Ice Cream!

For the 50th ice cream shop in this series, I went to Herrell's Ice Cream and Bakery which is sort of a nostalgia trip for me. I'll leave most of the history to Wikipedia but the bits I personally experienced include

• Steve's in Davis Square (the building was torn down years ago, the Italian restaurant Posto¹ is in what was the parking lot) two doors down from the Original Bertucci's²
• Steve's in Harvard Square (on Church Street) which is where I first encountered the labor-intensive "mix-ins" process (Herrell's now calls this "Smoosh-ins")
• Herrell's in Harvard Square (on Dunster Street, I think Mike's Pastry is there now) which is more well remembered as "The Place with the Bank Vault" (the vault had benches, mirrors, and undersea artwork decorating the inside, a surprisingly cozy spot)

It turns out that this one, in Northampton, was the original, after Steve Herrell sold Steve's (to the Bertucci's guy) and then waited out his noncompete agreement.

Herrell's in Northampton is tucked in to the bottom floor of the "Thornes Marketplace" multi-story mall, which leads to it having a street entrance and an indoor entrance (and 30ft ceilings.) No outdoor seating, but plenty of indoor booth space and a row of barstools along the Old South Street window. Parking is a little odd - there's a huge amount of street level parking downhill from the center of town, which is 100% full during business hours - but the E. J. Gare Parking garage (which is connected by a second-floor skybridge to Thornes) is free for the first hour (and only 75¢ for the next) so just go there directly, and follow the signs to the Old South Street exit, Herrell's is Right There (150ft away, up a slight hill.)

Ice cream serving sizes run from Kiddie to Large (and packed pints and quarts); toppings are divided into "Goodies", sauces, fruit, and whipped cream (plain or chocolate). Goodies are the ones that can be used as "Smoosh-ins" (medium or large servings only.) They also have sundaes, banana splits, and ice cream cakes; milkshakes, smoothies, floats, spritzers, ice cream soda, and New York Egg Cream. Since they're open year-round, they also have six flavors of hot chocolate. They also have a 4-scoop "sampler" (similar to the Tasting Flight we've seen a few other places.)

While they are very clearly an Ice Cream First sort of place, they do have multiple flavors of sorbet including Concord Grape, frozen yogurt, no sugar added, and oat-based No-moo® flavors.

First Visit (to this location)

I went with a double scoop (served side-by-side, which is unusual but convenient for comparative tasting) of "Mudpie" and Peanut Butter. Herrell's gets credit for documenting the mystery flavors (like "Cookie Combustion" and "Microchip") right on the menu; Mudpie is an espresso ice cream with cookies and fudge swirl. Definitely a "coffee ice cream for people who actually like coffee" and a strong dark chocolate flavor to the swirl - Herrell's has always been famous for their hot fudge sauce, which they sell in 10oz jars. The ice cream itself seemed a little bit icy, but they had just opened for the day - it might just not have been out of the deep freeze long enough. The flavors were still excellent.

The Peanut Butter was was also surprisingly rich - you usually need a peanut butter swirl to get that strong a flavor, but this was coming from the ice cream itself - which might make it a better base for your choice of "Smoosh-in".

Going back

Herrell's is more than an hour away for me, though I combined this trip with visits to the adjacent used book store and the Quabbin Reservoir high trail (eagles!) I'm not likely to return often, though I'm sure I'll find some excuse. I will definitely try some smoosh-ins (though I'll try to resist the temptation to just put walnuts in everything) and their "Real Chocolate Sprinkles" (and decide if I want to get a packet of them to go.) While I'll probably start with Chocolate Pudding and High Definition Vanilla, their Sweet Dreams (novelty flavor with chamomille tea, honey and lemon) might be worth a taste, along with their Concord Grape Sorbet.

I'll also have to remember to bring a proper spoon of some sort - they serve bamboo spoons, which aren't as bad as paper straws, but they're a little off in texture (specifically that they have a texture.) They also feel like they're going to break - though as the picture shows they were sturdy enough to finish a large without failing - so that might be a matter of getting used to them. I haven't seen them anywhere else, though - Northampton being a "college town" this might be an upcoming trend.

