Cheesecake and ice cream have a lot in common. Decadent, creamy, high fat, versatile, celebratory, dairy-heavy, and downright delicious; most people can’t deny how stellar the two desserts are. That being said, I can’t say I would really want to eat the two at the same time, as combining them side by side on a plate might send me deep into dairy depths that my stomach may not be able to recover from. I am, however, a big fan of when the two worlds collide into a successful flavor of ice cream, which is unfortunately much easier said than done. With their latest batch of pints Coolhaus takes on the challenge with Farmer’s Market Strawberry Cheesecake, which combines mascarpone and cream cheese ice cream with a fresh strawberry swirl and graham cheesecake bites.

Coolhaus really pulled the rabbit out of the hat with this one. The cream cheese base is dense and creamy with a wonderful cheesecake tang and balanced smooth sweetness. There’s even a touch of aged blue cheese-esque funk underneath the sweetness – this scoop is complex. The natural unctuousness of mascarpone lends itself perfectly to making rich ice cream, and this is some of the best textured I’ve had from Coolhaus. For a grocery-available pint the depth is impressive and without a doubt beats anything else I’ve tried with a cheesecake title you can pick up ready made at the store.

The cheesecake bites enrich the cheesy experience even more. Little chunks of cheesecake rolled in graham cracker that squish like the perfect bite of cake-to-crust every single time. They also have a distinct tang to them, and the outer layer of graham has an earthy flavor that reminds me of Fig Newtons. The “bites” are of pretty admirable size, taking up a good portion of my spoon, and a-plenty all throughout the pint, for an overall impressive and well executed mix-in.

The fresh strawberry swirl is also great. It’s sweet and tart with a nice pop of acidity that really stands out against the double tang and richness of the cheesecake elements. The swirl is integrated in thin ribbons throughout, very smooth and syrupy, and as delicious as it is, I wish there was more of it. The swirl is more whispy than it is thick, and oftentimes escapes my spoon as I go in for repeated bites. What it brings to the overall profile is very valuable and essential to the balance of flavors, but doesn’t get a chance to truly shine as much as I would like. Regardless of any minor preferences on the thickness of the swirl, this is one helluva tasty scoop.

Rating: 9/10