Granite State Candy Shoppe, Concord, NH

August 15, 2020Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travelconcord, dairy, granite state candy shoppe, ice cream, ice cream blog, maple, new hampshire, new hampshire ice cream, new hampshire made, nhmadejamiefeinberg Leave a comment

Way, way back, when I was just starting this blog, I tried to visit Granite State Candy Shoppe. (I’d visited once or twice to browse the candy, but I’d never gotten ice cream there.) The first time, I was looking for a sweet treat while in downtown Concord. So I headed over…only to see that they were closed already for the evening. (Guess I should have looked up their hours first!)

The next time was several weeks later (definitely into the fall at this point), and when I went inside, they informed me that they only scooped ice cream during the summer – but I could buy a pint! Since I was there as a part of an outing with my husband, and since we’d never tried their ice cream, I wasn’t interested in just grabbing a pint to go, alas.

So it had been years – very probably three or four years – since I’d tried to go back. I’d thought about it a couple of times when I was in New Hampshire, and whether it was the parking or the knowledge that they might not be scooping yet, I skipped it.

But thankfully, in early September of last year, I was finally free to visit!

Here’s what I tried:

Ultra Chocolate – This is their version of chocolate. It’s pleasant, but I found it to be an icier and lighter ice cream rather than a creamy texture.

Peppermint Stick – This is super smooth, melt in your mouth creamy, without any chunks. It would be perfect with hot fudge. It tastes like Christmas! It’s also a bit flaky on the spoon, but NOT when it hits your mouth, so never fear!

NH Maple Pecan – This is a robust maple flavor, with crunchy pecans. It’s base is about midway between icy and creamy. I really like the pecan texture here.

Black Raspberry Chip – The texture is a bit flaky, but this is a super delicious real raspberry flavor, with excellent darker chocolate chips.

I ordered a small for $4.50, which honestly looked like a medium, and they let me get two flavors. These were big portions that felt fair given the prices. I got my ice cream in a white chocolate bowl!

I loved the variety of flavors that they had, though all three flavors of cheesecake have crust so none for me. They’ve got tons of sundaes, make your own sundaes, maple syrup and other add-ons, and the prices include tax.

During my visit, they had one scooper and one cashier. That meant that the line grew quickly as I was trying flavors. Perhaps that’s why it’s seasonal? It must be hard for the employees to regulate. They were nice, it just gets congested quickly.

They are offering curbside pickup right now from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (call for their Sunday hours, it’s unclear on the website), and they’ve got an extensive collection of homemade candies (quite cheap/reasonable depending on the type) and fudge in addition to their ice cream. You can also order their fudge and candies online.

I’m so glad I finally made the visit. These are excellent flavors with quality ingredients, even if some of the textures are a bit more flaky than I’d prefer. It’s definitely worth a try, and I’d add on maple syrup or try a chocolate bowl if I were you.

Which of these flavors would be first on your list to try?

Photo credit: Granite State Candy Shoppe website

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Ice Cream In The Snow

November 17, 2018Ice Cream, travelcold, ice cream, ice cream blog, ice cream travel, in search of a scoop, insearchofascoop, nhmade, snow, snowy day, travel, winterjamiefeinberg Leave a comment

It’s snowing here. Well, it’s snowed, actually. And you may think, ice cream in the snow? No way.

But you’d be wrong. Just top it with hot fudge or throw it in some hot cocoa or atop a warm dish like bananas foster or apple crisp.

Then you’ll be thinking ice cream in the snow? Yes please.

(This shortened blog is brought to you by a very busy week in the life of Jamie!) Snow day | In Search of a Scoop

Cremeland

November 3, 2018Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, traveldairy, destination, homemade ice cream, ice cream, ice cream blog, ice cream travel, in search of a scoop, insearchofascoop, manchester, new hampshire, nhmade, traveljamiefeinberg Leave a comment

Cremeland in Manchester, NH is an institution. I visited them recently due to a soft serve craving.

This won’t be a full review, because all I did was order their soft serve. It met the mark for soft serve (I ordered a twist) and at two scoops for $3.80, it was very affordable.

I can’t give them the full review, but it’s worth a stop when you need ice cream in Manchester.

Have you tried Cremeland?

Cremeland, Manchester, NH | Ross and Jamie Adventure

Making Memories in Kingston

October 27, 2018Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, traveldestination, ice cream, ice cream blog, ice cream travel, in search of a scoop, insearchofascoop, new hampshire, nhmade, traveljamiefeinberg Leave a comment

Memories, Exeter, NH | In Search of a Scoop

I’ve gone to Memories in Exeter, NH several times in my life. In my younger days, they struck me as overpriced, and I recall a very odd scoop system where you could order quarter scoops, half scoops etc. but unless you ordered two gargantuan scoops, you couldn’t get two flavors.