Art's Creamery is on Trapelo Road in the middle of Belmont - a couple of blocks east of Belmont Wheelworks. It's in a short block of retail storefronts, with lots of street parking, especially in the evening - and since it's open until 10pm (11pm on weekends), there's very little contention for it. This being Massachusetts, there's actually another (small) ice cream shop a couple of doors down in the same block¹.

No outdoor seating or service, and no indoor seating either; just a long line² of serving/display tubs of ice cream and gelato, then another counter with a grid of toppings (which might have been self-service in a bygone time.) No frozen yogurt or other items in the "almost but not entirely unlike ice cream" category, other than 3 Vegan flavors including "Vegan Almond Chai". They do have a long toppings list including, correctly³, Chocolate Jimmies and Rainbow Sprinkles. They also have a 3-scoop milk shake, and any-flavor cold-brew Affogato.

They do have a variety of "mystery flavors", like "Chiller Bee" and "Matrix Brownie", but not only are the staff enthusiastic about explaining them, the online menu has more detailed ingredient lists⁴ than most shops do.

First Visit

Since they had such a broad Gelato selection (and encouraged sampling), I tasted the "Belgian Chocolate Gelato" - pleasantly strong chocolate flavor, but I personally find the texture of Gelato a little off - if you already know you like gelato, though, go for it.

For the ice cream itself, I started with Maple Walnut - which has candied walnuts, making the texture a bit more like Butter Crunch, as well as having a really distinctively maple flavor in the ice cream itself. (Chocolate Jimmies on top.)

I followed that with "Matrix Brownie" - a serious dark chocolate base with brownies, chocolate swirl and some other chocolate crunch to it. Not sure about the theme behind the name, but it is competitive with several of the Extreme Chocolate flavors I've tried - a good choice for a chocolate fan.

Future Visits

Next time around I'll definitely try "Chiller Bee" (assuming it is actually a honey-based flavor) and maybe the "Peanut Butter Banana Fluff". This is also the second place I've seen that lists Butterfinger crumble as a topping, which might be a good addition to add texture to basic Chocolate. It would also be interesting to see if their Cinnamon flavor is more "autumn seasonal" or "butter crunch but with red-hots instead", but fortunately they encourage sampling.

Schoolhouse Ice Cream is on 3A about two miles north of 128; it's in a strip mall with True North Coffee, across the street from Mehfil Indian¹. Lots of parking, picnic tables with umbrellas out front and booths inside. On a mid-November evening it wasn't crowded but there was a steady stream of takeout traffic.

They have two dozen ice cream flavors, with complicated ones like "Chocolate Fudge Brownie Dough" and "Blue Moon" alongside basics like "Mocha Chip" and "Black Raspberry". They also have a short list of frozen yogurt, sherbet, slush, and sugar-free flavors, and basic soft serve. They do make up for it in toppings - three kinds of dip cone, dry toppings including gummy bears, skittles, and snow caps, and a bunch of topics. They also have both rainbow and chocolate sprinkles (but no Jimmies.)

Ice cream is served in cups, pints, quarts; sundaes go up to X-large and Banana Boat. Drinks include frappes, malted, sherbet cooler, slush freeze². On the extreme end, there's a Sundae Bucket Challenge, "10 scoops, 10 toppings, 1 spoon", and while they don't have named sundaes, they do have a dozen or so Staff Suggestions up on the wall, there are certainly enough options to build what you want.

They do emphasize that they use 16% butterfat for their own ice cream. However, most of the places I've been are on the high end of the scale anyway. The other detail on the sign is that this is "Schoolhouse of Cape Cod" - the backstory is that the Mom of one of the owners has an ice cream shop in Harwich Port out on the cape that they got advice from.⁴

The Ice Cream

I went a little fancier than usual and added whipped cream and walnuts to this one. Since there were multiple "location" flavors, I went with both of them: "Harwichport Mud Pie" and "Burlington Heath Bar".

The "Burlington Heath Bar" was sweet and crunchy, with enough chocolate from the heath bar to be more than just a butter crunch variant.

The "Harwichport Mud Pie" is named for the location of the owner's Mom's ice cream shop out on the Cape. Very rich, lots of chocolate mixed throughout; their website lacks details but I enjoyed it, it was a nice complement to the "Burlington Heath Bar" I started with.

