I Tried Jeni's Everything Bagel Ice Cream — and You Should, Too

The biggest red flag that I observe in other people is when they are unwilling to try a new food. I honestly cannot think of a bigger turn-off. Being a picky eater is certainly a downer, but if a certain food or flavor does not bring a person any genuine pleasure, then I cannot fault them for that. I am not, nor am I ever, here to yuck anyone's yum. However, being averse to simply trying a new food is when I start to get really annoyed. How do you know you're not going to like it? What's the worst thing that can happen if you don't? I have no patience for that, sorry!

Now that I got that off my chest, I'd like to move to my next point. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should try Jeni's new ice cream flavor, Everything Bagel. I don't really care if you end up enjoying the flavor or not, but I urge you not to write it off before you even sample a spoonful. Onions and garlic? In a sweet ice cream? I know, it sounds pretty unbelievable. But unexpected food combos are what I live for (I am also a Long Island girl, so I know a good bagel when I have one), so when I heard that this was hitting the shelves, I knew I had to see for myself what the hype was all about.

Let's just say, this stuff did not disappoint. Frankly, it makes sense to me, and I tip my hat off to the ice cream genius that is Jeni Britton-Bauer. Known for her imaginative (and sometimes kooky) flavor combinations, Jeni makes some of the richest, most exciting ice cream flavors that you'll come by. Everything Bagel may at first seem like a completely offbeat and unpleasant flavor combination, but once you have a spoonful, you'll quickly discover that it actually works.

Jeni's describes this flavor as "Buttery streusel laden with sesame, poppy seeds—and yes, onions and garlic—schmeared throughout subtly sweet cream cheese ice cream. An ice cream acceptable to eat any time of day." First there was Albert Einstein, and then there was Jeni Britton-Bauer. The ingredient list mentions an "Everything Bagel Gravel," which is the concoction of all the toppings, combined into a bagel-like mix-in. It's not overly chunky, and it's very well dispersed throughout the ice cream.

For me, what ties the ice cream together is the cream cheese, which is one of those ingredients that can easily go savory or sweet. It jives perfectly with the sesame, poppy seeds, onion, and garlic and is quite reminiscent of eating a everything bagel with cream cheese, but it also takes seamlessly to a sweet flavor profile, just like any cream cheese-based confection, like frosting or cheesecake.

Is it weird? I mean, yeah, a little. But I think weird can still be delicious. This would be a fun accompaniment to your next brunch or bagel spread. I mean, I definitely want to scoop into this for breakfast. There is a lingering flavor of onion and garlic which is a pretty unusual aftertaste to have from ice cream, but I'm here for it. I mean, if there's any time to release an Everything Bagel flavored ice cream, it's definitely during a pandemic when people aren't leaving their houses. Ice cream for breakfast and garlic breath all day, baby! The only person who's stopping you from this one-of-a-kind experience on your palate is YOU. Just try it, okay?