This Fan-Favorite Häagen-Dazs Flavor Hits Shelves In October — But Only For A Few Months

When the leaves turn yellow and pumpkin spice starts creeping into every aspect of our lives, we tend to crave warm fall flavors like maple, cardamom, and heaping amounts of cinnamon. But it never takes long for winter releases to catch up, filling our shelves with all things candy cane and chestnut. It seems Häagen-Dazs is one of the many companies getting in on the action early, with customers already spotting a beloved holiday flavor: peppermint bark.

Häagen-Dazs had reportedly planned to launch two limited edition peppermint bark treats on October 14, but eagle-eyed shoppers noticed the products at their local stores as early as September. The Peppermint Bark Ice Cream bars consist of a white chocolate ice cream base covered with dark chocolate and crunchy chunks of peppermint bark. The other version is the classic pint of ice cream, which has that same white chocolate ice cream base blended with peppermint bark and peppermint candy. If you've never had it before, it tastes similar to one of Tasting Table's highest ranked Häagen-Dazs flavors, Mint Chip, but with a decadent twist. 

As we mentioned, many customers have already spotted these ice cream flavors at the grocery store, but they'll be available nationwide on October 14 so keep an eye out. The annual flavor typically sticks around until after Christmas, but only until mid-January. In light of the early rollout, fans seem excited to get their hands on them -– or at least, some of them do.

A Redditor who bought a pint of the ice cream in September highlighted the fact that some products become scarce by the time the actual holidays roll around. They said, "This is a chance to stock up early or just start getting in the holiday spirit a little early. Who says you can't eat peppermint bark ice cream while the weather is still warm?" Despite the cheery sentiment, others disagreed. One commenter replied, "I'm conflicted here. Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday and I adore it. But didn't the pumpkin stuff just come out last week?"

As for Costco shoppers, one person commenting on a Facebook post said, "This sounds absolutely wonderful. I can't wait to have one." Another person wrote, "These are so good". Häagen-Dazs has been releasing peppermint-flavored treats for years. The bars and pints seem to have come out in November last year along with a range of Häagen-Dazs shop specials, including a Peppermint Bark Dipped Waffle Cone, Frozen Peppermint Bark Hot Chocolate, and Peppermint Bark Shake. 

Those all came out on November 14 and stuck around until January 14, so we're expecting a similar timeline this year. If you can't find them, you can get your fix with these peppermint bark cookie bars. You could also mix some chocolate pieces into homemade peppermint ice cream or create your own peppermint bark to eat on its own. As some have pointed out, there really are no rules.