Next Time

I'm definitely going to have to remember this place, while I'm not in the immediate neighborhood as much it is still pretty convenient (if you're coming from the east, you can get off 128 at Winn St and take that to where it meets 3A and you're almost there.) I'm going to have to give their soft serve dip cones a try, also "Chocolate Peanut Butter" - and I should at least ask what the "Blue Moon" flavor is.

Johnson's Restaurant and Dairy Bar is on 225, about 10 minutes outside 495 - if you're driving anyway, it's not too far from the O'Neil Cinemas movie theater in Littleton. I first found it on one of my summer convertible trips - 225 and 119 meander north west, where you can pick up 202 to meander back south, optimizing for scenery (and avoiding cities.) Even before you get to the Quabbin Reservoir, this is the part of the state where the towns are outnumbered by "Wildlife Management Areas." However, I mostly remember the convenience of the location, I have no idea (and no pictures of) what ice cream I got (or what year it was.)

The spot is surrounded by parking, and has a bunch of outdoor picnic tables (some around back with umbrellas.) There's also some partially-dismantled seating on the hillside which is probably available in the summertime. There's also a bunch of indoor seating, both tables and benches. There are two outdoor ice cream windows, and an indoor counter for ice cream and a lengthy grill menu¹. They're open all week over the winter, but Monday through Wednesday they close down after lunch.

Aside from a lengthy ice cream menu, they have a couple of flavors each of soft serve, frozen yogurt, sherbert, and dairy free sorbet. They also have ice cream pies and sundaes. They have the usual toppings, including marshmallow and Sprinkles (not Jimmies.)

The Ice Cream

This is the first place (out of almost 50 reviews!) where ordering a cup half one flavor, half the other, got me a cup split down the middle so I could start wherever I wanted or go back and forth. Kudos to the server; worth the extra effort, and not just because I only needed to take one picture! (To be fair, I wouldn't blame them if used the faster top/bottom scoop approach at busier times; this was an evening visit in early November, there were only a couple of people there the whole time I was.)

The left half was a brightly colored Butter Crunch - not as bright as the neon yellow Butter Crunch at Chelmsford Creamery - this one was definitely "not vanilla" in color and had a distinctly buttery taste as well. Not a lot of crunch bits, but the flavor was definitely enough.

The right half was a flavor called "Scooby Snax" - they have a few "mystery" flavors like "Suzanna Banana" and "Hawaiian Supreme", fortunately the servers have the descriptions handy - this one was a vanilla base with mini peanut butter cups, cookies, chocolate, and fudge sauce. Lots of texture, lots of flavor - though I think they should consider a chocolate- or coffee-based version of this one, I was happy with it, and it was a good pairing with butter crunch.

Next Time

Other flavors that caught my eye included "Coffee Heath Bar", "Salted Caramel Cookie Dough Chip", and "Frozen Pudding". The "Hawaiian Supreme" sounds like it might be a good choice for summertime, but I didn't get to ask what was in it, and their website has been untouched² since 2013 - and only has the meal menus, doesn't have any of the ice cream flavors anyhow.

Truly's is in Wellesley Square, pretty much in the middle of town (though it still manages to have a decent amount of street parking¹.) Lots of outdoor picnic tables and benches, plus a tiny amount of indoor seating - which went entirely unused anyway, on this unseasonably warm November evening. They even have their own Truly's-branded² "Big Belly" solar compactor next to the benches, which is actually a pretty good way to encourage customers to clean up after themselves³. The location is also a five minute walk from the Wellesley Square⁴ commuter rail station, and is even closer to the Smith & Wollensky⁵ steakhouse.

This was a late night "oh look, they're actually open until 9pm" get-out-of-the-house roadtrip; as such my store front pictures are only marginally lit, but even bad pictures make an important point: Google Street View here is so out of date that it's actively wrong, even though they claim the last driveby was in 2022⁶. There is now one storefront (boarded up in streetview) and the "Truly's Curbside/Truly Yogurt" storefront is gone, replaced with fancy "under construction" window art and an awning labelling the construction as the future site of Truly's Catering.

The primary ice cream menu is fairly short, though the frozen yogurt menu is nearly half that length; they also have a few sorbets, a sherbert, one no-sugar-added flavor, soft serve, sundaes and frappes. Their non-infringing weather-named soft serve plus mixin desserts are called Flurries. They also have FoMu vegan non-dairy "plant based" options. They also have tea, coffee, and enough of an espresso bar to make Affogatos ("your choice but we recommend vanilla".)

