Mint Cookie Scout
Peppermint flavored brownie batter ice cream with mint fudge cookie pieces
Date Tried - May 24, 2023
Location - Standing behind the couch, a greyhound nearby
Format - Pint
Milkshake It? - Yes
Buy Again? - Yes
It has been a long time since I’ve written one of these.
That fact may be lost on some of you out there as digital wizardry affords me the convenience of deciding when these reviews slip into your inbox, thus giving the illusion that I am writing one post per week.
This is not—and has never—been true.
I feel very distant from the start of this challenge, from the first ‘I Scream, You Scream’ email that was sent on October 11th. In that message, I said: "…if I release a flavor review once a week (reach for the stars!), then this project will slowly trickle into your inbox for an entire calendar year."
Was that a hopeful promise or a threat?
In the same way that people cannot actually predict the weather but can come fairly close, I’m not sure exactly how many reviews are left, though I have an idea. It’s just that I want to remain open to whatever the end of this project pulls out of its sleeve. I do, however, have very little gas left in the tank. The sun sets on ‘I Scream, You Scream’ and, here I am, poised at the keyboard once again, my thoughts laid bare for your weekly perusal. For you, I’ll do my best to go out as strongly as possible, hopefully leaving little to be desired.
I’ve written at length about the six Limited Edition flavors that Stewart’s released in the spring of 2023. Mint Cookie Scout was not one of these flavors, which probably means it was released after the fact because I didn’t know about its existence for a long time before we tried it. To repeat another tired sentiment of mine, Stewart’s is continually pumping out new Limited Edition flavors and I just can’t stay afloat.
Will I ever try Campfire S’mores? [Trick question, I already did before the challenge started.]
What about Daily Grind? Cookie Party?! Who among us can truly say?
I did try Mint Cookie Scout though, on May 24th. As of the day I’m writing this (July 10th), it is gone—scrubbed from the Stewart’s website and erased from the list of flavors, permanent and temporary alike. It has been removed from the collective consciousness of the North Country. All in all, it probably didn’t last longer than two months, a fact that truthfully blows my mind.
Because Mint Cookie Scout is good, real good.
I’ve made some jarring statements in this newsletter, but prepare yourself for perhaps the most upsetting yet…
I think Mint Cookie Scout is better than Mint Cookie Crumble.
Doubtless, some of you out there just read this and forced a violent exhalation out of your mouth and/or nose. Or maybe you spilled your coffee or stubbed a toe. I don’t begrudge you this reaction; if you’re this worked up about Stewart’s ice cream, it probably means that you read these newsletters the moment that they hit your inbox Wednesday at 9am.
If that’s the case, I apologize for getting you so worked up first thing in the morning.
But…well, it’s true. And the reason it’s true has been exemplified to us over and over again in this newsletter: Stewart’s knows how to make spectacular chocolate ice cream. It is one of the things that they do best. They know it and we know it.
Remember the brownie batter ice cream in Brownie Points? It was a key feature that led to me call Brownie Points the best chocolate flavor yet. Well, what do you suppose would happen if you take that same base and add peppermint? Then add minty fudge cookie pieces to that and, well, you’ve accomplished what Mint Cookie Crumble could not: a perfectly balanced mint chocolate flavor profile that is not turquoise.
Our good friends Jaime and Matt were visiting at the time and ate this with us while we watched Paul Thomas Anderson’s film masterpiece (one of them, anyway) Phantom Thread. It was served in small dishes alongside Peanut Butter Pie, another Limited Edition Flavor. I can confidently say that this has been the best pairing of any two flavors thus far. That may be a remarkable thing to say or it may not be. I’ve tried not to pair flavors too often as to focus on each properly, to offer a certain level of integrity to all flavors.
It should be acknowledged that Mint Cookie Scout is an obvious nod to Girl Scout Cookies, specifically the Thin Mint. It’s a brazen choice given that Stewart’s has no affiliation with the Girl Scouts—this could be interpreted as a soulless way to profit off the labor of children. But I’d suggest that, even if that is the case, it’s relatively on theme given the fact that the Girl Scouts raise about $800 million annually selling mediocre cookies, a number that I imagine is as complicated as it is inspiring. [For what it’s worth though, Mint Cookie Scout is much better than a Thin Mint.]
May was a big month—I put my head down and muscled through seven total flavors. But I may have gone a little too hard; Mint Cookie Scout was the last Stewart’s flavor that I tried, hard stop. That means I haven’t had Stewart’s ice cream in forty seven days and counting. This is at least partially due to the fact that I’ve been eating a significant quantity of ice cream from Farmer’s Cone Creamery—the esteemed brand with which Lisa finds herself associated.
But it’s also because I lost steam. When that happens, you need something to forcibly bring you back from your slump, to reignite the flame. The Girl Scouts—like every good rank and file organization—have a pledge. And, according to their website, members may substitute for the word “God” as needed when reciting the pledge.
So, join me Dear Reader, and send good thoughts toward this newsletter’s eventual closing chapter, that it may end as boldly as it began.
~ On my honor, I will try:
To serve I Scream, You Scream and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law ~