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Willard Scoops – Salted Caramel Chip

Willard Scoops – Salted Caramel Chip

One of the Most Intense Salted Caramels to Date

Willard Scoops - Salted Caramel Chip Ice CreamWillard Scoops is hidden away in a residential neighborhood of South Portland, Maine. Tucked in a tiny town square near a local coffee shop, and across the street from a quaint bakery.

I stumbled onto this location while getting lost in Maine, and quite frankly, this was the best outcome I could have hoped for. Going on an impromtu adventure, leading to ice cream and delight when you least expect it. And because you don’t expect it, that’s when you’re hit with the greatest surprise. In this case, that surprise came in the form of one Salted Caramel Chip ice cream.

Salted Caramel Chip Flavor Profile

It’s a super salted caramel base and some the fattiest chocolate chunks I’ve seen in an ice cream to date.

Starting with the inclusion, the chocolate chunks almost look like they’re full on cookies. Especially with the way that tiny line of caramel ice cream dribbles across the chocolate chunk in a way that is reminiscent of the icing from an Oreo. But no, it’s just a gigantic nugget of chocolate in a way that is equally welcome and intrusive.

Now some of you might be thinking, “Intrusive chocolate? How can such a thing exist?” Well the answer lies in the ice cream base. The salted caramel. It’s a super salted caramel, and goes RIGHT UP to the border of too salty for something so sweet. So the chocolate chunks provide a little break from the intensity of the salted caramel. There is something of a salty reprieve and once you bite into some chocolate, there is a small explosion of dark chocolaty goodness that overpowers most of the salted caramel foretaste.

Again, perhaps some of you are thinking, “But that doesn’t entirely explain the intrusiveness. If anything that seems perfectly balancing.” I will agree with you there. But the intrusiveness comes from two things. First and foremost is the size. It’s kind of agressive and requires moderate levels of excavation to spoon through. Secondly, it’s because of the chocolaty explosion I noted earlier. Chocolate chips are the enhancers of flavors, not necessarily the cover ups. So when the chocolate wipes out most of what I was tasting beforehand, it feels like I’m going through some sort fo groundhog day scenario of super salty caramel and then super dark chocolaty. Followed by super salty caramel and then super dark chocolaty.

This ice cream is the quintessence of strength. Strong salted caramel, and strong dark chocolate. The cream itself is also super strong. Did I forget to mention that this ice cream was found in Maine- which is a part of New England? This means that the ice cream is super dense and downright heavy when consuming. On the whole this entire ice cream is one giant punch to the face after another. And do you know what? I freaking love it!

In other ice creams, the salted caramel might have been too salty, or too intense with the chocolate chips. Here, with the whole motif of heavy ice creams, it seems only fitting that the flavors that make it up are heavy as well.

Salted Caramel Chip Conclusion

This flavor has that borderline too salty salted caramel, but is saved because of an intense chocolate chip taste, whose impact wipes away the salted caramel intensity albeit only momentarily. Then you take another bite of this heavy and delicious ice cream to start the whole process all over again. This flavor could work without the intense amounts of both flavors, and when paired with the density of the cream base, the whole thing is taken one level higher.

Keep in mind this flavor is not for the faint of heart. If it sounds too intense for you, that’s ok. My borderline of too salty for sweet might be different than your borderline. Same idea applies to the super sized chocolaty chunks.

 

 

If you want to try out Willard Scoops for yourself, go during the 429 Preble St, South Portland, ME 04106.

 

 

 

Tell Me About Your Favorite Salted Caramel Flavor!

I’ve noticed that salted caramel is probably one of the top selling flavors, if not the top selling flavor, in the majority of ice cream shops around the country. And everyone claims that their salted caramel is some sort of award winning and fantastic caramel handed down from their great grandma- despite the fact that salted caramel really didn’t appear in ice creams commercially until Jeni’s did it back in the late 2000s. So that said, I’m always on the lookout for a good salted caramel ice cream to see if they truly live up to the legend. So if you happen to know of a place, let me know. Leave a message below in the comments, or send me a message on my contact page. I hope to hear your recommendations soon!

 

IceCreamKing

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