Notably, one of their specialty Frappes is The Pick-Me-Up, which the website describes as Cold Brew plus vanilla ice cream plus caramel drizzle - similar to one of Mad Maggie's cold brew features.

Toppings include Gummy Bears, Pop Rocks, and Malt; they also have Chocolate and Rainbow Sprinkles, but no Jimmies.

Do take a look in the freezers - aside from them just being bright and colorful (that Cake Batter is an almost Neon Yellow) they also have flavors that don't appear on the board, like the Death By Chocolate and Pumpkin Oreo in this shot.

First Visit

I started with Toll House - vanilla with chocolate chip cookies, rather than cookie dough, still very sweet but also a little crunchy. Very creamy ice cream, they may not have a lot of flavors but they seem to be doing a good job of them.

The second half was the Boston-themed Green Monster - mint with oreos and fudge swirl. Nice strong mint (enough to overpower the Toll House entirely, but that's why it was a good second half) and a generous proportion of cookies and fudge sauce. If you're in a mint mood it would be a choice as a standalone flavor.

Next Visit

I might try an Affogato next time, with Mocha Chip or Totally Turtle; a Pick-Me-Up is another possibility. If I'm just getting ice cream, then Pistachio or Death By Chocolate have caught my eye; at a different time of year, the Phantomberry might also be interesting: "Made for our friends at the Phantom Gourmet... Black raspberry ice cream with a cookie crunch swirl and fudge brownie pieces" sounds like an interesting set of textures in a strong summer flavor.

Mad Maggie's is on 125 in North Andover - technically "inside" 495 east of 93, but far enough east that 495 is no longer a "ring" but is already heading north¹ to the New Hampshire border. They have a bunch of parking, indoor and outdoor serving windows, and indoor and outdoor seating.

My first visit was a couple of years ago - it turns out that it's a ten minute walk (on sidewalks!) from Lots Of Eats Thai Kitchen which is really tasty and has lots of Vegan and GF options - and does have a short list of Asian desserts but sometimes you're after more variety, or are in the mood for ice cream instead - or perhaps you just want that ten minute walk between dinner and dessert. That first time I went with "Candy Store Floor" - a flavor they still have (listed under Specialty Flavors which are described as "usually available but may run out" rather than "seasonal") which is a light "malted chocolate" base with m&ms, crushed malted milk balls, chocolate chips, and Nestle Crunch bits. Not for everybody, but it had a lot of flavor and a lot of crunch to it, it certainly hits some specific cravings.

Even as late as 1 November they're still open until 9pm². They have the usual cups, cones, pints, quarts, and sundaes; they apparently have soft serve but it's shut down for the season (not sure which season.) Toppings include gummy bears and strawberry; they also have Jimmies (no sprinkles though.) The menu also lists frappes, ice cream soda, root beer floats, and cold brew coffee; in addition to ice cream they have a few flavors each of yogurt, sorbet, non dairy, and no-sugar-added. I didn't see them on the main menu, but the parlor has a sign about ice cream cakes, slush by the gallon, and 4-pack cookie sandwiches.

In addition to plain cold brew coffee, one of the window-signs lists a "mad latte" and a "mad chill-a-ccino", both blended ice cream and cold brew drinks; this might be comparable to Berlin Farms Coffee Pick Me Up (which is basically an iced coffee frappe.)

They also list seasonal specials like "Witches Brew" and "Monster Mash", without any further explanation⁴; the Apple Crisp Sundae is explained in more detail (apple crisp, caramel, whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, on any ice cream) and is a fall-only special.

Worth mentioning that they have a sign stating that they make their ice cream on site! This is less common than you might assume - at least for small shops that make their own, the production site is often somewhere else so they don't have to try to fit separate deep freezers and ice cream making equipment into an undersized retail location, where it would take space away from serving coolers and inventory.⁵

This Visit

While "Candy Store Floor" brought back memories, I started with Maple Walnut - solid maple flavor and large crunchy walnut pieces, a well done example of a New England staple.

