In the United States we have doughnuts, and in Spain they have churros. The long fried sticks of dough covered in cinnamon and sugar are a delicious treat often served for breakfast with hot chocolate, coffee, and dulce de leche. The marriage of sparkly sweet dough and chocolate or caramel is a match made in heaven, and while I prefer mine with a nice black coffee, the choco-churro combo cannot be denied. Continuing their fascination with breakfasts’ sweet treats, JC’s Scoops have unleashed Cinnamon Chocolate Churro, which combines sweet brown sugar and cinnamon ice cream with ribbons of chocolate fudge and pieces of sugar-dusted churros.

The brown sugar cinnamon base is a new combo to me and it’s one I really like. Imagine a sweet cream with a touch of caramelized brown sugar flavor and a nice spicy but mellow cinnamon finish. My first bite in was wonderfully cinnamon-y and reminded me of churros immediately. While it’s impossible to actually get the crispy crunch of a churro into an ice cream, the overall flavor of the base channels that golden taste really well.

Unfortunately the “ribbons” of chocolate fudge aren’t ribbons at all, but completely dissolved into the ice cream, creating an odd light brown color over most of the pint. The initial cinnamon burst I got from the base faded and most of the ice cream tasted more like a mellow chocolate than the brown sugar I wanted more of. Had the ribbons remained intact and given the gooey fudge texture the description implied it would have been much more successful, but as presented it doesn’t really work.

What does work, though, are the sugar-dusted churro pieces, which are the most authentic churros I’ve had in ice cream. Again, while there’s no crispy crunch, there is a nice doughy but cooked texture and eggy flavor with hints of cinnamon that honor the pint’s name. The pieces feel and taste different than your average cake mix-in and I applaud JC for going all the way with the star of the show.

It’s hard to know if this pint was simply a quality control issue and if the ribbons are actually supposed to be ribbons, but for the amount of times I’ve had luscious swirls of fudge in ice cream I know it’s possible. I enjoyed eating this but I wouldn’t seek it out again, as the elements on their own and concept are better than the execution as a whole.

Rating: 7/10

Found at: Sprouts ($4.99)