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Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 3 Best Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Creams: A Blind Taste Test
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by Bon Appétit editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission. Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Leslie Raney Garetto It's entirely possible mint chocolate chip ice cream is the most divisive flavor ever created. Should its base be pastel green or a soft ecru? Should it be flecked with standard chocolate chips, bigger chocolate chunks, or lithe flakes? Is mint chip ice cream even good? These questions and more were hotly debated just moments before our latest blind tasting began. In this article How we picked the products How we set up the taste test How our editors evaluated The budget pick The splurge Our favorite mint chip ice cream We also tested The flavor is at least 80 years old. One of Baskin-Robbins' original 31 flavors, 'Chocolate Mint' made its debut in 1945 in Glendale, California, at Irv Robbins's Snowbird Ice Cream before Robbins merged concepts with brother-in-law Burt Baskin to create the frozen dessert juggernaut we know today. Now codified in most people's minds as 'mint chocolate chip,' the combo is the seventh most popular ice cream flavor in the United States, according to a 2024 study from the International Dairy Foods Association, ranking ahead of chocolate chip, rocky road, and peanut butter cup. These days mint chocolate as a flavor concept has gone international, particularly in South Korea, where it has gained popularity in recent years. You can find the combination in cookies and ice cream, of course, but the duo has also joined forces in savory dishes, such as fried chicken and steamed buns. Not ready to dive into the wider world of minted-chocolate treats? Stick around. We'll be focusing on ice cream from here on. In our latest blind taste test, we sampled 12 brands of mint chocolate chip ice cream to find our favorites. What we found out is that one pint won't suit all. How we picked the products We began our search for the best mint chocolate chip ice cream by soliciting recommendations from the Bon Appétit staff. We combed through our vanilla ice cream taste test and cookies and cream ice cream taste test for tried-and-true favorite brands. We also scoured mint chocolate chip ice cream roundups across the web and kept an eye out for lesser-known brands when shopping, like Alec's Ice Cream, a relative newcomer. Just as important are the brands we chose not to test. We excluded some brands with limited distribution that could be difficult for many of our readers to find. We also eliminated any brands that included nontraditional chocolate elements (such as Oreo cookies or fudge swirls) and avoided any plant-based formulations. How we set up our blind taste test About 30 minutes before testing, we scooped the ice creams one by one into individual bowls and returned them to the freezer in turn. When our testers were ready, we presented one sample at a time for tasting. Each taster tried a spoonful of ice cream before discussing its pros and cons. In the end, our panel named three favorite mint chip pints—each with their own merits—as well as one ice cream deserving of an honorable mention. How our editors evaluated Our tasters had strong opinions on the proper color for mint chocolate chip ice cream, but not all shared the same opinion. Some insisted it should be green. ('That's just how things are; how they have always been!' being the implied takeaway.) Others thought a more natural white hue was the better option. On other facets our panel was more aligned. A great mint chocolate chip ice cream should be creamy and rich with a robust, refreshingly minty flavor. Ice creams deemed too saccharine or that veered too into toothpaste territory weren't welcome. There should also be an even distribution of chocolate throughout—and that chocolate can make or break the ice cream. It should be high-quality dark chocolate, nothing waxy or overly sweet. Our tasters preferred thin chocolate shards that shattered when chewed, creating a textural riot with each bite. No unwieldy chocolate chunks, overwhelming ripples, or unpleasantly gritty, grainy bits of chocolate. The Nostalgic Pick: Edy's Slow-Churned Mint Chocolate Chip Known as Dreyer's on the West Coast, this brand has been making ice cream for nearly a century. The dual names, according to the company's website, honor founders William Dreyer and Joseph Edy. Many Edy's flavors are sold as 'frozen dairy desserts' because the FDA requires ice cream to have a minimum amount of dairy fat and regulates weight per gallon. Edy's 'Slow-churned' line is a 'light ice cream,' which is reflected in the products' fat and calorie content compared to the standard. The way many of these types of ice cream fill out a pint is through overrun—that's the amount of air mixed in to make the ice cream soft and scoopable. Why it won us over: For tasters who expected a shock of fluorescent green when they pop the top off a carton of mint chocolate chip ice cream, Edy's hit the mark. Scattered throughout were formidable shards of dark chocolate that pleasantly contrasted the creamy base and balanced mint flavor. 