Followed that with Mad Moose - I figured it was just "Moose Tracks but fitting into the Mad (Maggie's) theme", which it was - but they point out that "The more common name of this flavor is trademarked by Denali Flavorings" - which is now Denali Ingredients and also owns Eskimo Pie. Apparently it's originally a Michigan Upper Penninsula flavor with mint and chocolate variations and a giant moose brand ambassador/mascot. (Yes, sometimes the "background research" part of this blog takes longer than the "enjoying the ice cream" part, even if you include the driving...)

The specialty flavor list actually goes into a lot of detail on flavor provenance and trademarks - while trademarks are (somewhat) protected, recipes generally aren't, so it's good to see them credit their inspirations, like Bi-Rite Creamery for their particular Salted Caramel flavor.

Wait - what season is that?

Their Seasonal flavors page has some gems like "Maple Bacon" that they make in "late-February / early-March" specifically for Maple Sugaring Season (though they now source their syrup from New Hampshire, since the very local Turtle Lane Maple Farm closed in 2015.)

They further include "Girl Scout cookie season", February and March, for production of the Caramel deLight-based "Coconut Scout Cookie" flavor, and more importantly, "Mint Scout Cookie" from white mint ice cream with crushed Thin Mints. Yes, I've already marked that on my calendar, and plan to borrow a friend's Yeti Cooler to stock up.

The list goes on, for very specialized "seasons" like Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday, as well as having Summer and "Hot Weather" flavors - overall, an interesting take on the New England view that ice cream is always in season.

Artwork

Mad Maggie's is decorated inside and out in ice cream themed art. From this neon sign above the main counter...

To this stained glass window in the indoor "parlor" area (this being New England, stained glass windows are entirely unsuitable for use as actual windows, so hanging it as art where it can still get sunlight is appropriate.)

This weathervane seems like it should be outside, but I'm not sure that vane is enough to turn it (and the cone itself is not flat enough to serve either.) Fine as decoration of course.

The Name

According to their FAQ, it turns out that Maggie is one of the owners and the MAD part is that Mike, Amanda, and David are the kids⁶ that have been involved in the shop from the beginning.⁷

Kay's Dairy Bar is an ice cream shop that also does Fried Things (and burgers) - very "New England Coast Summer" vibes for a place that's an hour and a half from the nearest coastline. While I did get dinner there (after a day on Wachusett Mountain and the Echo Lake Trail) you can just get ice cream, which is really all that matters.

The place is on 2A (at a point where it's mostly a side road from 2) twenty minutes west of Leominster; it might be a good stop on the way to (or from) the Quabbin, and while it's very east of 91, it's still "out where the map is mostly green/forest" and you really have to be looking for it. Vast parking lot, a mix of sheltered and unsheltered picnic benches - definitely a great summer setting, but while there is indoor space to wait for your order, in late October you can expect to retreat to your car to eat comfortably.

They have outdoor windows for ice cream and food, on three sides of the building, as well as multiple indoor lines (the outdoor windows were closed on a late October evening, but seemed recently used.) There were menu screens inside, and also movable chalkboards that suggests that they were still recently posting them outside as well.

The ice cream menu was extensive - including Grasshopper and Peppermint Stick, three different Pumpkin flavors, and an unexplained "Goo Lagoon" (which is a key ingredient in their "Witches Brew" Halloween special sundae, with black raspberry.) They have featured sundaes, "boats"¹, and frappes, plus an unusual list of soft serve flavors including Apple Spice Twist, Maple, and Creamsicle (though, as is common this time of year, some of them were offline.)

They also have frozen yogurt, sherbet, and a few dairy-free and no-sugar-added flavors.

First Visit

I started with Maple Walnut, a cozy autumn flavor; sweet with lots of crunch.

The other half was Coffee Cookie Crunch - solidly basic coffee ice cream, recognizable but more in the range of "if you like coffee ice cream - or lattes - that's fine, but consider that you might not actually like coffee" than some of the other strong coffee ice creams I've had recently. Lots of crunch from various chocolate cookies mixed in, overall tasty, just in a more mainstream way than a Coffee Geek way.

Other Desserts

Since they're a "Fried Place"™ they have a couple of interesting non-ice-cream desserts - apple crisp, blueberry crisp, and "pumpkin fritters" with powdered sugar and maple syrup; I tried the fritters (before the ice cream) and they were hot and sweet, crispy on the outside but quite airy inside, not as dense as you might expect. They're probably fall-seasonal, but I'll definitely look for them again next time.

