THE GRAETER GOOD JUST GOT EVEN GREATER

I had the utmost taste sensation of indulging in Graeter's Ice Cream several years ago when I was in Cincinnati, Ohio.  That's where this small batch French style ice cream is produced.  I not only loved the consistency and flavor of the ice cream itself, but it was all about the chocolate chips.

Of the name brands, Ben & Jerry's is certainly not on the top of my chocolate list.  Each time that I tried out a flavor that contained some form of chocolate chips, all I seemed to taste was palm oil.  Ben & Jerry's isn't the only brand that does this to chocolate.  The explanation is that you can't have "real chocolate" in ice cream because the chocolate would be much too hard to bite into.  On the other hand, Graeter's uses a small amount of soy oil instead continuing to maintain the full chocolate flavor.

Here is another factor on the side of Graeter’s. Air goes into ice cream, so if you think you are getting a pint or quart it's just the size of the container and not the weight of 16 oz. etc.  Graeter's actually weighs 16 oz.  I'm not sure about the weight of Ben & Jerry's if you were to get a simple flavor without all of the added "candy" which basically boils down to a lot of added sugar.

The way that Graeter's batches are made is that they are stirring the chocolate "liquid" into the ice cream and the paddles break it up.  This is the reason why the chips are not all the same size.  If fact, you get a little surprise of what is like eating a small chocolate candy bar inside the pint. 

Batches are made two and a half gallons at a time using a French Pot Process where their artisans pour and swirl the delicious ingredients into the spinning two and a half gallon French Pot freezer resulting in a dense and rich cream.
Now, let us get to the flavors starting with the chocolate chip variety including: Black Cherry, Black Raspberry, Buckeye (with peanut butter, cocoa, and peanut butter cookie dough), chocolate chip (with vanilla ice cream), double chocolate chip (with chocolate ice cream), mocha (with real coffee), mint (with real peppermint oi), toffee, and one of the new ones….s’mores that uses milk chocolate chips, soft mini marshmallows and creamy graham crackers. I never engaged in s’mores. I did not appreciate the marshmallow or milk chocolate but did like the graham cracker ice cream. I had thoughts of the  ice cream with cherries and chips for a Cherry Chip Pie.

A chocolate lover's delight is their Dark Chocolate Brownie ice cream packed with soft, chewy brownie bits complementing the richness of the dark chocolate ice cream. Can you really have too much chocolate?

Here is another newer flavor that I tried called Chunky Chunky Hippo, crafted to celebrate the Cincinnati Zoo. With a toffee ice cream base, salted roasted peanuts and milk chocolate caramel truffles and a portion of proceeds benefit the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Graeter’s came up with a “mystery” flavor that turned out to be Maple Cinnamon Crunch, a sweet maple ice cream and loaded with crunchy cinnamon covered shortbread pieces. Like having breakfast (any excuse to have their ice cream will do).

“Our annual Mystery Flavor unveil is a favorite time of year for all of us at Graeter’s,” shares Chip Graeter, 4th generation family member. “This year’s flavor is exceptional, and we’re really excited to bring it back into scoop shops throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Chicago and Pittsburgh.”

Yes, I don’t have to always indulge in chocolate ice cream or chocolate chips although my absolute two favs are the raspberry chocolate chip and the black cherry chocolate chips. It’s the best way to enjoy some healthy fruit. Okay, that’s not really true. I love cherries and raspberries. Unless you grow your own or can pick them at a farm, raspberries don’t get the ripe sweetness that my flavor buds crave. Same with purchasing cherries that appear to be ripe because they look that way. Graeter’s does have a few selections of sorbet, of which I must try the raspberry and the lemon as a palate cleanser.

No  If you go to their website, you can either order online or find a location near you that sells Graeter’s. www.graeters.com

No,I haven’t tried all of the flavors and there are a lot more than I have already mentioned.