There’s no better day to promote non-dairy ice cream than another melting 38°C day. Evidently, as Ice Cream For All, a group fighting discrimination against people’s food-choices, set up a stall at Henry Deane Plaza giving scoops and sticks of non-dairy ice cream to passersby.
This one here is the Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Cinnamon Buns, described as a ‘cinnamon non-dairy frozen dessert with cinnamon bun dough & a cinnamon streusel swirl’. Ribbons of cinnamon streusel are very generous throughout and give an exceptionally strong cinnamon flavour that far exceeds that in an actual cinnamon bun where it’s balanced with the doughiness of the bun itself. This is not the case here as the dough chunks themselves (about 2-3 chunks per scoop) are flavoured with cinnamon although with more restraint, making them much sought after for their chewy texture.
Overall, cinnamon notes aside, the ice cream has an icier and lighter mouthfeel than regular ice cream and without the slightly gummy viscosity of gelato. We’d stick with real ice cream and gelato, but this is not a bad choice for those with dairy free lifestyles.
This Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy Cinnamon Buns was received as a promotional sample in Sydney, Australia in January 2019.