Next Visit

The elusive Creamsicle Soft Serve is on my list for next time, if I haven't been able to actually get it somewhere else before then; there's also a mysterious "Cookie Conundrum" boat. I'll also consider their Extreme Chocolate (possibly with Grasshopper to make a thin-mint-like sundae), Chocolate PB Cookie Dough, or maybe just Butter Pecan.

Wally's Wicked Good Ice Cream is in the Auburndale "village" of Newton, just northeast from where 128 and the Mass Pike cross (and not far from the Auburndale commuter rail stop.) It's a narrow store front tucked in next to a pizza place; a couple of indoor tables, but no sidewalk seating. I was there the day before Halloween - if their website is accurate they may have closed for the season after that.

Bright and cheerful interior¹ with counter service and a freezer. Aside from a couple of dozen ice cream flavors, they have frozen yogurt, sherbet, sorbet, italian ice; they also have lime rickeys, floats, frappes (with or without malt), and frozen lemonade. They also have cookie sandwiches and sundaes - mostly build-your-own but they had a "Fluffernutter Sundae" on the specials board.² Their Toppings board had a long list of candy, along with the usual nuts and sauces.

First Visit

I started with Extreme Chocolate, which was a rich, strongly flavored chocolate base, with brownie bits, chocolate chips/chunks and chocolate swirl completing the picture. It's an appropriate use of the term "Extreme", and if you're in the mood for chocolate, you can just get that and be satisfied.

Since I like to try at least two flavors, and I'm a big Thin Mints™ fan, I combined the Extreme Chocolate with Mint Chocolate Chip³ which was a good pairing. Clear mint flavor, without going all the way to Grasshopper.

Next Visit

I'm actually tempted by the Fluffernutter Sundae, but they also have Cookie Monster and Graham Central Station. They also have Moose Tracks and PB Oreo (they have five different oreo-based flavors plus a S'moreo Frappe, which is certainly a theme.) I'd also consider their Peach ice cream in summertime.

Getting There

Wally's comes across as the kind of place you'd mostly want to walk to (possibly after pizza next door) but Newton is the beginning of the high density/high traffic/insane road design "inner suburbs" of Boston, and being so close to the Pike⁴ it looks on the map like a "you can't get there from here" sort of place. Once you do get there, even the road it's directly on is under construction.

The trick is to go down Melrose Ave - the little side road just south of the shop - where you'll find a bunch of parking and several GreenSpot electric car chargers. If they're full you can continue to Melrose St and make two lefts back on to Auburn St which has street parking.

The Scoop N Scootery in Arlington is right on Mass Ave, a couple of blocks north of Alewife Brook Parkway. The web site describes them as primarily delivery¹ although they do suggest that you can come in and order at the counter, despite limited seating - as you can see from the picture, that's out of date; at least at the Arlington location, it turns out you can literally barricade the door and New Englanders will still come and buy ice cream from you. There's a touch screen with their entire menu and a card swipe box², and someone will appear at the door and call your name to hand you your ice cream (so you don't need to keep track of your order number, although it's otherwise basically the same process as the stream of pickup/delivery orders.)

Their specific Sundae menu is long and varied, but kind of difficult to choose from - I would recommend lingering over their web menu while seated somewhere warm, and possibly just outright ordering online instead of in person. If you're going for something very specific, just start with the "Custom" section at the top.

They do have frozen yogurt, and a range of toppings that includes Blueberry Muffin Crumble and Apple Pie (amidst more conventional choices like Rainbow or Chocolate Sprinkles.) They also have something they call "Sundae Cores" - a hunk of something like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Frosted Red Velvet Cake that serves as an inner layer between ice cream scoops (but is not otherwise explained anywhere.)

They also have a luciously thick whipped cream - it's not really a sundae without whipped cream, right? But even the plain whipped cream is amazing, and they also have Cinnamon and Nutella flavors.

While the indoor option is gone, there is (even now, right before Halloween) a set of picnic benches out front, with the menu QR code on them, and a couple of two-person tables with chairs. While this was fine while waiting for my order, the time of year combined with the north-east facing building (which means that all of the seating is in shadow in the late afternoon) meant that it wasn't a great spot to actually eat, even if you were already bundled up for Autumn weather.

