Opaque. Photo Credit: Instagram.
Local shops launch seasonal menus featuring pumpkin treats, spooky sundaes, and insect-topped scoops.
By Dolores Quintana
Since we seem to be heading into another distressing heat event and fire weather, what better time to find delicious ice cream scoops with which to cool down? There’s never a better time, as far as I am concerned.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has rolled out not one, but two fall flavor drops. The second has Opaque, the return of their all-black ice cream collaboration with artist CJHendry. The color is as dark as a starless night, but the flavor is just as enthralling: Black cocoa, espresso fudge, balsamic cherry.
Appalachian Acorn Pie. Photo Credit: Instagram
The other two flavors are Sweet Potato Marshmallow Brulee and an intriguing all-new flavor, Appalachian Acorn Pie, made with foraged Ohio oak acorns. Don’t forget, Jeni’s already has Pumpkin with Brown Sugar Blondies for pumpkin fans and a scoop shop exclusive, Pear Frangipane.
Salt & Straw’s Scary Fall Scoops. Photo Credit: Instagram.
Salt & Straw has gone more traditional with its Halloween-themed offerings, which include The Great Candycopia: Crunch Bars, Reese’s, Snickers, and Heath bars dumped into salted butterscotch ice cream, with chocolate feuilletine, peanut butter, and BOOrbon vanilla toffee; Jack O’Lantern Pumpkin Bread: pumpkin-spiced ice cream with chunks of pumpkin bread and whipped cream cheese frosting; Witch’s Brew Fruit Punch Sherbet: a fruit punch flavored sherbet with orange candy and sour candy apple ribbons; a vegan flavor, Chocolate Graveyard Cookie Crumble: black cocoa coconut cream with crimson ribbons of white chocolate frosting and black cocoa crumbles.
Their pièce de résistance is a Salt & Straw Halloween tradition: Creepy Crawly Critters, which is just what is advertised: candy-coated chocolate crickets and toffee brittle mealworms from Don Bugito and a scary green matcha ice cream. This is the ice cream only for the bravest ice cream fans and those with the most refined palates who like to eat bugs.
Sad Girl Creamery’s Sundae from the Crypt. Photo Credit: Instagram.
Sad Girl Creamery, which you have to go to either Lei’d Cookies in Culver City or Smorgasburg in DTLA to get, has a Sundae From The Crypt: Mexican hot chocolate ice cream, brownie bites, dark chocolate fudge sauce, berry-flavored skull gummies, and spooky graveyard sprinkles; Spooky Strawberry Frosted Animal Cookie: strawberry tres leches ice cream, frosted eerie critters cookies, whipped cream, and festive Halloween sprinkles; and Chocolate Covered Ice Cream Skull, Mexican vanilla bean ice cream dipped in dark chocolate with decorative sprinkles. Note: the sundaes are only available at Smorgasburg on Sundays.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream has three fall flavors: Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookie Dough, Vegan Pecan Chocolate Pie, and Blackberry Crumble. While slightly less adventurous than the others, this is the season of pumpkin flavors, so like Pokémon, you’ve got to catch all of the pumpkin-flavored treats.
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream’s Cup of Dirt Sundae. Photo Credit: Instagram.
They also have a pumpkin spice frozen yogurt, but it’s only available at limited locations; in our case, the Burbank location. One other treat that they offer for Halloween is the Cup of Dirt sundae, which is made of Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, Cookies & Cream Crumble, Gummy Worms, and Whipped Cream. If you aren’t into eating real bugs, the gummy worms could be a less terrifying option.
Sweet Rose Creamery has Sweet Potato, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Cinnamon Roll ice creams for the season.