I tried 26 of Cold Stone Creamery's Signature Creations and ranked them from worst to best

Business Insider

20-05-2025

Cold Stone Creamery has over 20 combinations of ice cream and mix-ins called Signature Creations.
The Founder's Favorite was too sweet for me even though I liked the brownies.
I loved the Mud Pie Mojo's blend of coffee ice cream, Oreos, peanut butter, and more.
One of the hardest decisions for me to make is what to order at an ice cream shop.
So, I chose to avoid the decision altogether and order 26 of Cold Stone Creamery's pre-set combinations of ice cream and mix-ins known as Signature Creations.
I ordered all of the varieties in a "like it" cup (comparable to a small) from my local store in Kansas City, Missouri, for $7 each.
As an ice cream lover who normally gravitates toward flavors full of chocolate, fruit, and peanut butter, I was excited to give everything a try and rank them from worst to best.
Here's what the experience was like.
26. Founder's Favorite
This flavor might be the founder's favorite, but it wasn't mine.
The sweet cream ice cream was, admittedly, too sweet for me, especially when paired with brownie pieces, fudge, caramel, and pecans.
The brownie pieces were super soft, though, which was delightful.
25. Cookie Doughn't You Want Some
Similarly, I thought the French vanilla ice cream was an incredibly sweet base for this combination of cookie dough, fudge, chocolate chips, and a hint of caramel.
It was so rich that I was glad I only ordered a small cup.
24. Oreo Overload
With a sweet cream ice cream base and Oreos, fudge, and chocolate chips, this Signature Creation delivered a little too much sugar to my senses, but I loved the texture.
The loud crunch of the cookies was satisfying when paired with pockets of smooth fudge and hard chocolate chips.
23. Surrender to Strawberry
Surrender to Strawberry reminded me of a strawberry shortcake, thanks to its combination of strawberry ice cream, yellow cake, strawberries, and whipped topping.
However, it was less filling than I expected it to be.
22. Somewhere Over the Rain-dough
With a cookie dough ice cream base and rainbow sprinkles, frosting, and sugar crystals mixed in, this creation was way too sweet for me.
It tasted like a cupcake with too much frosting on top, only this time, I couldn't scrape anything off to make it taste better.
21. Coffee Lovers Only
Coffee Lovers Only includes a reliable mix of coffee-flavored ice cream, roasted almonds, Heath bar pieces, and caramel.
It was super crunchy and had a bit of a bitter aftertaste. However, I'm not a big fan of Heath bars, so this flavor didn't end up ranking highly for me.
20. Cookie Mintster
An upgrade to the classic mint chocolate chip ice cream, the Cookie Mintster had an incredible texture thanks to plenty of Oreo cookie crumbles and a dash of fudge.
Although I do enjoy mint, this flavor combination was less impressive to me than other Signature Creations I tasted.
19. Peanut Butter Cup Perfection
I'm a big fan of Reese's peanut butter cups, so I really enjoyed this blend of chocolate ice cream, peanut butter, Reese's, and fudge.
However, the flavors weren't unique enough for me to rank this creation any higher.
18. No One Lays a Finger on My Butterfinger
Peanut butter ice cream made with Butterfinger served as the base for this Signature Creation that's topped with more Butterfinger pieces, fudge, and caramel.
I thought it was tasty and original, but I didn't like the way the cold Butterfinger got stuck in my teeth.
17. Berry Berry Berry Good
The combination of sweet cream ice cream and fresh-tasting raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries mirrored a refreshing cup of berries and cream. I enjoyed this simple and light Signature Creation.
16. Apple Pie a la Cold Stone
In my experience, ice cream shops usually only feature an apple pie flavor seasonally, but Cold Stone has a Signature Creation that mirrors one year-round.
Its Apple Pie a la Cold Stone includes French vanilla ice cream, apple pie filling, graham cracker pie crust, caramel, and cinnamon.
Although the flavors blend deliciously, I'd still prefer a fresh slice of apple pie à la mode any day.
15. Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Although the Cookie Mintster was a good start, the Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip was the true mint chocolate chip upgrade I'd been waiting for.
With chocolate chips, brownie pieces, and fudge mixed into a mint ice cream base, I thought this option was a little more filling. I'm also partial to the soft, decadent brownies.
14. Our Strawberry Blonde
The Our Strawberry Blonde is made with refreshing strawberry ice cream topped with strawberries, caramel, graham cracker pie crust, and whipped topping.
The final creation was thick and decadent without being overbearing, and had a fun crunch.
13. Don't Cry Over Spilled Silk
This vegan-friendly option was made with Silk chocolate almond milk and almost passed for regular ice cream, save for being just a little grainy and icy in its consistency.
Still, I thought it paired well with the bananas, peanut butter, and roasted almonds.
12. Cookies Make Everything Batter
This Signature Creation includes cake batter ice cream, Oreos, Golden Oreos, and whipped topping.
The ice cream tasted sweet like the center of an Oreo, but I couldn't really tell the whipped topping was there. Still, I thought it was really good and a small cup was almost too much for me because of how filling it was.
11. Going Bananas for Jell-O Pudding
10. One Smart Brookie
I initially raised my eyebrows at this treat, as I expected the base ice cream flavor to be vanilla, not cookie dough.
However, I thought the cookie dough ice cream was a nice addition that tasted like a mix between French vanilla and cake batter. I also liked the addition of cookie dough and brownie pieces to finish the creation.
9. Chocolate Devotion
The Chocolate Devotion is an irresistible blend of chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, brownie pieces, and fudge.
The ice cream itself was delightfully creamy, and there were so many soft chunks of brownie, I almost thought they were the main ingredient.
If you're craving chocolate, don't consider anything else.
8. Cheesecake Fantasy
7. Reese's Peanut Butter Awesome Sauce
The Reese's Peanut Butter Awesome Sauce pairs sweet cream ice cream with the saltiness of Reese's peanut butter sauce and Reese's peanut butter cups. This was a surprisingly delicious treat, especially since I'm clearly not the biggest fan of sweet cream ice cream.
Together, this creation was outstandingly thick and creamy, almost like cookie dough.
6. Dough for It
5. Cake Batter Batter Batter
I expected this Signature Creation to be too sweet and didn't think cake batter ice cream would pair well with the cookie dough and brownie pieces.
However, it was surprisingly amazing. I found myself eating it slower because of its decadence and couldn't put the spoon down.
4. Birthday Cake Remix
The Birthday Cake Remix combines cake batter ice cream, brownie pieces, fudge, and rainbow sprinkles. As soon as I took a bite, I said "Amazing."
This Signature Creation had the distinct flavor of three staple desserts — ice cream, cake, and brownies — and the perfect amount of richness, while still being a little unique.
I highly suggest this if you're a fan of sprinkles, too.
3. Banana Caramel Crunch
The Banana Caramel Crunch tasted like sweet banana bread that had been pulled fresh out of the oven.
Roasted almonds added a fun crunch to the soft, ripe bananas and sweet caramel drizzle mixed into a French vanilla base. The whole thing somehow managed to taste warm and inviting.
2. Mud Pie Mojo
I want to wake up to this concoction of coffee ice cream, Oreos, peanut butter, roasted almonds, and fudge every morning.
The creamy coffee ice cream was light and sweet with a bit of a bite in the aftertaste that created a great base to balance all the flavors.
I also loved the array of textures the toppings provided.
1. Dough-lightful Peanut Butter
My favorite Signature Creation was the Dough-lightful Peanut Butter.
I loved the cookie dough ice cream base and thought the added peanut butter, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and sugar crystals provided an interesting crunch and a filling, balanced, salty-sweet taste. I would eat this as a meal any day.