First Visit

The sundae you see in the picture would be a large in most New England shops, but I had some forewarning - that's a "Tasty" which is the second smallest of their four sizes, the "Hungry" and "Legendary" are even bigger - plus the "Sundae Cores" make them a bit more filling than they already look.

I chose whipped cream, caramel syrup, and walnuts for toppings - that really is a generous layer of walnuts immersed in caramel, not just a sprinkling of walnut bits. Beneath that is Butter Pecan (also with sizable nuts) and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough "core" bits; after that there's a layer of the ever-mysterious³ Totally Turtle.

Since "Totally Turtle" already has brownie chunks, combining it with a cookie dough "core" is a little redundant, I'll probably mix and match more carefully next time - or just go with a standard sundae like "Peanut Butter Mudslide", "Mintmallow", or "Strawberry Shortcake". They do have a few seasonal options like "Sweater Weather" and "Nightmare Before Christmas" which currently lean into pumpkin, caramel, and gingerbread.

I should point out that they have a lengthy and creative list of Frozen Yogurt Sundaes as well - while I'm generally dismissive (this is an ice cream site, not a things that wish they were ice cream after all) it does look like they've put some care into it, including the "'Murica" flavor - "French vanilla yogurt topped with fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries and homemade whipped cream" for a dramatic Red White and Blue (at least when served in glass for their photo gallery; not sure it translates to takeout, but it's perhaps worth finding out next 4th of July.)

Cookie Monstah is a small Massachusetts chain (6 stores¹ and a rentable truck) that specializes in ice cream cookie sandwiches. While they do emphasize cookies² you can get cups of just ice cream, or ice cream with a one cookie, the standard is a scoop of ice cream squished between two (same or different) thick cookies. They have at least two doezen flavors of ice cream, with some Gluten Free and Dairy Free options; their current (fall) menu includes "Banana PB Graham", "Apple Crisp", and "Blueberry Pie" but "Eggnog" and "Camp Fire Smores" are sold out. The menu lists Rainbow Sprinkles but no Jimmies at all.

They also have floats, shakes, a "Crusher" which is Sorbet in Iced Tea, and instead of the usual weather-themed soft-serve blended drink, they have a "Quake" - a cookie blended into hard ice cream. (Perhaps it's named after the noise the machine makes when constructing it?)

This particular shop is in a strip mall with plenty of parking, but only indoor service and seating.³

First Visit

It was getting near closing time so I had mine packed up to eat (and photograph) in the car. Turns out ice cream cookies are well suited for takeout, though they make an effort to wrap and box them carefully (possibly in support of their apparently extensive delivery-app sales.)

I went with Totally Turtle in between Double Chocolate and a Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip⁴ cookies. I couldn't find a precise description of their Totally Turtle, though Breakers, Dandi-Lyons and Mac's Dairy Farm all have flavors with that name; this version was a vanilla base with peanut butter, caramel swirl, and chocolate (cookie? brownie?) chunks. Quite a rich and varied flavor by itself, but with the cookies it ended up being A Bit Much - one of these ends up being even more filling than just a double or triple scoop "large" cup, especially after dinner.

Future Visits

Other ice cream flavors that caught my eye were "Death by Chocolate" and "Eggnog"; since I'll probably also go with a cookie next time, their "Thin Mint combo" caught my eye - mint oreo ice cream between double chocolate cookies.⁵

Nostalgia: Giant Cookies

The Cookie Monstah catering menu includes a 13 inch "cookie cake". While this is not itself ice cream, it brought back memories of a Very Boston special from Crossroads (a legendary Irish Pub) called the JenJen⁶, which was basically a giant cookie sandwich - with half a gallon of ice cream between a pair of dinner-plate sized cookies, topped with vast amounts of whipped cream and chocolate sauce. (Traditionally delivered to a table of college students by dropping it on the table with a fistful of spoons and dodging back to avoid getting caught up in the carnage.) The dish inspired many amateur attempts to duplicate it... which typically failed, because it's hard to make a cookie that large and actually bake it consistently (usual failure mode is raw in the middle but still burnt around the edges.) Perhaps the Cookie Cake is a better starting point!