Review: Baskin-Robbins' Brie My Guest Flavor Is A Decadent Cheese Board In A Cup

For many, November 1 marks the start of the holiday season, and more specifically, Christmas. But for me, as much as I love Christmas, I'm a big proponent of celebrating the holiday and season at hand before jumping to the next. Baskin-Robbins seems to be in agreement with my sentiment, as its flavor of the month for November is a Thanksgiving cheese board-inspired offering aptly named for the heavy home entertaining schedule most of us have in the near future.

Cheese boards have been a hallmark of home entertaining for some time — they're always a crowd pleaser, but they're not usually so budget-friendly. This ice cream is a cool (pun intended), inexpensive way to taste all the components together at one time and even bring it along to your Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving celebrations as a twist on dessert.

"Holiday gatherings are about sharing memorable experiences, and our Brie My Guest [does] just that," said Jerid Grandinetti, vice president of marketing & culinary at Baskin-Robbins, in a press release. "Our new Flavor of the Month is a bold twist on the best parts of a cheeseboard that will delight your guests and spark conversation at the table." I tried a bowl of Brie My Guest to see if it lives up to its holiday hype, and here's what I think.

As mentioned, Brie My Guest is Baskin-Robbins' November 2024 flavor of the month. This flavor combines a brie- and burrata-flavored ice cream base with almond and pistachio pieces, as well as apricot ribbons.

Brie is a soft, double-cream French cheese. This type of cheese has a high butterfat content (60 to 75%) and is made only with cow's milk. It has a bit of funkiness without scaring away the stinky cheese-averse. Consider it a gateway cheese for those wanting to branch out a little in terms of flavor and texture. Burrata, on the other hand, is a cheese that originated in southern Italy. It is similar to mozzarella (and even encased in mozzarella), but the interior is much softer and creamier. Dried fruits such as apricots and plums are commonly paired with cheese and thus found on many cheese boards, along with different nut varieties, so it follows that apricot, almond, and pistachio are present in this ice cream.

Starting November 1, you can try Baskin-Robbins' cheeseboard-inspired flavor of the month at one of the 2,400+ Baskin-Robbins locations across America. As this only a temporary flavor, you will only be able to purchase it during the month of November 2024. You can order this flavor in two different scoop sizes: regular (4 ounces) and kid's (2.5 ounces). Regular-sized scoops can be ordered as single, double or triple scoops.

Prices vary by location, and one 4-ounce scoop ranges between $4.86 and $5.73 for all Baskin-Robbins flavors, including Brie My Guest. A 2.5-ounce kid's scoop is priced between $4.36 to $4.48. You can place your order directly in-store or order ahead via the Baskin-Robbins app.

A standard 4-ounce scoop of Brie My Guest contains 260 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 25 grams of sugar. A kid's scoop (2.5 ounces) has 160 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 15 grams of sugar. Compared to Baskin-Robbins' vanilla ice cream, Brie My Guest has 20 more calories and 8 more grams of sugar per scoop.

People with food allergies should be aware that this ice cream contains milk and tree nuts, namely pistachios and almonds. While soy is not listed as an ingredient, it may contain soy as well as other nuts in the tree nut family (cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, and walnuts).

Mozzarella cheese powder is listed as one of the ingredients, but neither burrata nor brie cheese are. Instead, Baskin-Robbins utilizes buttermilk powder along with mozzarella powder to replicate the taste of brie and burrata.

On first bite, the cheese flavor comes through right away, cutting through the sweetness of the ice cream and adding depth. The taste of brie was the strongest in the beginning, but as the ice cream melted, I could taste more burrata flavor. Cheesecake fans will appreciate the richness added from the cheese flavor, as well as the saltiness.

The apricot ribbons are peppered in and not overwhelming. While I understand the seasonal appeal of Brie My Guest, from the cozy warmth of apricots and cheese, I would not be opposed to eating this dessert all year round. It's refreshing to taste a fall flavor that doesn't contain the usual fall-coded ingredients like cinnamon and nutmeg. While I enjoy both spices, this is a welcome change from the standard spiced autumnal fare.

The subtle crunch of the nuts adds a palatable variety to each smooth and creamy bite. In a way, this ice cream is indicative of the melting pot that makes up America, all swirled together in perfect harmony.

In a word, yes. Cheese lovers of all kinds, whether they prefer cheesecakes, cheeseboards, or just the good stuff straight up, will appreciate the cheesy, creamy flavor throughout Brie My Guest. If you're not a fan of brie or burrata, this obviously may not be for you. However, since no flavor is too overpowering, if you enjoy a well-balanced combination of sweet and savory, you may still find yourself liking this flavor.

Brie My Guest is good enough on its own but gets extra points for its creative use of brie and burrata, or at least flavors emulating them. Remember, neither are actually present in the recipe.

This flavor is also visually appealing. The warm vanilla shade of the ice cream with the pale orange veins of apricot jam and green and brown specks from the nuts make this scoop appear to be a full meal. I also spotted little chunks of cheese dotted through the ice cream, further selling the cheese board experience. Though it's not as varied in its components (thankfully), this ice cream flavor reminds me of the three-course dinner gum from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which seems very appropriate given the Thanksgiving meal theme.