Chocolate is an integral part of many ice cream flavors, whether in chips, chunks or whispery specs. But some ice cream lovers crave a pure, silky vanilla taste.
1. Cherry Garcia
In honor of Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, Ben and Jerry's created this cherry ice cream flavor. It's a classic and a favorite among many.
The founders of Ben & Jerry's encouraged their fans to submit ideas for new flavors, and this one was the result. It was also the first ice cream ever named after a musician. The name was taken from the musician's last name and his famous nickname, Garcia.
This flavor contains pieces of dark bing cherries. The cherries are soaked in syrup so that they don't freeze into rock hard pieces like normal maraschino cherries would do.
The ice cream is a combination of vanilla and chocolate fudge chunks with sweet cherries and fudge flakes. You can make this at home, but it's best if you have an ice cream maker. You can also use a blender or food processor to mix the ingredients and then freeze.
2. Chunky Monkey
A Ben and Jerry's copycat recipe, Chunky Monkey is banana ice cream with chunks of chocolate and toasted walnuts. This luscious banana flavored ice cream is easy to make at home.
The key is using very ripe bananas, which are sweeter and have more sugar in them. You also need brown sugar, which adds a sweet caramel flavor. Walnuts are traditional but you can use any type of nut you like.
This healthy version of Chunky Monkey is a great breakfast, snack or post-workout smoothie. It only takes a few ingredients and can be made in the blender! It's paleo, vegan, gluten free and dairy free. You can even use soy or sunflower nut butter for those with allergies. This is a great recipe for the whole family. Enjoy!
3. Queso
Queso is a white, crumbly Mexican cheese that's similar to feta and can be found in both salty and non-salty versions. It can be served with guacamole and other dips, shredded over salads or used as a filling for enchiladas and gorditos.
In Tex-Mex cuisine, Queso is an essential accompaniment to tortilla chips, and it's often mixed with chili peppers and other ingredients for the unofficial Texas state dish, chile con queso.
You can add a lot of variations to jarred queso, from sliced or ground meats to a variety of herbs and spices. Adding toasted pecans, for example, gives it a sweet, crunchy finish that balances out the creamy texture of the cheese. Leftover queso can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. To reheat, simply microwave for thirty seconds at a time until warmed through.
4. Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
Although technically a coffee cake, Gooey Gooey Butter Cake is better known outside the St. Louis area due to its popularization by Paula Deen. The original recipe for the treat was reportedly developed by accident in the 1930s at a bakery on South St. Louis when a baker mixed up the ratio of flour to butter and ended up with this creamy, gooey delight.
The recipe is easy to make with a simple yellow cake mix and then topped with a buttery cream cheese mixture. It can be served warm or cold, but is best after it has cooled slightly and the center is still a little jiggly. It can be sprinkled with powdered sugar for a bakery-style finish or drizzled with a plain icing. It is a great dessert to bring to a party or potluck and can be made ahead of time.
5. Rocky Road
Along with cookies and cream, butter pecan and mint chocolate chip, Rocky Road is one of America's most beloved ice cream flavors. This delicious dessert combines chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and nuts, typically walnuts though some recipes call for almonds.
The history of this flavor is a little fuzzy. The earliest known recipe for it appeared in a cookbook published in 1920, but the first documented sundae of the same name wasn't made until 1929.
The story of the creation of Rocky Road is more complicated than that of most ice cream flavors, with dueling backstories. According to one of them, William Dreyer, founder of Edy's, created the flavor by melting candy bar pieces into a chocolate ice cream base that he topped with walnuts and marshmallows. He later replaced the walnuts with almonds. Other versions credit George Farren, a candy maker working for Fenton's Creamery.
6. Butter Pecan
The second of the only non-fruit flavors to make this list, butter pecan offers a rich, creamy taste that pairs well with just about anything. Bites of roasted walnut add a pleasant contrast to the sweet maple syrup base. This flavor is a great choice if you're looking for something that doesn't feel overly sweet and cloying.
This is the ice cream that made Neapolitan famous in the 19th century and it still holds up today. You can choose from a wide variety of chocolate variations, including chunks, tracks and even whispery specs.
The other big thing to look for with this flavor is the amount of brown sugar in the recipe. Some brands add more than others, which can alter the overall texture of the ice cream.
7. Butterscotch
No other flavor conjures up childhood memories like butterscotch. Whether it's drizzled over scoops of ice cream, used in cookie recipes or stirred into puddings, the caramel-like sweetness evokes impressionable memories of visits to grandma's house and glass bowls filled to the brim with hard candy.
Butterscotch is closely related to toffee but the sugar is boiled to soft crack, not hard. It is sometimes confused with caramel, which features caramelized sugar independent of molasses or salt.
Store-bought butterscotch chips are recognizable as translucent rich yellow drops or disks individually wrapped in cellophane, similar to chocolate chips. The flavor can also be found in homemade ice cream and pudding recipes, as well as cookies, cakes and other baked goods. Caramelization of sugars can produce alcohols that create the distinctive buttery taste of butterscotch. The term "butterscotch" derives from the town of Doncaster, where confectioners Samuel Parkinson and Sons first made butterscotch boiled sweets in 1817, selling them in tins.
8. Peanut Butter Cup
As the prototypical peanut butter cup, this flavor is the standard by which other nut-and-chocolate creations are measured. It's milk chocolate-y and creamy, with just the right balance of peanut butter flavor.
It's also versatile, with a variety of shapes and sizes available for a more customized experience. Some people like the jumbo-sized cups, while others are fans of the minis or the Halloween-themed Ghosts and Bats.
Reese's has even created a creamier version of the classic cup called Extra Smooth and Creamy. This option is less dense and more silky, but it's not as satisfying as the original.
9. Pumpkin
When it comes to flavor, ice cream is a versatile treat. Whether scooped into cones and shared with friends after a summer cookout or eaten solo on a Friday night while watching Netflix, it can fit any mood.
Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are all classics that remain a favorite of many Americans. But other flavors are making waves, too. According to a recent report from Instacart, buyers in some states stray from the usual suspects to pick unique flavors, like New Mexico's mango ice cream and New York's pistachio.
For those who love breakfast and ice cream, brown sugar bacon is an indulgent choice that combines two popular foods in one. Spicy ice cream is also available for the daring, combining cayenne peppers and other peppers with sweet ice cream.
10. Bubble Gum
Bubble gum is chewing gum that's been designed for blowing bubbles. It comes in a variety of colors, types, and flavors, but it's usually pink. This is because the original gum, Dubble Bubble, was originally a grayish color and Walter Diemer decided to use the only food dye he had available at the time to turn it into that iconic bubblegum pink.
While the exact recipe can vary from company to company, most bubblegum flavors are a combination of fruit. This is due to the fact that bubblegum is made with esters, which are chemicals that smell like different fruits.
Bubblegum is popular among children and adults, and it is used in a variety of other products, including ice cream. It can even be used to make a rainbow! It's also known for its ability to form large bubbles.
