Ben & Jerry's peanut butter fudge core

As you probably know--because you are the sort of person who reads a chocolate blog--today is the first day of National Ice Cream Month, which is a real American holiday. Personally I do not need a specific month earmarked to eat chocolate. But, it's as good an excuse as any.

In celebration of this month, I finally tried Ben & Jerry's "core" ice cream.



The idea here is that you have chocolate ice cream on one side, peanut butter ice cream on the other, a peanut butter-fudge "core" running down the center, and peanut butter cups sprinkled throughout. Here's what it looks like.



So, Ben & Jerry's is great. It's not freshly-made or farm-to-table or organic or whatever a lot of the ice creams that we review on this blog are. You know this. It's like $5 or $6 per pint (which you can compare to a brand like, say, Jeni's, where pints cost twice that.

But for easily available, grocery store ice cream, it's great. It's thick and flavorful. They do not skimp on the mix-ins. If you're promised peanut butter cups, you are getting a full allotment of peanut butter cups--which is good, because Ben & Jerry's peanut butter cups are THE BOMB.

I guess I'd say that their mix-ins (peanut butter cups, cookie dough, whatever it may be) are better than their ice cream. I wouldn't eat a bowl of plain chocolate from Ben & Jerry's. Well, okay, I would, because I will eat a bowl of plain chocolate ice cream from anywhere, but it would not be my first choice. But their ice cream provides a totally good foundation for their mix-ins.

I don't know that the "core" ice cream is so much better than just chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cups, or just peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter cups. The fudge in the middle didn't add a huge amount for me: I was more focused on the ice creams. For me the main benefit of the "core" approach was that I got two different and very good flavors for the price of one. But if you were really into the "core" substance, then this pint would be even more appealing to you.

BOTTOM LINE: This is probably my new go-to choice for Ben & Jerry's pints. I'd even put it above Phish Food. Maybe even above Half Baked.

After my deeply disappointing experience at Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream, I was ready to go to an ice cream parlor that never disappoints: Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain.



Farmacy is basically everything I look for in a restaurant experience. It's a charming atmosphere, they play 50s music on the stereo, and they offer delicious sundaes.



Unlike a place like Ample Hills or Odd Fellows, Farmacy does not have lots of ice cream flavors, or very experimental flavors. They offer about a half dozen flavors made by Adirondack Creamery, which are made with fresh, hormone-free ingredients.

The ice cream is very good on its own, but since this is an old-fashioned soda shoppe, you'd be a fool not to dress it up in a milkshake or a float or (duh) a sundae.



The one on the left is vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and Farmacy's homemade peanut butter. The one on the right, obviously, is mine. It's a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and cookie crumbles from Farmacy's fresh-baked cookies.

BOTTOM LINE: Not my favorite standalone ice cream in the city, but unquestionably my favorite place in the city to eat an ice cream sundae.

Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream

One month ago, I read about Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream and got really excited. Now, there are a lot of marvelous places in this city to get ice cream. Ample Hills, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, Blue Marble--and that's without even having to think about it. So why, you wonder, would I get so excited about this new ice cream venue?

Because Morgenstern's menu listed the following:

CHOCOLATE DELUXE
Chocolate every way.
Chocolate frozen.
Chocolate whipped.
Chocolate crunch.
Chocolate baked.
It's over.

This so-called Chocolate Deluxe is priced at $15, but I will pay big bucks in order to keep you informed about important chocolate news. Plus, that's some really good menu copy.

So I gathered together a number of friends. And last night we went to Morgenstern's, to try this Chocolate Deluxe and see if it was, as promised, "over." And here's what happened:

They didn't have it.

The woman who worked there assured me that it wasn't that they had run out for the day. It's that the Chocolate Deluxe actually does not exist. The chef is still in the process of creating it. At some point presumably it will exist, since it is promised on the menu. But she could not tell me when.

Folks, go to Brooklyn Farmacy, go to Emack and Bolio, go to Sundaes and Cones. There is so much good ice cream in New York City. Don't waste your time on a place that promises chocolate they cannot deliver.

BOTTOM LINE: You're right, Morgenstern's: It's over.

Brief ice cream round-up: Coolhaus and L'Arte del Gelato

It's after Memorial Day, which means we are in full-on ice-cream-every-day-until-October mode. A quick recap of some of the ice creams we're eating:

First, Coolhaus ice cream sandwiches.



