Steve Herrell of Herrell's Ice Cream in Northampton, Massachusetts has been known for years as Mister Mix-in. Credited for being the first to mash in candy bits like Heath bars and sweet treats like Oreo crumbs into his creamy ice, Herrell's paved the way for our now favorite, and entirely loaded, mountainous scoops.
While the entire process of Herrell's is something we are comfortable with — ice cream parlors smooshing in our sugary selections on a marble slab — experiencing it at one of the pioneer hotspots seemed like a necessary action. As my travel companion picked a mint cookies and cream combination, I dug into a heaping dish of burnt butter and sugar ice cream doused in homemade hot fudge that left this girl dizzy in a feeling of complete bliss.
Similar in tastes to fresh French toast slices, Mr. Herrell’s low-air gourmet cream is luscious enough solo without his well-known smoosh-ins. However, with a massive laundry list of add-ins in addition to the overwhelming flavors (think espresso with chocolate chips, Hostess orange cupcake, malted vanilla, white rum, etc.) one may never have to revisit another ice cream shop again.
