We Tasted the Newest Cult Ice Creams to Find the Best One for Late-Night Cravings

Sometimes you get home late at night and all you want is dessert. But what are you gonna do,bake a pie? (Side note: If you get home past midnight and your first instinct is to bake a pie, could you please give me a call next time you're heading out, because you are living liferight.)

For the rest of us, there is ice cream. Wonderful, pint-sized ice cream.

But which ice cream deserves to be eaten in the wee hours of the morning, when we're at our most ravenous and prone to lapses in judgement? To find out, the Epi staff nominated their favorite cult ice cream brands, and I called in dozens of their newest flavors for a taste test that left us (and our phones) shockingly sticky. But the crowd favorites were clear.

Flavor Profile:Vanilla malt ice cream with chunks of chocolate chip cookie dough

What's so fab about it:This takes the concept of cookie-dough ice cream up so many notches. The cookie dough pieces are made by award-winning ready-made cookie dough company Sweet Loren's. But the magic comes from the fluffy Madagascar Bourbon vanilla ice cream, stacked with old-school malt flavor.

Flavor Profile:Milk chocolate ice cream with salted, smoked almonds, marshmallows, and a caramel swirl

What's so fab about it:Grade-A texture. If you like a chunky ice cream, this is the one to beat. Special projects editorAdina Steimandug the "nice almond crunch," which was just smoky enough to add interest beyond traditional Rocky Road without going overboard. The milk chocolate ice cream has a wonderful round flavor, offset by soft vanilla marshmallows and a touch of salt.

Spoons up!

Photo by Chelsea Kyle

Flavor Profile:Earl Grey ice cream with buttery pieces of shortbread

What's so fab about it:What's more relaxing than sitting down with a hot cup of citrusy Earl Grey tea and a butter cookie? The answer is this ice cream. McConnell's grass-fed dairy is rich and lush and the black tea–bergamot infusion is a wonderful counter-balance to that richness. Also, McConnell's flavors are distinct, but subdued, unlike some of the other submissions that hit you over the head with flavor. Associate food editorKat Sackspraised the creamy texture and "yummy cookie crunch."

Flavor Profile:Peppermint ice cream with chocolate flecks and chunks of Good Girl Cookies' Mint Slims

What's so fab about it:Love aThin Mint? Love mint chip? You'll love this ice cream. Also, maybe this is weird to say about ice cream, but it smellssogood. And that's because it's full of pure mint flavor from organic Indian peppermint oil. Food directorRhoda Booneloved the addition of crunchy cookies, which come from Good Girl Cookies, a company that essentially makes (delicious) gluten-free knock-offs of Girl Scout cookies. That's right. It's a Girl Scout cookie binge and an ice cream binge all in one pint.

Flavor Profile:Banana ice cream with dark chocolate flecks.

What's so fab about it: Adirondack advertises their ice cream as "farm fresh," and it totally is. You could even say its wonderfully fluffy texture and pure, delicately balanced banana flavor is humble. But then rich dark chocolate specks, flecked throughout the fresh, sweet dairy, add pops of interest that turn it just a touch more sinful than Ma and Pa might like.

Flavor Profile:Toasted chocolate honey ice cream with honey fudge chips

What's so fab about it:The bracing dark chocolate of this ice cream is sweetened with rich honey and balanced by ultra-creaminess. For texture, wafers of crispy honeycomb are speckled throughout, which Adina thought added a "seductive crunch." Not bad for aValentine's-themed sweet.

Flavor Profile:Dark chocolate ice cream with flecks of peanut butter fudge

What's so fab about it:This ice cream base is super-rich, not-too-sweet dark chocolate. Pocked throughout the decadent dairy are bits of chewy peanut butter fudge. Editorial assistantTommy Wernerdeclared it, "SOLID!!!" If you're intopeanut butter cups,你也会习惯。

Flavor Profile:Spiced rum ice cream with flecks of raisin and shaved chocolate

What's so fab about it:This is no ordinary rum raisin. Two of our tasters—one of those tasters being me—even declaredbeforetasting that rum raisin is unequivocally the worst. With this rum raisin however, that'sSOnot so. A background of nutmeg, clove, and allspice—along with a hint of lime—balances out the super-luxe ice cream base. Chocolate shavings and chopped up raisins give it the lingering flavor of chocolate-covered Raisinettes.

Flavor Profile:Speculoos cookie butter ice cream with chunks of chewy dark chocolate–honey blondies

What's so fab about it:I'm sorry, did you read that flavor description? The flavor of this ice cream is all warming, comforting holiday spice, and then you get a chewy bit of brown-sugary honey blondie filled with crunch from pecans and chocolate. It's sophisticated, nostalgic, and whimsical all in one bite.

Never stop scooping.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle

Flavor Profile:甜奶油冰淇淋与野生浆果果酱漩涡d chocolate shavings

What's so fab about it:Again, McConnell's delivers on thick, satisfying, creaminess. Associate food editorAnna Stockwellloved the, "vibrant, REAL berry flavor," provided by a swirl of gooey, almost chewy jam that instantly melts away when it hits the tongue. Flecks of bittersweet chocolate add an extra little crackle of texture.

Flavor Profile:Banana ice cream with a thick salted caramel ribbon

What's so fab about it:Bold banana flavor and a river of caramel that tastes virtually identical to those cellophane-wrapped chewy caramels you get from the bulk bin. Tommy appreciated the balanced salt notes, which he found, "really bring out the banana." As the salty caramel and banana flavors meld in your mouth, we dare you not to get flashbacks to the bestbananas Fosteryou've ever had.

Flavor Profile:Cream cheese ice cream with chunks of red velvet cake

What's so fab about it:It's cake and ice cream! We mentioned recently thatadding cream cheese to your pie doughis a good idea, and this proves it's a good idea to add it to your ice cream base too. The rich, fluffy cream is just slightly tart for it, and that's great when you get a bite of flaky, sweet, frozen frosting in contrast. The cake is crumbly and just cocoa-ed enough to have great flavor too. Definitely worthy of an awards show binge—or a midnight munchie.