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Dec 1, 2023

Review: McConnell's Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites Dairy-Free "Ice Cream"

Packaging for McConnell's Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites Dairy-Free "Ice Cream."

McConnell's Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites Dairy-Free "Ice Cream" features a frozen oat milk dairy-free base flavored with peppermint and mocha, mixed with gluten-free brownie pieces and a chocolate ganache swirl.

A 14-oz container costs $8.99, but I received this courtesy of McConnell's.

Top-down view of an open container of McConnell's Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites Dairy-Free "Ice Cream."

In terms of aroma, the Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites certainly delivered. It smelled fairly strongly of coffee with the cooling notes of peppermint and a hint of chocolate. It reminded me a lot of a holiday latte.

For some reason, the oat milk frozen non-dairy base for the Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites flavor was significantly smoother than in the Gingerbread House flavor. The iciness was nearly imperceptible, and it had a smooth, creamy mouthfeel. It also seemed to melt at a slower rate than the Gingerbread House flavor. The texture was quite pleasant, and I would say comparable to a premium ice cream; it isn't quite as dense as superpremium ice creams.

Side-view of a scoop of McConnell's Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites Dairy-Free "Ice Cream."

I wanted to like the flavor of the Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites more than I actually did. The combination of the strong coffee flavor with the powerful peppermint made the non-dairy frozen dessert taste unpleasantly bitter. The numerous peppermint candy pieces dotting the oat milk base were probably the culprits, and I think it would have tasted better with less candy pieces or simply some peppermint extract added into the "ice cream" instead.

The brownie pieces were definitely the highlight of this flavor. They were soft, lightly chewy yet gooey, and not in the least bit grainy (a common side effect of gluten-free baking). There was a robust, dark chocolate flavor to the brownie bites that was offset with a little saltiness. There was a fairly uniform distribution of brownie pieces with varying sizes.

The ganache was suitably rich and provided a nice, dark-chocolate flavor throughout. It was a little runnier than I would expect for ganache, however.

Top-down view of a scoop of McConnell's Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites Dairy-Free "Ice Cream."

In terms of sweetness level, I would say the Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites flavor is moderately sweet. The bitterness from the coffee and peppermint, combined with the slight saltiness of the brownies, probably helped to rein in the total sweetness.

As a whole, I decently enjoyed the Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites Dairy-Free "Ice Cream." There were some missteps (I'm looking at you, aggressive peppermint candy pieces) but overall, it was a pleasant eating experience. The texture is pretty good for a non-dairy frozen dessert and the brownie pieces were stellar. Just like with the other non-dairy flavor that McConnell's recently released, I would buy it--but only on sale.

By Renee.

Nutritional Info - McConnell's Peppermint Mocha and Brownie Bites Dairy-Free "Ice Cream"
Serving Size - 2/3 cup
Calories - 280 (from Fat - 140)
Fat - 15g (Saturated Fat - 12g)
Sodium - 80mg
Carbs - 37g (Sugar - 23g)
Protein - 1g

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