'This is what I expect from mint chocolate chip ice cream,' beamed associate visuals editor Marc Williams. Senior cooking and SEO editor Joe Sevier appreciated how light and scoopable the ice cream was, even directly from the freezer, and other tasters said Edy's cool, creamy flavor took them right back to childhood. We'd love it in: Sandwiched between two thin chocolate wafer cookies in homemade ice cream sandwiches. BUY IT: Edy's Slow-Churned Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream; $6 for 1.5 quarts at DoorDash The Highfalutin Favorite: Jeni's Green Mint Chip Bon Appétit has ridden hard for Jeni's for years—it also placed in our cookies and cream ice cream taste test—so it's not wildly surprising to see this pint among our winners. Jeni's sets itself apart from other ice creams in that it doesn't use eggs; instead, it builds luxurious creaminess from extra-high-quality milk and cream. It's worth noting that Jeni's uses natural food coloring (spirulina makes for a gentle sea green hue in this mint chip). Why it won us over: Mint chocolate chip ice cream fanatic and food director Chris Morocco was Jeni's biggest advocate in this tasting. He described its color as a delicate turquoise (pronounced 'tur-kwaz'), comparing its color to the Caribbean Sea and describing its flavor as measured and well-calibrated. Other tasters were less effusive but agreed that Jeni's refreshingly minty yet incredibly creamy base benefited from a contrast of really good bittersweet chocolate shards. 'That feels like an adult ice cream,' said director of creative development Ian Stroud, 'I feel classy eating that.' We'd love it in: An ice cream like this deserves to be the main character in your dessert. Try it bathed in hot fudge, layered in an ice cream cake, or tucked into a baked Alaska. BUY IT: Jeni's Ice Cream Green Mint Chip; $10 for 1 pint at AmazonFresh BUY IT: Jeni's Ice Cream Green Mint Chip; $12 for 1 pint at Jeni' The Mint Chip Champ: Trader Joe's Mint Chip Ice Cream Trader Joe's mint chocolate chip ice cream carton is emblazoned with the words 'super premium,' which is ice cream parlance for 'there's a lot of dairy fat and very little air whipped into this ice cream.' The list of ingredients is short: cream, milk, cane sugar, chocolate-flavored chips, sugared egg yolks, peppermint extract, and a few stabilizers. Why it won us over: Interestingly, Trader Joe's mint chocolate chip is the only ice cream among our three top picks that isn't green. Do we finally have an answer to the green vs. white mint chip ice cream debate? Perhaps. What really put this ice cream over the top was its chocolate. Like the chocolate in Italian stracciatella, this ice cream boasted thin, wide flakes that shattered with each bite before gloriously melting away. Joe praised their 'rich chocolate flavor,' and associate test kitchen manager Ines Anguiano said the way the thin shards melted made each bite an 'integrated experience.' Other tasters loved this quart's luxe creaminess and its balanced mint flavor. We'd love it: Substituted into a Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake or nestled into a banana split with a scoop of chocolate and vanilla to round it out. BUY IT: Trader Joe's Mint Chip Ice Cream; $5 for 1 quart in stores Honorable Mention Graeter's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream features large, irregular pieces of chocolate. While some tasters loved the fudgy bits ('I think the irregular chunks are charming,' Chris said), others found them slightly overwhelming: 'The piece I got was big enough to be a brownie,' Joe said. Still, Graeters won enough ardent fans that the panel agreed it was worth recommending. BUY IT: Graeter's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream; $14 for 1 pint at 365 Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream: Although it had a nice scattering of chocolate shards, tasters didn't detect enough mint flavor. Alden's Organic Mint Chip Ice Cream: The texture was simply too light; tasters missed the dense, creamy consistency found in other contenders. Alec's Ice Cream Mint Chocolate Chip: Although tasters had a lot of nice things to say (good flavors, big chunks of chocolate), ultimately the elements didn't work well together. Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip: With its delicate flavor, Breyer's lost out to more robustly minted competitors. Häagen-Dazs Mint Chip Ice Cream: Tasters praised Häagen-Dazs on first bite, but ultimately deemed it too sweet, with unbalanced flavor. McConnell's Fine Ice Creams Mint Chip: Tasters found the chocolate here too finely ground, which made the ice cream taste gritty instead of luxe. Tillamook Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream: With a slightly gummy ice cream base, Tillamook fell short in texture. Van Leeuwen Mint Chip French Ice Cream: With a higher egg yolk content than traditional ice cream, Van Leeuwen's French ice cream is ultra creamy and sweet, but its chalky-tasting chocolate didn't deliver. Fresh Mint and Chocolate Ice Cream Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
Otago Daily Times
05-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Artist found the colour through the clouds
Without the grey, we wouldn't notice the colour. Wānaka's sad cloudy season is the very reason Wānaka artist Sierra Roberts found hers. Miss Roberts, in her own self admission, has been a bit of a nomad, having travelled through Asia, South America and living in Byron Bay where she would surf and save money, just to travel elsewhere for a year. Like many New Zealanders, she found herself back home in 2020 when Covid-19 meant she would have to make a choice. "I lived in Salt Lake City for a couple years, working at Snowbird (a ski resort) and studying, doing trips around America and Canada." She spent a year travelling Asia, much of that time in the Himalayas hiking and another year in South America travelling from the southern tip of Argentina to Mexico. "We spent a large portion of our time in Peru in the Cordillera Blancas." Her travel ended in Alaska working at a heli ski lodge, before she ended up back in Wānaka to settle. She recently became a mother. "I am focused on just readjusting to life as a mum and spending as much time with my 4-month-old girl as possible. "The painting will always be there for me. So at the moment there really isn't a balance. I get a couple hours a week in. But I hope to increase this as we fall into a routine." But the artwork began in Wānaka, where she spent most of her childhood after moving from Mount Cook when she was 5. "I started painting in high school, Wānaka has a month or two a year of inversion [no sun] which can get a bit depressing, so painting was an outlet for me to enjoy in the sad cloud season." Seeing there was a talent, she went on to study fine art in between ski seasons. "The more I've drawn and painted the more passionate I've become about it. I loved learning art history in university, but really I just wanted to paint." Strangely, she was told through her degree that "painting is a dying art", which left her disheartened so that is where the travel bug began. "My earlier works were inspired by my travels and the incredible people and communities I met along the way. These earlier works were largely focused on bold, statement portraits." You don't have to pay too much attention to see that Miss Robert's art has a heavy focus on females, along with bright coloured birds and flowers. "As time has gone on, I've become really interested in the female experience, the connection between women and flowers and most recently my current works are focused on placement and identity in Aotearoa." She said Wānaka was a natural choice for her connection with home, because she was brought up here, but also the alpine environment and general beauty. "I love being so close to my family. I also love the outdoors, particularly alpine environments and it's wonderful to be surrounded by such a tight group of friends. "I think Wānaka is the most beautiful and fun place on earth." She has gathered both domestic and international clients and sells prints of her work which are more affordable. She bases herself in a studio out by the Wānaka airport on her parent's property, where it all began. Most artists cannot name a favourite piece, she is no different. "Whispers of the Mountain is my current favourite. It was a happy accident that incorporates all my favourite things, alpine, weather, the kea and femininity."
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What Utah ski resort had the most snow this past winter?
