These New Ice Cream Pints Are the Perfect Way to Incorporate Mochi Into Your Dessert
I have to admit, I haven't ever truly been on board with the mochi trend.
It's not that I hate the signature Japanese dessert, it's just that mochi isn't the first thing that pops into my head when I'm craving a sweet treat. But when My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream offered to send me a sample of their newest mochi-inspired treats, I was totally on board.
Keep scrolling to read why I was so excited about this new dessert.
The Ice Cream
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake created by pounding sticky rice into a paste and molding it into the desired shape. Traditional mochi ice cream comes in the form of an ice cream ball surrounded by mochi on the outside. My/Mo's newest pints, however, make the ice cream the star of the dessert by folding tiny mochi bits into a pint of delicious ice cream.
They're currently available in five flavors—Strawberry, Mango, Green Tea, Chocolate, and Salted Caramel—and I got to try them all.
The Experience
The My/Mo pints are packaged just like any pint of ice cream, meaning you can eat as much or as little as you want in one sitting. If you're like me and you enjoy indulging in a serving size of an entire pint, this could get a little dangerous, but I love the idea that your mochi dessert isn't already separated into portions for you.
I love rich and decadent flavors in my ice cream, so I tried the Salted Caramel and Chocolate first. And I'm not even exaggerating when I say the flavors were divine. The Salted Caramel had the perfect balance of salty sweet flavor that I was hoping for, and the chocolate was creamy and totally delicious. Unlike normal mochi ice cream where the mochi can get a little too stiff, the ice cream keeps the mochi bits soft and pillowy. They're definitely not the star of the dessert, but they're present enough to add a fun texture and chewiness that adds to the overall experience.
Next, I moved on to Strawberry and Mango. Mango is my favorite fruit, so I wasn't at all surprised that I found this ice cream just as heavenly as the Salted Caramel and Chocolate. It had a great tropical punch, and I could totally imagine spooning it into a bowl to cool down on a hot summer day. The Strawberry was delicious as well, but the flavor was a little muted in comparison to the well-rounded flavor of the Mango.
The only flavor I wasn't a big fan of was the Green Tea. However, I have to acknowledge my own bias in that I don't like Green Tea-flavored anything, and I actually found the Green Tea pint tolerable, which means anyone who likes green tea will probably love it.
I did notice that the mochi bits seemed to be a bit more clumped in the fruity-flavored pints. I'm not sure if it was a difference in how they're made, or if I was just paying more attention, but there were definitely pockets filled with mochi bits. However, the clumpy mochi bits didn't really bother me. The mochi was equally as yummy, so finding a few pieces clumped together didn't detract from the overall flavor.
Bottom Line
I really loved My/Mo's Ice Cream Pints with Mochi Bits. For someone like me, who isn't a big fan of mochi, it was the perfect way to get in on the trend without overwhelming my palette with the pounded sticky rice. Green tea wasn't my jam and I probably won't buy the Strawberry flavor again, but I could definitely see Salted Caramel, Chocolate and Mango becoming a staple in my freezer.
If you want to try out these new desserts, My/Mo Ice Cream Pints with Mochi Bits are available at many grocery stores, including Vons, Ralphs, Sprouts Farmers Market, Safeway, Wegmans, Publix and Kroger.
Still a fan of traditional mochi? Click HERE to see what we thought of the vegan version of our favorite Japanese dessert.