What is it?
The Blue Bell website describes this new Oatmeal Cream Pie flavor in great detail, and since I assume many meetings and memos produced the synopsis, I’m just going to copy it: “A delicious oatmeal flavored ice cream with hints of brown sugar mixed with soft oatmeal cookies and a vanilla icing swirl.”
How is it?
Is this delicious, as the Blue Bell website promised? Well, almost. Let’s start with the “oatmeal flavored ice cream.” I’m not even sure oatmeal has a flavor, and that’s why you add cinnamon, sugar, fruit, or if you have the imagination of a 5-year-old like I do, gummy bears to your oatmeal. If I did a blind tasting of this ice cream, I’m not sure I would have pegged it as oatmeal flavored, and even with the power of suggestion, I didn’t really get an oatmeal vibe. The “hints of brown sugar” was also a bit of a miss, as it took my complete concentration to just sorta, kinda maybe think I tasted a little bit of brown sugar.
Things do improve substantially for the second half of the description. The oatmeal cookies are indeed soft, as well as pleasantly chewy, and generously mixed throughout the ice cream. There are some good-sized chunks in here. The vanilla icing brings a nice sweetness to the mix with a bit of a different texture that I did like. While this flavor as a complete package doesn’t quite live up to its billing, it’s still pretty tasty.
Anything else you need to know?
Doing these reviews has allowed me to compile plenty of knowledge that, while interesting, is totally useless for any other purpose except for filling space in said reviews. Since the Little Debbie brand is synonymous with oatmeal creme (not cream) pies, it got me wondering if Little Debbie is a real person. It turns out she is, and Debbie McKee-Fowler is no longer little and is now the executive vice president of McKee Foods, which owns Little Debbie. If I ever get on Jeopardy! then maybe that knowledge will pay off, but if not, I’ve just cluttered up my brain – and now yours – with information none of us will ever need.
Conclusion:
This flavor to me is like a band that I wouldn’t pay full price to see because I only like some of their songs. If a friend has a free ticket or I see a discounted Groupon deal, then I’ll probably go, but I wouldn’t have the urge to go out and find tickets myself. I’m going to finish this pint and enjoy it, but next time I’m at the store, I’ll probably buy a different flavor.
Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 260 calories, 13 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.
I wonder if they took a oat milk route? Highlighting the oats flavor more.
Curious how this will taste ! We love oatmeL cookies and other things with oatmeal in it! Hope to try it!
I was probably closer to an 8, though I don’t have a ton of experience with/memory of “real” oatmeal cream pies and thus can’t say if it really matched the non-ice cream version of the treat. It won’t replace my standard or seasonal favorites, but I will definitely try it again, even at full price.
My batch did look a little different: it was hard to taste the base on its own, as I had lots of small cookie pieces throughout the container. Visually, I couldn’t really see the vanilla icing swirls, as my base looked lighter than these pictures, so maybe the icing just got absorbed into/mixed with the oatmeal base.
Alek’s comment about oat milk is interesting, whether in terms of using oat milk or adding something to the standard dairy milk base to make it more oat-y. My taste buds aren’t sensitive enough to make that determination, though it gives me an excuse (as if I needed one) to try this again, maybe comparing it to Cookie Two Step, which also features brown sugar.
Thanks for the review.
I disagree it tasted just like an oatmeal cream pie to me. 10/10. Especially loved the vanilla frosting cream mixed in there and of course the chunks. The brown sugar actually elevated the taste. I stocked up on it in my area because flavors like these go fast.
Whoever doesn’t give this a 10+ is insane. Best Ice cream ever. PERIOD
I’m sorry, I don’t quite agree with your review of this ice cream. It is supposed to tastes like “oatmeal cream pies” not “oatmeal”. It taste exactly like a Little Debbie Oatmeal cream pie.
I like it