If you had to create an ice cream flavor, what would it be? I think mine would be something to do with dark chocolate and raspberry...how could you not love that flavor combination? If I was going to do something a little more "out there," maybe it would have to do with a sweet and salty combination. Perhaps chocolate covered pretzels, with a little bit of peanut butter? Mmm...yep, that's what I want.
I think being able to create my own ice cream flavor would be pretty cool, and I would definitely want Ben & Jerry's to be the one to make it. They often take suggestions from fans about what flavors to make, which is how things like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chubby Hubby became a thing. Of course, not all flavor suggestions can be winners, and these suggestions prove that. Ben & Jerry's released a list of the strangest flavor suggestions they've been given, and to be honest, some of them don't sound that bad!
1. Salty Licorice
Admittedly, I don't like black licorice to begin with, but this sounds unappealing! The suggestion was for "vanilla ice cream with swirls of sweet and salty licorice to create an amazing black-and-white striped experience." I'm sure you can see why the ice cream company might be hesitant to roll with this one.
2. Sugar on Snow
This is a very niche winter activity, pouring maple syrup over snow and eating it like taffy. This ice cream suggestion was for "white chocolate ice cream with a maple caramel swirl. The maple caramel would be nice and chewy and smooth like maple syrup is when you pour it over snow." The thought is nice, but this flavor would undoubtedly be sickeningly sweet.
3. Breakfast in Bed
I'm not usually one to turn away breakfast in bed, and honestly this flavor doesn't sound too bad to me! Don't worry, there wouldn't be eggs involved. The person who suggested this flavor recommended "maple ice cream with fluffy pancake chunks, salty bacon bits (chocolate covered if need be) and a maple syrup swirl." Again, though, all that maple would be extremely sweet. Dentists would probably be thrilled, though!
4. Don't Worry, Be Hoppy
No, it's not an Easter flavor, although that could be good. This ice cream suggestion would be for an adult crowd, as it's based off beer...hence the hops. The suggestion was for "salted caramel IPA ice cream with hops chunks."
5. Pepperoni
I really didn't think it needed to be said...but there is no place for meat in ice cream. This flavor was pretty straight forward: "vanilla ice cream with candied pepperoni chunks." No, thank you.
6. Ritzy Blitz
At first, I thought this was going to involve Ritz crackers! However, it's more about how fancy the flavor is. Whoever suggested this flavor must have expensive taste, as they recommended "almond ice cream with champagne swirls with chunks of almond slices and toffee chips." To be honest, it doesn't sound terrible, but I think it would get old after a couple of bites.
7. The Star Spangled Bananer
To be honest, I wish this flavor was made based solely off the name. The suggestion was for the flavor to be "seasonal, around the 4th of July"”vanilla and strawberry ice creams with red, white, and blue sprinkles and banana chunks." Strawberry and banana definitely go well together, and I'm sure if this flavor was ever made, it would fly off the shelves based off patriotism alone.
8. When Life Gives You Lemons
Pucker up for this flavor! I think it would be better suited for a sorbet, honestly. The suggestion was for "vanilla or lemon ice cream with a graham cracker swirl and lemon curds." I guess the idea was around a lemon meringue pie, and it's definitely not the worst thing I've heard.
9. White Wedding
The kid in me really wants this to be made! It's basically just cake and ice cream. For this flavor, it would be "white chocolate ice cream with chunks of white wedding cake laced with white frosting." I'm not really sure what differentiates white wedding cake from a regular cake, but I'm down to find out!
10. Wake and Bacon
This one is very similar to the Breakfast in Bed idea, but once again features meat as a star. The Wake and Bacon flavor would feature "vanilla ice cream with maple syrup swirls and bacon bits." The idea of cooked, frozen bacon really doesn't do anything for me.
11. Hotter Than a Hot Texas Summer
I don't really know what Texas has to do with this, but I do know that this is the weirdest flavor on the list. The submitter doesn't specify what flavor of ice cream would be used as the base, and only suggests "jalapeno jelly, pecans, and chocolate." That'll be a no from me.
