Like any addiction, my already insatiable appetite for frozen desserts has only grown throughout the hottest months of the year. Those familiar cravings that send me racing to the freezer, spoon in hand, are responsible for the disappearance of almost unthinkable amounts of ice cream. Despite churning up a pint or two every week, it still isn’t enough to satisfy the beast, and it’s hard not to start drooling over every new hard-packed pint in the market. Or, in this case, not so new.
Temptation non-dairy frozen dessert has been around for years, and I’ve been lusting after it ever since I first caught wind of this vegan owned and operated enterprise. Never lucky enough to find it locally, I could only dream of how incredible this self-described “super premium” ice cream would be. At last, the detached curiosity ends here: I finally got my hands on two of these highly sought-after pints, and I would be lying if I told you they stayed pristine and unopened for more than an hour after arrival.
Seeking a solid baseline for what this creamy delight might be like, I plucked the Organic Fair Trade Certified Chocolate out of the icy tomb first. Despite my high expectations, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Hard as a rock, it wasn’t instantly soft and scoopable, but took a bit more work to coax the unassuming brown soy product out of the cardboard container. Once zapped in the microwave for a few seconds, all was forgiven, and the texture was downright fudgy, almost chewy, even. Dense, thick, and rich, it was definitely a number of steps above so many rough, crystallized soy ice creams out there. Unfortunately, the flavor fell a bit short- Overwhelmingly sweet and very little else, the chocolate flavor had a shallow cocoa powder essence at best.
Moving on to the container of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, however, it was a completely different story. So soft and easy to scoop, you might say it “cuts like butter,” but I can assure you none is involved. Quick to melt, you’ve got to lick this one up fast, but that shouldn’t be any problem; The rich, intense vanilla flavor will keep you wanting more, even after two or three scoops. Dotted with sizable chunks of tender cookie dough and mini chocolate chips, each serving is sure to have plenty of fun add-ins, making for an engaging snacking experience. Possessing a slightly grainy crunch thanks to the evaporated cane juice, the cookie dough could have easily been exactly what I make for sugar cookies; both the flavor and texture were spot on, and absolutely luscious. It may be on the upper limits of my sweetness tolerance, but it’s so perfectly suited to the flavor, I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is one incredible treat that I think everyone should try, vegan or not.
Temptation offers a wide range of flavors, from green tea to pumpkin, so I really only got to sample the tip of the iceberg. If only these rare pints weren’t so hard to find, I would start “researching” these other enticing varieties right away! Have you had a chance to try Temptation yet?