Yesterday I sampled one of Ruby Jewel's ice cream sandwiches, which my local Andronico's happens to carry: organic mint ice cream and two dark chocolate cookies.
In the notes on the packaging, I learned that Portland, Oregon based Ruby Jewel tries to be a responsible small business:
We source our ingredients from as many local, sustainable and organic farms and food producers as possible, ensuring our ice cream is as fresh and delicious as it can be. Enjoy every Ruby Jewel flavor knowing that you are helping to keep our local food economy thriving.
Which doesn't mean that the sandwich will actually be any good. Here's what it looked like unpackaged.
I liked the size and feel of the sandwich, with two large cookies and a reasonable quantity of ice cream. The quality of the ice cream was quite good, and you could taste the freshness and natural-ness of the mint they used. The cookies themselves were very chocolate-y, although with a bit of an aftertaste. They suffered from a common problem with packaged ice cream sandwiches: the cookies get gummy and too soft.
Overall I enjoyed the treat and would definitely try another of their flavors. They offer:
- Lemon cookie with honey lavender ice cream
- Cinnamon chocolate cookie with espresso ice cream (YES!)
- Double chocolate cookie with peanut butter ice cream (YES and YES!)
- Chocolate chip cookie with vanilla
- Chocolate cookie with salted caramel
- Ginger cookie with pumpkin ice cream (YES!)
See the Ruby Jewel website to find a local retailer near you.
You can see more of my ice cream sandwich reviews here and pics here.