12. The French Revolution
This flavor I'm on the fence about. I think I'd be willing to try it, but I just don't know what the texture would be like. The suggestion is for a "French vanilla ice cream with a whipped sweet cream swirl and chunks of buttery croissant." The croissant part is what throws me off, but it definitely sounds intriguing to me.
13. SiliCone Valley
This flavor actually sounds delicious, and I'm not sure why Ben & Jerry's labeled it as funny! The request is for "coffee ice cream with "bytes" of chocolate-covered cone pieces." I guess there are already a lot of coffee-flavored ice creams, but the name alone on this one is pretty great.
14. Gregarious Gorgonzola
No, no, and no. I know I said I wanted a dark chocolate and raspberry flavor, but this is absolutely not what I meant. This person suggested "dark chocolate ice cream with raspberry jam and gorgonzola cheese." Why gorgonzola? It's pretty gross just on its own - no need to add it to ice cream.
15. Unicorn Poop
Considering how popular unicorns are right now, I'm shocked this didn't become a thing! This flavor calls for "vanilla ice cream with cotton candy swirls, sugar cookie crumbles, rainbow sprinkles, and edible sparkles." It sounds like something a kid would absolutely love, but their parents would absolutely hate.
16. The Almond Brothers
I guess the reason this flavor was deemed funny is that it's so plain. Almond ice cream with almonds and chocolate chips...not really out of this world! That being said, I'd take it over gorgonzola any day of the week.
17. Mac and Freeze
This flavor leaves a lot of questions. All that was suggested is "macaroni ice cream." Did the person mean macaroni and cheese? Or literally just plain macaroni? Is the ice cream flavored like butter? Or is it flavored like the noodles with a swirl of some sort going through it? So many questions, so few answers.
18. Squirrel Swirl
I think of all the flavors on the list, this is the one I want to try the most. It's called Squirrel Swirl because of how nutty it is! "Vanilla cinnamon ice cream with chunks of hazelnut, pecans, and walnuts," it would probably end up tasting like a big ol' cinnamon bun.
19. Tequila Sunrise
Another alcohol-inspired flavor here, and probably not too terrible to taste! The request was for "vanilla ice cream with coconuts, oranges, agave, pineapple, graham cracker, chocolate swirls, and a hint of tequila." I think the issue with this one would be just how many flavors are involved. Your mouth wouldn't know what to do with itself.
20. Pardon My French Toast
People really just want a breakfast-flavored ice cream, don't they? This particular flavor called for "salted maple caramel ice cream with pieces of cinnamon-sugar-coated French toast and gooey swirls of chocolate caramel fudge sauce."
21. Hotel Califor-Nuts
Just like the Squirrel Swirl, this flavor is nutty and I really want to try it! It calls for "four different nuts"”pecans, almonds, hazelnuts and cashews"”in a rich almond ice cream with a swirl of chewy toffee with mini chocolate chips." Those with nut allergies...maybe you stick to Half-Baked.
22. Dad Bod-a-Bing
I guess it's named after a dad bod because of how much of a gut you'll form if you eat too much of it, but either way, this flavor isn't too wild. It calls for "vanilla ice cream with chocolate-covered Bing cherries and a marshmallow swirl." I'm down for anything with a marshmallow swirl.
23. Spuds and Fudge
Alright, so I can understand why this flavor was relegated to the "weird" list, but with a few tweaks it could be amazing. The original request was for "chocolate ice cream with bits of candied French fries." Instead of candied French fries, throw in some chocolate-covered potato chips and you've got yourself a winner!
24. Witch's Brew
Though it's not specified, I would imagine this flavor would be seasonal for Halloween. The flavor calls for "pumpkin ice cream with a caramel apple core and bits of candy corn and gingersnap cookies." If you took out the candy corn, I could probably get behind it.
25. Turtlesaurus Rex
Alright, now this is what I'm talking about. Did I submit this subconsciously?? It calls for "raspberry ice cream with fudge swirls and turtle-shaped white chocolate and dark chocolate pieces." Yep, sign me right up!
I can't even imagine how many submissions are sent to Ben & Jerry's every day, and I'm sure there are some even more strange than this. I'm just happy that they use some common sense and only send out the best ones!
[H/T: Ben & Jerry's]
