavors, the new line of ice cream will debut with four unique and distinctive pairings: Cupcake Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream, Chocolate Chunk, and Mint Cookie Crunch. Each pint comes paired with six cookies of the same flavor.
For individuals looking for a bit of variety, or who want to try all the ice cream line has to offer, a gourmet multi-pack combining all four flavors of ice cream — plus three of each cookie flavor — are also available. And perhaps most exciting for the child inside each of us, Cheryl's also offers a DIY cookie and ice cream sandwich-making kit, combining cookies, ice cream, sprinkles, and more — everything you need to make the ice cream sandwich of your dessert-filled dreams.
There's even a gift pack that includes ice cream and cupcakes. “There are so many fun options — there's really something for everyone!" Warner exclaims.
The unboxing
All that is well and good, but the true test comes when the Cheryl's Cookies ice cream is put in the hands, err, mouths, of consumers — and this writer is excited to say it did not disappoint. All the love and passion that was put into its development was evident from the jump, starting with the packaging: The pints came housed in a massive, well-padded box loaded with dry ice. It may have been a bit much for the cool month of December, but it will be a lifesaver during the summer, when that ice cream may spend long hours on the road in a truck. I'd be surprised if the contents inside even have a chance to soften slightly.
As for the ice cream itself, as a die-hard ice cream aficionado who has tried nearly every brand out there, Cheryl's stands up with the best of them. The Cupcake Cookie Dough was surprisingly reminiscent of Cheryl's cupcake line, packing the same rich, mild vanilla flavor and pairing beautifully with the numerous chunks of cocoa-laden brownie that filled each bite.
Although I'm not normally a fan of mint chocolate, the Mint Cookie Crunch was also a wonderful surprise. It reminded me more of the delicate, authentic mint flavor you get from a candy cane or an actual fresh leaf of mint rather than the overwhelming and cloying mint-heavy flavor you get from a neon green mouthwash. And the ice cream's ample chocolate swirls perfectly completed the light, fresh quality of the flavor. There's enough chocolate there for you to know it, without that richness being all you can taste or overwhelming the pleasant bite of the mint.
My favorite flavor, however, was a toss-up between the Cookies & Cream and the uber-satisfying Chocolate Chunk. The former reminded me of the ice cream my grandma used to make years ago when I was growing up on a farm with milk cows that were milked daily. It has the same sweet, buttery quality that coats your tongue and keeps you wanting to go back for spoonful after spoonful. And the chocolate? Think the satisfying goodness of a frozen hot chocolate, filled with flake after flake of freshly grated gourmet chocolate, providing just the right amount of texture and chew as the surrounding ice cream melts in your mouth.
Give the gift of ice cream
Ever find yourself smiling after downing a bowl of ice cream? If so, scientists have found a good reason for why this often happens: Ice cream is a proven mood booster. It's not just comforting and satisfying — eating ice cream also releases hormones in our body that simply make us feel happier.
Which is perfect, according to Warner, because the Cheryl's Cookies ice cream line isn't just meant for customers to enjoy on their own. It also makes an incredible gift, whether someone is celebrating a birthday, promotion, or anniversary — or trying to recover from a bad break-up, illness, or other loss of some type.
“In addition to developing an incredibly delicious product, we wanted to create something that could be gifted for almost any type of celebration or moment of sympathy," she says. “Ice cream is perfect for all of these scenarios. It's festive and shareable, but it also carries a certain level of comfort and nostalgia. Giving it to someone meaningful in your life can show an incredible gesture of thoughtfulness. Ice cream really is a perfect dessert in so many different ways."
AUTHOR
Brian Good is a writer, editor, and project manager with more than 20 years experience in publishing. He's written for some of the country’s biggest magazine brands including Men’s Journal, Men’s Fitness, Shape, Men's Health, Muscle & Fitness, US Weekly, AARP: The Magazine, and websites including Mashed, Health Digest, DiversityInc and others. Good specializes on topics including lifestyle, travel, pop culture, health, food and nutrition, spirits, products, politics, and activism.