This particular one is dirty mint chip ice cream between double chocolate cookies. Coolhaus is a food truck, and it has more adventurous flavors you can try (like Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch cookies, and Fried Chicken and Waffles ice cream). And they have more chocolatey flavor combinations, as we have eaten previously. But this one hit the spot. Fresh mint, chewy chocolatey cookie, and I am happy.

Next up, L'Arte Del Gelato. Continuing in my mint-and-chocolate flavor combination craze, this is a scoop of mint chip gelato with a scoop of Valrhona chocolate gelato. I got it from the L'Arte del Gelato stand on the Highline.



It's okay. I mean, if you're nearby, and you're in the mood for gelato, definitely eat it. But I have to agree with David: I've eaten L'Arte del Gelato a number of times and have never been blown away. There is gelato in this city that I would journey to eat--L'Albero dei Gelati, for example--but L'Arte del Gelato is not one of them.

BOTTOM LINE: Thank goodness it is ice cream season at last. I mean, I was eating a lot of ice cream even when it wasn't ice cream season. But at least now that feels more culturally desirable.

Shake Shack concrete

I go to Shake Shack a fair amount, but I've never actually gotten a milkshake there, despite its name. Instead I go for the concretes. A concrete is custard (so frozen, but soft) with different toppings spun into it.

There are a lot of toppings to choose from, but I generally go with a Shack Attack, because it is chocolatiest: chocolate custard with fudge sauce, chocolate truffle cookie dough and Mast Brothers dark chocolate chunks, topped with chocolate sprinkles.



BOTTOM LINE: How can you possibly go wrong with this?

Lula's Sweet Apothecary

Lula's is probably the reigning favorite vegan ice cream shop in NYC, and has been for as long as I can remember.  They recently closed for a while, allegedly due to some dispute between the owners, but they are open now, and rejoicing is abundant.

Their chocolate ice cream is good, but honestly no better than a number of others we've reviewed.  What's nice is that they are an actual shop, where everything is vegan.  So you can get a vegan egg cream, a vegan milkshake, a vegan float, a vegan sundae, etc.

To give you an idea of the quality, the first time I went there (many years ago), I didn't realize it was vegan and ordered a chocolate egg cream.  I thought, "This is pretty good, but it's nothing special.  Ray's makes a way better egg cream just down the block.  Why does everyone make such a big deal about this place?"  But notice that (1) I thought it was pretty good and (2) I did not realize it was vegan.

Bottom Line: There is no particularly compelling reason to go to Lula's if you're not vegan, but if you are, and you're craving a real ice cream parlor experience, then Lula's is a great -- and as far as I'm aware unique -- option.

Ample Hills hot chocolate float

You already know how I feel about Ample Hills: I love it. But I just wanted to update you that I went here recently, and it was a really cold day, and I was like, "What do I do? Order to awesome peppermint pattie ice cream because it is awesome, or order a hot chocolate because it is cold outside?"

Answer: order both, combined in this hot chocolate float.



I don't understand why more places don't offer hot chocolate floats. The Chocolate Room does, and nearly every time I go there, I order a hot chocolate with a scope of fresh mint in it. This Ample Hills version is just as delightful. You can choose any flavor of ice cream for your float, so obviously I chose the peppermint pattie ice cream. It tasted like a scoop of mint ice cream absolutely smothered in about 12 ounces of hot fudge.

BOTTOM LINE: You should never have to choose between hot chocolate and cold chocolate.

Hot Chocolate...?

So we went camping and made hot chocolate out of melted-down Chocolove 70% bars.  Plus a small amount of almond milk or soy milk or something.  But mostly just melted chocolate bars:

WOW.  It was amazing.  I was very impressed by how dark it was.  It tasted less sweet than the bars themselves.  And it was thick.  And it was warm.  So perfect.

But we used about 8 bars, so we had some leftover.  By the time we were ready for bed, it was a delicious chocolate pudding!  We then put it in a pot, closed the lid, and went to sleep.

By the time we woke up, it was one of the greatest chocolate ice creams I'd ever had:

This is the reverse of Fresco, who makes hot chocolate by melting gelato.  We made ice cream by freezing hot chocolate.  I cannot possibly recommend it highly enough.

Bottom Line: Ok, right now, I want everyone to take all your chocolate bars, melt them down, throw in a touch of milk, and freeze it.  Do it.  You will not regret it.

Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale, Arizona

I went to Arizona for the first time in my life, and I stayed than 24 hours. Fortunately, I can find ice cream in less than 24 hours.

Sugar Bowl is in Scottsdale, and it was founded in 1958, as perhaps you can see below.



