Ice Cream Craze, Ice Cream Days

The Twin Cities ice cream scene is in full swing. Check out the variety of cooling, sweet treats.

Paletas at La Michoacana Monarca (St. Paul and Minneapolis)

Both water- and cream-based paletas (Mexican fruit-flavored ice pops) are available at La Michoacana Monarca, a Mexican ice cream shop with a hot pink interior. Paletas fruit flavors include passion fruit, mango, soursop, nanche, and chamoy. A popular draw for kids is the colorful Fruity Pebbles pop. Ice cream flavors include Gansito (a Mexican cake flavor with jelly), Mamey (google this vibrant-colored fruit now), and Pinguinos (which includes a chocolate-covered Mexican cake similar to a Hostess cupcake).

A Flight of Flavors (St. Paul and Minneapolis)

Indecisive? You don’t have to choose just one flavor! At Cold Front in St. Paul, a $5.50 “snowball flight” includes four mini cones of any flavor. Or ditch the cones and get the $6 mini scoop flight at Pumphouse Creamery – locally-sourced, and known for its made-from-scratch, keep-it-simple philosophy, often regarded as one of the best, high-quality ice cream deals in town.

Gelato at Cossetta’s Pasticceria (St. Paul)

Ice cream in Italian is “gelato” – this treat uses less cream and is churned more slowly, incorporating less air. The result is often a more concentrated flavor. Due Focacceria in St. Paul sells vanilla gelato, but for a wider variety of flavors, head to Sonny’s Cafe or Cossetta. Their pasticceria has classics like Gianduia (chocolate-hazelnut), Pistacchio, Cioccolata Al Latte (milk chocolate), and Fragola (strawberry).

Rolled Ice Cream at Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir (Minneapolis x2)

May this summer be the one where you try rolled ice cream. Turkish-inspired Mrs. Dessert & Kumpir, in Northeast Minneapolis and on Lake St., offers flavors such as Baklava, Mango Madness, Crazy Oreo, and ones that include cereals such as Cocoa Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You can see the process of rolling the ice cream while you wait (a thin layer of ice cream is scraped and curled into scrolls). The shop also offers a variety of other intriguing treats like a Dubai Chocolate crepe!

Adele’s Frozen Custard (Excelsior)

Head to the lakefront, where for over 35 years Adele’s has offered fresh batches of frozen custard. Unlike Italian gelato, frozen custard is a classic American dessert that includes milk, cream, and a large volume of egg yolks. “Treat Yourself & Enjoy Happily Everliciously!” they say at Adele’s – easy to do when you see their rotating flavors: Snickerdoodle, Ferrero Rocher, Fresh Peach, Black Cherry, and more.