Churros and ice cream are nearly complete opposites. Aside from their robust sweetness, I can’t imagine many things in the dessert realm that are more drastically different than each other. One is hot and crispy, while the other is cold and melty.
When I dream up the ideal churro, the first thing that comes to mind is a fried crunch that gives way to soft fluffy dough with a sharp sugary cinnamon bite. When I imagine the perfect pint, I see gooey swirls and chewy chunks in a velvety smooth base. They’re like completely different experiences, right? I’ve had churros in ice cream before and it hasn’t worked, but Ben & Jerry’s is daringly giving it a shot. Churray for Churros! is buttery cinnamon ice cream with churro pieces and crunchy cinnamon swirls.
Bad news first: this pint doesn’t give me much of the satisfaction I associate with a churro, but the good news is it is a really great cinnamon ice cream. The base is delightful. It is absolutely buttery with a smooth texture that gives way to a very prominent but sweet cinnamon flavor that works beautifully with the lush fatty dairy notes. It is a mild flavor that most fans of the spice should find sufficient while not being so intense that it will turn people away who may not love it as much as I do; it is balanced.
The “churro pieces” are really more like a cross between a chewy cookie and cookie dough. They’re very soft and slightly gritty, not nearly as gritty as the classic gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough B&J are known for, but there’s a hint of undone-ness to the chew. They amp up the cinnamon flavor AND the buttery flavor from the base, and it’s like a match made in heaven. Again, these “churro pieces” don’t really remind me of a churro texturally at all, but when I’ve had churro pieces in other ice creams, it has been a disaster. So kudos to the gurus in Vermont for figuring this one out because the cinnamon sugar taste is awesome.
There are a ton of churro pieces in my pint but not so much of the crunchy cinnamon swirls. I don’t notice a big textural shift between bites, and with three cinnamon components, it’s hard to differentiate exactly what’s going on. In fact, that’s the only issue I have with this creation is that while it’s very good, it’s a bit of a one-trick pony. This is the perfect ice cream to have a single scoop of on a cone or to use as the base of a sundae. But on its own, it feels like it’s one component away from being a B&J all-timer.
Perhaps pairing this with churro dipping sauce, like a dulce de leche or fudge swirl, could have taken this to churro spiral city. Churray for Churros! reminds me a lot more of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and snickerdoodle cookie dough than it does churros, but I am a cinnamon fiend, and all of those profiles have a special place in my heart, even if it’s a bit one-note at times.
DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Ben & Jerry’s. Doing so did not influence my review.
Purchased Price: FREE
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 133g) 380 calories, 23 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.
Hello, 400 lbs.
Thanks for the review. Was wondering how you’d compare it to Cinnamon Buns, my go-to B&J/Cinnamon/Snickerdoodle-esque flavored ice cream (at least when my nearby stores still had it). I love that, so this being a bit of a “one trick pony” with only just being cinnamon isn’t a problem for me. If this does well, maybe the could release a chocolate swirled version, too.
Just to clarify: is your rating 7/10 for the ice cream as it is? Or does it lose something because it doesn’t quite live up to its name (it “doesn’t give me much of the satisfaction I associate with a churro”)? In other words, if this were called something like Chewy Cinnamon Cookie (i.e. Churro not in the title), would your rating be higher?
(Not the original Reviewer) but this was very reminiscent of Cinnamon Buns to me. The texture of the “churro” pieces is just a little different and the “crunchy swirl” adds some little bits of crunch– but because there’s hardly any of the crunchy swirl anyway, it’s not all that impactful
Reminiscent but not as good overall, and sadly it sounds like this one will be replacing Cinnamon Buns!
hey Jim! thanks for reading man!
I sort of alluded to in the concluding paragraph but it definitely reminds me more of a cinnamon bun or snickerdoodle than it does a churro, but both are great cinnamon-y pints. This one doesn’t have the caramel component and I think this base is notably better, however the mix-ins in Cinnamon Buns are more impactful.
The 7 rating was because it’s a bit of a one trick pony and I could never see myself smashing a whole pint — it’s delicious but not complex enough to warrant multiple scoops. If we did half scores here it would be a 7.5 but I had to make the call and it’s not quite in the realm of recent 8’s like Dublin Mudslide or the Tony’s collab (which is actually a 8.5 and maybe even a 9, it’s very good).
Hope that explains! 🙂
Thank you; the last paragraph was pretty clear, but I’m rather dense.
I’ll still give it a try today but with your review in mind.