New State Fair Ice Creams Are Here to Help With Your State Fair Withdrawal

Almost as good as the real thing.

state fair ice cream
Courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream
Courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream

The state fair is a summer staple. The vast majority of those get-togethers aren't going to be happening this year. People are so desperate for a bit of that deep-fried vibe that the Minnesota State Fair can hawk its soon-to-be-unused plastic cups. (Though, just because they're for sale doesn't necessarily mean anyone is buying them.) Your faux state fair, even with the cups, will be BYOB and BYO-deep-fried gummy bear.

For a totally different approach, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is launching a State Fair Collection that will bring the flavors and smells of the fair to you. The five-pint collection is launching on July 16 directly through the Jeni's website, though you're not going to find anything quite as iconic as a giant bucket of warm cookies as one of the flavors.

The five pints include Sun-Popped Corn ("tastes just like a bowl of fresh, buttery popcorn"), Wildberry Lavender ("it tastes like fruit cereal milk ... it’s the flavor of springtime"), Atlantic Beach Pie ("a key lime pie made with lemon juice and a salty cracker crust, then piled high with barely sweetened whipped cream"), Watermelon Taffy ("like a watermelon sour candy"), and Orange Blossom Chiffon ("like the greatest push pop you’ve ever had"). 

The company with zero-waste scoop shops (also available at grocery stores) is trying to make flavors you'll go back to with this pack. That's in opposition to the sometimes wild flavors of the fair you crave the day-of, but then need a full year before you're ready to belly-up to the fair's bounty again. Though, I'd still eat the hell out of some deep-fried Oreos, boiled peanuts, pronto pups, and funnel cake right now. 

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Dustin Nelson is a Senior Staff Writer at Thrillist. Follow him @dlukenelson.