Fives: Best Ice Cream Flavors

Here’s a fun fact: ice cream is good no matter what time of year it is. You could literally have just built a snowman and then come inside with rosy cheeks, and a scoop or two of your favorite ice cream goes down as easy as if it were 102 degrees. Here in Austin, we have more of the latter than we do of the former, but I still craved ice cream last week when we got SNOW for the first time since I’ve lived here. Very impressive. In any case, let’s dish out the top five best ice cream flavors.

This list doesn’t contain anything super extraordinary like the wacky creations over at Ben & Jerry’s, delicious as some of those may be. And yes, that dishing out pun was absolutely intended. I don’t apologize.

5. Orange Sherbet 

Not even one item in and already this list is a sham. Starting off with something that’s not even ice cream? Whatever. Ice cream is made with dairy and eggs, and sherbet is just dairy (sorbet is dairy-free and egg-free, if you’re scoring at home). But…have you ever tried orange sherbet? It’s probably the most refreshing thing you could ever set your mouth upon. However, it’s the worst thing on this list to pair with a cone. Just keep it pure and you’ll be alright.

4. Vanilla Bean 

The most basic choice is still among the best ice cream flavors and a solid staple in your rotation. Vanilla bean (and even just plain vanilla) gets the nod over chocolate because it’s a bit more versatile and far more consistent. The best chocolate ice cream is better than the best vanilla, but the worst chocolate is so much further in the depths of society than the worst vanilla, it actually makes me sad to think about it. Vanilla goes with everything and while it will never knock the hat off of your head, it’s a great complement to anything, ESPECIALLY pie.

3. Mint Chocolate Chip

I actually used to dislike mint ice cream as a child, but now I’ve corrected my erroneous ways. And in perhaps a bit of a shocker, mint chocolate chip is the premier ice cream to mix with marshmallows. Pair it with peanut butter cookies for a life-altering ice cream sandwich.

2. Cookie Dough 

Just about everyone at some point has ingested unhealthy amounts of raw cookie dough straight from the tube (or a tub, if you were lucky enough to score a tub of one of the greatest things on the planet). Science has since told us that maybe eating raw cookie dough isn’t the best idea, so instead, we’ve taken our cookie dough and put it into ice cream. It’s a genius strategy, really. The chewy goodness of the cookie dough is the perfect juxtaposition to the smooth, cool, ice cream. Chocolate chip cookie dough is tops, but really, you can’t go wrong with any variety.

1. Cookies and Cream 

When I was a child, I used to go to Baskin Robbins and get cookies and cream milkshakes after baseball games. So perhaps that old nostalgia factors into the decision here, but let’s not act like cookies and cream isn’t spectacular. In addition to being the best “gourmet” shake option, it provides a solid base for so many additional treats. It’s number one of the best ice cream flavors list, for good reason. If you’re not just satisfied with a couple of scoops, it makes a lovely topping for a brownie or – to get real meta – a cookie.

View other Fives here.