But with age comes wisdom and a ridiculous amount of ice cream eating, so when I missed my favorite place for frozen yogurt closing by mere hours (until next year, Wright Place!), I returned to Memories for a visit and a review. Memories, Exeter, NH | In Search of a Scoop

I was honestly delighted by my visit! To be fair, it was a rainy October afternoon, so there wasn’t a line and I could take my time sampling, but I felt very comfortable trying flavors, was impressed to see a sampler option on the menu and was especially excited that they had an ingredient binder on hand for those of us with food allergies! Their fall menu was really fun, and their farm setting with a big farmer’s porch is picturesque. Memories, Exeter, NH | In Search of a Scoop

Here’s what I thought of Memories:

Sweet Potato – This is a sweet potato base with toffee pieces. If you love sweet potato, this is worth a try! I enjoyed the toffee and there seemed to be some sort of caramel or similar running through it lightly. A fun new fall flavor for me.

Chocolate Marshmallow – This was kind of a medium, Belgian chocolate type base. And you can’t go wrong with marshmallows. I really, really loved this base.

Bananas Foster – Oh my word. If you like bananas, this is sweet and creamy and an absolute 10/10. I could have eaten this one forever. So, so good!!!

Overall, their ice cream is pretty perfect. Creamy and consistent, easy to eat and never icy. They’re not too sweet and you truly taste the flavors. Their chocolate marshmallow should make my top five chocolates (hard to do!) and their bananas foster was truly a thing of beauty.

They may have closed for the season, but you can pre-order some ice cream and pick it up once a month on a chosen day. Follow them on Facebook, because they seem to like to open up and scoop if it’s nice outside.

Thanks for an incredible treat, Memories! And putting my three flavors in a dish was genius. Also, you’re very reasonably priced for high end ice cream. $6 for three large scoops makes sense. And thanks for getting rid of your old, odd scoop scale!

Memories, Exeter, NH | In Search of a Scoop

If you enjoyed this review, you might enjoy reading about God Save The Cream in Denver. Happy ice cream!

An Obsession Hatches At Hatchland

October 20, 2018Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, traveldairy, destination, hatchland, hatchland Farm, homemade ice cream, ice cream, ice cream blog, ice cream travel, in search of a scoop, insearchofascoop, new hampshire, nhmade, traveljamiefeinberg 1 Comment

Hatchland Farm in North Haverhill, New Hampshire is wonderful. I knew it to be wonderful, because in the past I’d occasionally had a dish (before the blog) if I was in an area carrying their ice cream, and it always was absolutely delicious. But their ice cream stand/dairy in North Haverhill really isn’t the kind of place you get to by accident.

So when fate brought me to North Haverhill to teach a series of classes recently, I was really excited to see their ice cream was still available for scooping. Particularly because the sign said that they have maple soft serve, and I truly love maple soft serve.

Hatchland Farms, Haverhill, NH | Ross And Jamie Adventure When I got there, I was pretty awed by the place. First off, their prices are reasonable verging on cheap. Second, they offer samplers and tiny portions for those craving as little as a half scoop of hard ice cream. Third, they have some really fun flavors and gluten-free cones! But when I got to the window, I was wowed.

I said that I was having a hard time deciding between soft serve and hard serve maple ice cream. The woman behind the counter cheerfully said “why not have both?” and I said “I can do that?” and she said “Of course!”. Now, I’m all for combining flavors in the name of variety. I will ask if I can get multiple flavors in a scoop. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be allowed to combine hard and soft serve ice cream in one dish!

All thoughts of trying multiple flavors went out the window. All thoughts of anything but that combination were gone. “Sounds great!” I said. So I got a scoop of each.

It’s $3 for a scoop of each. This ice cream almost has me speechless, folks. Hatchland Farms, Haverhill, NH | Ross And Jamie Adventure

Maple Soft Serve – So, the soft serve really balances creaminess with a strong maple taste. Definitely the best maple soft serve I’ve had, although others have been in the ballpark. It’s delicious.

Maple Hard Serve – Wow! This is the best maple ice cream I’ve ever had. The hard ice cream has a deeper complexity of flavor than the soft…and yet it’s still quite soft and creamy. Ross said this tastes like maple candy.

I was so in love with this stuff that I got it two days in a row. When they had extended their hours to be open one more day when I was in town, Ross couldn’t resist getting his own. The third time they were out of maple soft serve, but we both savored our hard ice cream.

Go to Hatchland Farm. Or eat their ice cream, if you’re local and they carry it nearby. I can’t speak to anything but their maple with specificity, but I’ve never gone wrong there. And if there’s maple on the menu, you know what to do. Hatchland Farms, Haverhill, NH | Ross And Jamie Adventure

How Much Ice Cream Can You Fit Into a Week?

August 23, 2017Destination Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, traveldestination, frozen yogurt, ice cream, in search of a scoop, insearchofascoop, jordan's ice creamery, Lang's, merrivale ice cream, new hampshire, nhmade, round top ice cream, traveljamiefeinberg 1 Comment

Do you ever ask yourself this question? Do you struggle with the desire to stay healthy while eating lots of ice cream? I certainly do.