It's an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, with everything done up in pink. Eloise would love it here. I loved it here! Sugar Bowl has been featured many times in "Family Circus," which makes sense; it harkens back to a simpler era, just as that comic strip does.



The menu consisted of big sundaes and parfaits. Nothing pretentious or Brooklyn about this place. You know I love my Brooklyn, but sometimes I also just love a big heaping mound of ice cream with various sauces and creams poured all over it.



This is what I got. It was a parfait with a scoop of chocolate, a scoop of mint chocolate chip, mint-chocolate sauce, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles on top. This was not the most intensely creamy, flavorful, whatever ice cream I've ever had, and yet it was everything I wanted. With a cherry on top. The NYC ice cream parlor that I was most reminded of was Eddie's, in Queens.



We each got our own ice cream so nobody had to share. That is my dream come true.



BOTTOM LINE: Located near Phoenix, Arizona, this 55-year-old soda shop is a delight not for ice cream snobs, but for ice cream lovers.

J.P. Licks' Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

Leila already raved about J.P. Licks.  Let me pour on the praise.

Vegan ice cream is hard, though we have reviewed a number of good options.  J.P. Licks is one of, if not the, best.  While the cream base I think is the worst of this crowd, it employs a strategy that goes straight to my heart -- keeping the ice cream not too sweet.  It's definitely a dark chocolate flavor.  It totally surprised me, and I loved it.

Bottom Line: A delicious vegan "dark" chocolate ice cream.

Raw Ice Cream Company Vegan Chocolate Ice Crean

So, I'm not gonna lie.  This doesn't taste quite like normal ice cream.  I'm not really sure how to describe it.  Actually, I do know how to describe it: it tastes like cheap ice cream.  Like Breyers or something.  Only, very bizarrely... kind of delicious?  And also much more expensive.  Of course.

The thing to note is that it is very chocolatey considering that it is not sorbet and considering that it is a fairly light shade of brown, indicating a high "cream"-to-chocolate ratio.  I had a non-vegan friend try it with me, and she confirmed that it was surprisingly good.

Bottom Line: If you want a chocolatey frozen treat, and you see this, you will probably be very happy.  But do not take a bite expecting regular ice cream.  Take a bite expecting Breyers, and you will be pleasantly surprised.  

Van Leeuwen Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

I never raved about Van Leeuwen.  They use 99% Michel Cluizel chocolate, which I love, so theoretically I should, but it was always too creamy for me.  We've discussed my thoughts on ice cream.

But when you're getting vegan ice cream, your standards drop.  Probably this isn't as good as their regular ice cream, even, but for vegan it is pretty darn excellent.  

Bottom Line: If for some reason you want vegan ice cream rather than sorbet, this is a really good option.

Kohr's

I went to Seaside Heights, home of the TV show "The Jersey Shore," for the first time last weekend. Much like Coney Island, the Seaside Heights boardwalk, while awesome, does not have many fresh ice cream options. It's a lot of Hershey's and soft serve. Unlike Coney Island, however, the Seaside Heights boardwalk has Kohr's.



Kohr's has been around for nearly a century. They make some hard ice creams but they specialize in custard, which the scooper told me was ice cream with an egg added into it to give it a smoother, more whipped texture. (Think whipped cream cheese versus normal cream cheese. Only ice cream, not cream cheese, duh.)



I got the chocolate custard, and it was pleasant, though nothing to write home about. The texture was quite nice, but it did not have a very strong chocolatey taste. The sugar cone was godawful-- if you go, just get a cup.

One thing Kohr's has going for it is a storefront placed roughly every three blocks along the boardwalk, each one with ever-so-slightly different flavors, so if you don't see what you're looking for at the first stop, just walk a little.

BOTTOM LINE: Not too remarkable or too chocolatey, but on a summer day on the Jersey Shore, Kohr's hits the spot.

Emmy's Chocolate Macaroons, Superfood Cereal Cacao Crunch, and Cashewtopia Chocolate "Ice Cream"

I took another trip to Organic Avenue and stocked up on some vegan things:

Here is some foreshadowing: this was a successful trip.

The superfood cereal was great.  It was basically just very chocolatey granola.  I poured the giant bag down my throat in one afternoon.

The macaroons were really good too.  Not quite as good as the Hail Merry ones, but given that I don't love macaroons and that I really enjoyed these, that says a lot.

Lastly, the Cashewtopia-brand vegan ice cream... I'm going to say it was the best vegan chocolate ice cream I've ever had.  I have a longstanding preference for sorbet over ice cream or gelato, so I always vote vegans go that route, but if you want something creamy, this was really excellent.

