Van Leeuwen Is Celebrating The Holidays With 4 Festive New Flavors

The season ice cream is most commonly associated with is, of course, summer. The appeal seems obvious: What could be better on a hot day than some ice cream to cool you down?

If you're thinking we're about to make a case for winter as one of the best seasons to enjoy ice cream, you're right. Certainly, ice cream is a great dessert to share with family members during the holiday season, but there's also a scientific explanation to support this treat. According to Mount Saint Vincent University, the sugar and milkfat in ice cream generate body heat via a process called thermogenesis, which warms you up. This is why ice cream is perhaps more appropriately served on cold winter evenings than on hot summer days.

New York City-based ice cream brand Van Leeuwen apparently agrees, given it's just released four new flavors for the holiday season. And luckily you don't need to be in New York City to get them, nor do you have to reside in one of the 35 states where Van Leeuwen's ice creams can be found in grocery stores (via Roaming Hunger). These winter treats are coming to a store near you, no matter where you live in the U.S.

Not only did Van Leeuwen announce four new holiday ice cream flavors, but the company is partnering with Walmart to sell them. According to a press release sent to Tasting Table all four of the small-batch, limited edition flavors will be found in Walmart stores, with three of those flavors — Peppermint Pattie, Caramel Sticky Bun, and Marzipan Cake with Fudge Swirl — available exclusively at the retail chain. The brand's fourth holiday flavor, Brown Sugar Chunk, is not a Walmart exclusive.

As delicious as the new holiday ice cream flavors sound, their ingredient descriptions reveal sweet additional pleasures. The Peppermint Pattie, for example, includes chocolate chips and fudgy swirls, while the Caramel Sticky Bun boasts both its namesake caramel as well as tasty cinnamon brown sugar. Brown Sugar Chunk, meanwhile, adds bites of candied walnut and fudge brownies along with its chunks of cookie dough and the Marzipan Cake with Fudge Swirl offers brown sugar cake to chew on, too.

The introduction of the holiday quartet isn't the first time Van Leeuwen has teamed up with Walmart. In September, the brand offered several newly released flavors, including Mexican Hot Chocolate with Tapatio Hot sauce, exclusively via Walmart stores across the U.S. (via Van Leeuwen).

The four different holiday flavors are now available for the gift-friendly price of $4.98 at Walmart stores. Visit the chain's website to find a location near you.