This past week I flew back to New Hampshire. The combined stress of travel, mild family drama and life combined with my ice cream-craving brain in a major way. Suffice to say that I ate too much dairy, sugar and fat. And when I thought about how to write about it, I realized just how intense it was. It’s like I scheduled it out with a desire to eat as much as possible.

So be shocked, or use this as a guide for yourself on how to eat too much ice cream and sweet treats.

Wednesday – A small hazelnut soft serve frozen yogurt with raspberries at Pinkberry at the Baltimore airport. A kiddie size Wild NH Black Bear – vanilla with red raspberry swirl and chocolate raspberry truffles – from Lang’s, who serve Blake’s ice cream.

Thursday – A large with cotton candy, coconut cream and Wild Maine Black Bear, a red raspberry ice cream with dark chocolate truffles, for lunch at Jordan’s Creamery.

Friday – A dish of Coconut Bliss‘ Cherry Amaretto (coconut-based, dairy-free) with fun toppings at a pre-wedding dinner.

Saturday – A dish of Round Top’s Salted Caramel ice cream with hot fudge at a wedding dinner.

Sunday – A small Wild NH Black Bear with hot fudge at Lang’s after dinner.

Monday – A scoop of ice cream with two flavors, Moose Tracks (vanilla, amazing fudge ripple, peanut butter truffles) and Peppermint Stick, at Merrivale Ice Cream next to The Pizza Man.

Tuesday – A small dish of Milk ( low-fat frozen yogurt) at Pinkberry with lunch. A small hot fudge shake at Sonic with dinner.

Have you ever eaten this much sweetness in a week? What does your dream ice cream week look like? Tell me about it!

The Best Restaurant in Derry, NH

September 14, 2016travelamphora nh, amphoranh, destination, Greek food, insearchofascoop, new hampshire, nhmade, traveljamiefeinberg Leave a comment

When we’re in Derry, there isn’t really a discussion about where to go to eat. It’s not exactly a food mecca, but there are a few decent restaurants. And then there is Amphora.

An Odd, but Delicious, Paradise Found

September 8, 2016Destination Ice Cream, Uncategorizeddestination, ice cream, insearchofascoop, new hampshire, nhmade, sandwich creamery, sandwichcreamery, traveljamiefeinberg 1 Comment

Sandwich Creamery is odd, for a few reasons. For one, it’s in the middle of nowhere, in a small town, down a long dirt road.

For another, it is self-serve. Yes, it’s a self-serve ice cream stand. You bring the cash and help yourself to local products and ice cream in a few sizes.

Oh, and this part isn’t odd – it’s amazing.

The prices are great – $3 small, $4 medium, $6 large. The medium is a pint. I went with two half pints, for research purposes of course. A large is a quart. I had plenty but this stuff is so good, I could have kept eating for a while.

Here’s what I chose – Ross wasn’t really hungry yet.

Muddy Mint – A chocolate mint base with pistachio and chocolate chunks. This is just outstanding. Outstanding. It has fabulous flavor, super smooth base and not too thick, just the perfect consistency. This is the perfect combo of chocolate and mint, and the mixins were diced small which was perfect.

Mexican jumping bean – A cinnamon chocolate base with chocolate covered coffee beans. Where do I begin? This is insanely delicious. You’ll feel the cinnamon in your nose – to Ross, it reminded him of a Yankee candle, but in a good way. It’s basically perfect. The chocolate was super tasty, the beans crunch and chocolatey and delicious.

In short, we are crazy about Sandwich Creamery. They have really long hours since it is self-serve. Make it a destination, bring a cooler and enjoy one of my contenders for best ice cream in New Hampshire.

p.s. Thanks for doing your usual Amazon shopping using my affiliate link!
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Seafood, Soft Serve and Slick’s

August 31, 2016Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travel, Uncategorizedice cream, insearchofascoop, littleton, meadow ice cream, new hampshire, nhmade, slicks, traveljamiefeinberg Leave a comment

Sometimes, you’re in the mood for ice cream, and you go to an ice cream place. And in Littleton, Bishop’s is a solid option. Other times, you’re specifically in the mood for Slick’s ice cream, of Woodsville. But if you’re in Littleton and you don’t have the time to drive to Woodsville and back, you’ve got another option. Likewise, if you’re craving some fried seafood or a burger…

Northland Dairy Bar

August 27, 2016Destination Ice Cream, Ice Cream, travelberlin nh, destination, ice cream, insearchofascoop, new hampshire, nhmade, northland dairy bar, raspberry pie, traveljamiefeinberg Leave a comment

As you know, I like to report on homemade ice cream places. Northland Dairy Bar, in Berlin, NH, does not serve their own ice cream. But, they serve some fabulous flavors (tons to choose from, actually), some great American cuisine, and perhaps most importantly for me, raspberry pie.