While past winter wasn't a banner year for snow in Utah overall, some ski areas put up solid, even impressive totals for the season. And while the state's 15 resorts closed earlier this spring, three places in North America — all in the West — remain open for at least another week. Utah resorts are now gearing up for summer activities like mountain biking and hiking. Preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association released in May showed that the 2024-25 season marked the second-highest visitation on record at U.S. ski areas, with a total of 61.5 million skier visits, a 1.7% increase over the previous season. A skier visit is counted each time a person uses a lift ticket or pass at a ski area. Ski resorts in the Rocky Mountain states accounted for nearly 43% of all skier days nationwide during the 2024-25 season, which turned out to be nearly the biggest year ever. The data was preliminary because some areas are still open. Several resorts were close to if not above their average annual snowfall. As usual, the resorts in Little and Big Cottonwood canyons picked up the most snow among Utah resorts during the past season. (Snow totals are per Ski Utah.) Snowbird led the way with 542 inches, one of two resorts in the state to exceed 500 inches this year. 'It has been one heck of a season filled with powdery bliss, slush season frenzy and plenty of shredding to go around. The stoke was high, sometimes the vis was low, but it just meant we were getting dumped on. Where else would you want to be?' reads Snowbird's season-ending posting. Neighboring Alta Ski Area in Little Cottonwood Canyon checked in just behind Snowbird with 538 inches. In Big Cottonwood Canyon, Brighton Resort had 578 inches, while Solitude ended with 420 inches. With an early opening last November, Solitude totaled 183 days of operation, the most in the state. 'We've melted out! We promised to keep you skiing and riding as long and possible — and we did! We kept our lifts spinning deep into May, but Mother Nature has decided it's time to end the #LongestSeasonInUtah," according to the resort. On the Wasatch Back, Park City Mountain ended the season with 306 inches, while Deer Valley closed with 265 inches. Despite a down snow year — 169 inches total — Brian Head in southern Utah managed to pull off the longest season in its 60-year history with 181 ski days. 'Thanks to our dedicated team, an early opening in November and strategic investments in snowmaking, we've delivered our longest season yet — all while keeping skiing affordable for everyone,' Amber Palmer, Brian Head marketing manager, said in a press release. Here are totals for the other ski areas in the state, per Ski Utah. Beaver Mountain — 242 inches Cherry Peak — 186 inches Eagle Point — 190 inches Nordic Valley — 90 inches Powder Mountain — 253 inches Snowbasin — 276 inches Sundance — 213 inches Woodward Park City — 160 inches Even though Utah resorts are closed for the year, some lifts are still spinning at Mammoth Mountain in California, Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Timberline Lodge in Oregon, per OnTheSnow.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Rally held in honor of missing and murdered Indigenous
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Monday, May 5 marked the National Day of Awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women and men in the U.S. Many people in Colorado are honoring those killed or still missing and say there is more work to be done. The Haseya Advocate Program in Colorado Springs said around 28% of Native American homicide cases remain unsolved in Colorado, and in Colorado Springs specifically, around 6% of cases involving indigenous people also remain unresolved. 'A lot of the stories it does bring in emotion, hearing about aunties and cousins, daughters, sons, fathers going missing or being murdered,' said Shauna Jackson, a volunteer at Haseya Advocate Program. Haseya Advocate Program is a native woman-led organization, which helps indigenous survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the Pikes Peak Region. On Sunday, the organization held a rally in Downtown Colorado Springs to raise awareness. 'There was a lot of tears [Sunday], it was heavy and very emotional for a lot of folks,' said Monycka Snowbird, the Director of Haseya Advocacy Center. During Sunday's rally, people held signs with photos of Native Americans who have experienced abuse. 'Almost every single one of our cases that we're tracking also experienced domestic violence or sexual assault immediately prior to being killed or going missing,' said Snowbird. Jackson attested that she has personally been victim to the mistreatment. 'I am a survivor myself, and it's definitely something that's led me into working in this specific area with domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, all of that, because being a survivor, it is a big emotional connection. I didn't have a voice, and I wasn't heard, and it was hard to admit to myself that I was a survivor,' said Jackson. Colorado breaks a national trend when it comes to violence against Native American people–Haseya Advocate Program said more men are killed or go missing in our state than women, which is not typical in the U.S. 