BURLINGTON, Vt., July 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- With today's kickoff of National Ice Cream Month, we dig a little deeper into one of America's favorite flavors: cookie dough.
1. The Dough-riginators. The Dough-riginals. The Dough-Gs. Whatever you call them, Ben & Jerry's was the first national brand to mix large chunks of raw cookie dough into vanilla ice cream. After a 1984 trial run at the Burlington, VT Scoop Shop, the company introduced it to the world in 1991.
Ben & Jerry's introduced its Cookie Dough flavor in 1991.
The idea for Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough flavor came from an anonymous fan.
In the early days, dough chunks had to be cut and mixed in by hand. Now Ben & Jerry's and Rhino Foods have perfected the chunk.
It took six years to develop a cookie dough chunk that would not gum up Ben & Jerry's ice cream machinery.
Ben & Jerry's now makes Cookie Dough available in snackable chunks--straight from the bag. No spoons required.
2. It wasn't their idea. Actually, the idea came from an anonymous ice cream lover. He or she scribbled the suggestion on a big pad of paper the Burlington Scoop Shop had put up for feedback and flavor ideas.
3. And it definitely wasn't easy. Word spread about the new flavor faster than the Burlington shop's small batch freezer could make it, so the company began making bulk tubs at their new factory in Waterbury, VT. But all those dough chunks still had to be cut and mixed in by hand, and the dough kept gumming up the equipment.
4. Rhino to the rescue. Ben & Jerry's worked with Rhino Foods, a Burlington neighbor and now a fellow B-Corp member, to perfect the cookie dough recipe. To avoid messing up the machinery, the dough had to freeze but retain its doughy softness. Part of the solution was in the shape--hockey puck-like rounds worked best. It took six years to figure that out.
5. It's the world's favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is now Ben & Jerry's #1 flavor around the globe and has been for some time. The iconic flavor has inspired many innovations, including the introduction this year of a vegan version, three new flavors with huge gobs of dough running down the middle of the pint (Sweet Like Sugar,Chocolate Chip, and Wake & "No Bake" Cookie Dough Core), and for hard-core chunk spelunkers, Cookie Dough Chunks in a bag.
Learn more about Ben & Jerry's cookie dough legacyhere.
About Ben & Jerry's As an aspiring social justice company, Ben & Jerry's believes in a greater calling than simply making a profit for selling its goods. The company produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream, yogurt and sorbet using high-quality ingredients. Ben & Jerry's incorporates its vision of Linked Prosperity into its business practices in a number of ways including a focus on values-led sourcing. In 2015 the company completed its transition to using entirely non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) ingredients by source as well as to fully source Fairtrade-certified ingredients wherever possible, which benefits farmers in developing countries. Ben and Jerry's products are distributed in 35 countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops, restaurants and other venues. Ben & Jerry's, a Vermont corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part Mission Statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Ben & Jerry's became a certified B Corp (Benefit Corporation) in 2012. The Ben & Jerry's Foundation's employee-led grant programs totaled $2.7MM in 2018 to support grassroots organizing for social and environmental justice around the country.
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