Bottom Line: At this point, there is absolutely no reason a vegan needs to settle for chocolate bars.  Excellent options abound.

Odd Fellows

There is a new ice cream shop in town, and thank goodness for that, since the part of town it's in is Williamsburg, a neighborhood that has until now been absurdly lacking in ice cream options. Recent years have seen the opening of a branch of 16 Handles as well the Williamsburg Creamery, and of course if you walk far enough north, you will come to Van Leeuwen. But none of those quite filled the niche of downtown Williamsburg real ice cream in the way that Odd Fellows does.



Odd Fellows is great. You walk in and you can feel confident that this is a place that is legitimately into ice cream.

They don't offer a lot of chocolate options, but we will forgive them this because they do offer a lot of creative options, such as "Beet with Candied Pistachios and Honey Goat Cheese." Also they change their menu daily, so there's always a reason to go back to see what they have now.

I got a scoop of the Toasted Marshmallow and a scoop of the Chocolate Chunk. I was trying to make an ice cream s'more, apparently. No big surprise there.



It was very solid ice cream. Very solid indeed. And much-needed in this heatwave! I would go back any time.

BOTTOM LINE: A welcome addition to the Williamsburg ice cream scene.

Coney's Cones

Summertime in New York City necessitates a trip down to Coney Island. The sun! The surf! The problem is that Coney Island has terrible ice cream options. Up until about two years ago, your only Coney Island ice cream options as far as the boardwalk could take you were 1) Mr. Softee trucks, and 2) soft serve. Soft serve is fine and all, but it is not real ice cream. And this is a problem because BEACH TIME MEANS ICE CREAM TIME.

Fortunately, a new ice cream option has opened, one that serves actual hard ice cream in a variety of actual flavors: Coney's Cones.



I will be honest with you: Coney's Cones has a lot of flaws. Here are some that I discovered today, when I was down there:

1) They offer only one chocolate-based flavor, and that is plain chocolate.
2) The chocolate ice cream is okay. It's nothing to write home about. It tastes like ice cream that is chocolate.
3) I ordered a chocolate and mint chip milkshake, and it was not as thick as a milkshake should be. They used a high milk-to-ice cream ratio, which is not cool. As I have mentioned before, the ideal milkshakes has a LOT of ice cream and very little milk and syrup. That's what gives it the right texture.



So clearly you should not journey down to Coney Island just to taste this ice cream. Nonetheless, it is far and away the best ice cream I have ever found in Coney Island, or indeed even on the entire bike ride down to Coney Island, on which you pass some Carvels and that's about it. If you can suggest other or better Coney Island ice creameries, I would love to know about them, but until then I must deem this:

BOTTOM LINE: The best ice cream option in Coney Island. And it is impossible to go to Coney Island and not require ice cream.

Blue Marble

This evening I went to Blue Marble and got this:



It's chocolate ice cream with chocolate mint cookies inside it. I don't even know what to say. Every bite was pure bliss. The cookie-to-ice cream ratio and the mint-to-chocolate ratio were perfect. I was so focused on eating this ice cream that I nearly walked into a streetlamp.

BOTTOM LINE: Blue Marble knows what they are doing.

Jean-Georges' Warm Chocolate Cake

Yes, everyone serves one of these now.  But you have to give Jean-Georges credit for popularizing it.  And his is probably still the best.

Don't make a beginner's mistake: always substitute out the vanilla ice cream for chocolate

The molten center gets me every time.

Bottom Line: There might be more original, or even better, chocolate cakes in existence now, but this is an indisputable classic.

Carvel

There is a time and place for everything.

how to make the best hot chocolate ever

As you may recall from our Best Chocolate of 2012 list, my current favorite hot chocolate in the city is from Fresco, in the East Village. The reason why it's so good is because Fresco doesn't use chocolate powder, or chocolate syrup, or chocolate pieces-- they create their hot chocolate by melting their amazing chocolate gelato with some milk.

Earlier this evening, I was idly thinking about Fresco's hot chocolate, as I so often do. Then it occurred to me, "Hey. They're not the only ones capable of melting chocolate gelato and milk together in a mug."

So I tried it myself. Fortunately, I had some Talenti gelato in the freezer, and some milk in the fridge. I put a scoop of the gelato into a mug, added in some milk, and microwaved it.

I know I'm no chef, but trust me when I tell you: this was phenomenal. Truly, truly phenomenal.

BOTTOM LINE: Now you know how to make amazing hot chocolate in your own kitchen, using only two, readily-available ingredients. You're welcome.