'When they started tracking this, it was always missing and murdered indigenous girls or missing murdered indigenous women, but what we're finding is that it's more men than our women or girls,' said Snowbird. People who attended Sunday's rally said it's about more than statistics or data; it's about getting the word out, and letting people know how serious the issue is. 'They're carrying several signs because they have cousins and aunts who are all missing from different parts of their family,' said Jackson. Advocates say you can help by speaking up if you know something, and push law enforcement to investigate cold cases involving native people. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘I'm ditching my Florida retirement plan over Trump's new tourism rules'
Shawky Fahel has been a 'Snowbird' for 15 years, fleeing to Florida to escape the biting cold of the Canadian winters. The balmy weather, good restaurants and verdant golf courses made it an ideal escape for the 75-year-old retired businessman and his wife, Kathie. But now, he is looking to sell his winter home in Venice. A new rule to require Canadians to register - and have their fingerprints taken - if they spend more than 30 days in the country, is an 'attack' on foreign retirees, Mr Fahel claims. Failure to comply with Donald Trump's order, which comes into force on April 11, can lead to fines of up to $5,000 (£3,400) and six months in jail. 'It's more than an insult. It's an attack,' Mr Fahel said. 'I'm not very happy about it. There are 41 million Canadians who are not very happy about it. Canada and the United States have been the two best neighbouring countries with the best relationship between countries for almost a hundred years.' Mr Fahel, despite his fury, will wait 12-months to sell up, as the market for second homes is already overwhelmed, he says. It's not just the new rules that have put him off America, Mr Fahel is also aggrieved by Mr Trump's threats to turn Canada into the 51st state. 'It's very insulting for Donald Trump to be calling my prime minister 'a governor' of Canada, he added. It was Mr Fahel's friend Bob Rosehart who initially tempted him to Florida almost two decades ago. The pair love to play golf together. Dr Rosehart, 82, who is also Canadian, has not yet decided whether to stick with his retirement plans, or head home. The former university president said that although Mr Trump can be 'a bit erratic,' now is a time to remain calm and see how things turn out. 'Right now we're in a shock phase... politicians come and go. I think it's a time for calm,' he said. Canadians in other states are also mulling their options. Laurie Lavine, an estate agent in Arizona – another popular 'Snowbird' refuge – has been deluged by Canadian pensioners wanting to sell up and move on. 'I've currently got 11 listings, and usually I have about two or three, and they turn over, then I get a couple more. But I've never had 11 all at one time. 'My accountant is booked two weeks out now because he's just swamped with Canadian clients. 'So, I'm not the only one that's working with Canadians who are cashing out. The weakness of the Canadian dollar and rising insurance costs had already seen a steady stream of 'Snowbirds' looking to sell up. Following Mr Trump's fall-out with the North American country, it has become a flood. 'I think Canadians have never been more unified than they are right now. Nobody wants to have their prime minister being called governor,' Mr Lavine added. 'Nobody in Canada, wants to be the 51st state.' It is estimated that around one million 'Snowbirds' flock to sunnier climes in the US every year. They make a substantial contribution to the Sunshine States. One estimate says they are worth at least a billion to Florida a year, for example. 'We have a lot of clients that are Snowbirds,' Rosanna Berardi, a lawyer, said. 'When this registration goes into effect, the plan for many of them is to leave early and they don't intend to return next year. That's going to be devastating to the economies of south Florida and Arizona. 'They're individuals that come into the US. many of them own property expensive property they pay taxes they contribute to the economy. 'While I understand the US government wanting to tighten up the border and make America safe, I just feel like they're picking on the wrong team here. 'In my opinion, these are people who we want in the United States who are law-abiding contributing members of society. 'I think this is really such an overstretch and an overreach by the US government because just the statistics don't support the fact that these are the people creating havoc for us in the United States. 'Canadian Snowbirds are the least of the US immigration system's problems.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
