Columbus has a lot to brag about, but Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams might be at the very top of the list. Born right here in Central Ohio, Jeni’s has become a nationwide phenomenon with shops in 30+ cities and pints sold everywhere from Whole Foods to Kroger.
But Jeni’s recently made different headlines when Jeni Britton herself accused the New York Times of straight up stealing one of her recipes and passing it off as their own. Yep… THE Jeni. Columbus’ ice cream queen.
Now, obviously, we’d never actually plagiarize her brilliance. But if we had to channel our inner Times Cooking editor and snag a few recipes? These are the 5 Jeni’s flavors we’d grab first.
1. Gooey Butter Cake
The first time I tried this, I knew right then and there it wasn’t getting beat. Cream cheese ice cream that’s somehow creamier than cream itself, caramel-butterscotch sauce that makes every spoonful magical, and chunks of butter cake that sneak up on you like little golden nuggets. Yeah, if I worked at the New York Times Cooking desk, this is the one I’d turn in as my own.
Grab your pint here.
2. Strawberry Buttermilk
Confession: I used to be anti-fruit ice cream. If it had fruit, I thought it belonged in the sherbet aisle and nowhere else. Then I tried Jeni’s Strawberry Buttermilk and everything changed. It tastes like those tiny strawberries from a farmers market that make you realize grocery store berries are a scam. Add in the buttermilk creaminess and it’s basically strawberry shortcake’s cooler cousin. I would 100% pass this off as my own recipe if I was writing for Times Cooking.
Grab your pint here.
3. Honey Vanilla Bean
Hot take: the true test of an ice cream shop is their vanilla. If you can’t nail a good vanilla, then I don’t trust you with anything else. Luckily, Jeni’s Honey Vanilla Bean is ridiculous. The vanilla is warm and rich, the honey adds this glow, and it’s so good you could eat it plain or use it as the MVP in a sundae. Pair it with their Coffee with Cream and Sugar flavor and you’ll forget what sadness feels like. Honestly, I’m surprised the Times hasn’t tried to sneak this one yet.
Grab your pint here.
4. Maple Soaked Pancakes
Are you freaking kidding me?! This literally tastes like someone shoved an IHOP stack into the ice cream machine. Sweet maple, a little salty, buttery richness… it’s basically breakfast and dessert teaming up to ruin your willpower. If I were in the recipe theft business, this would be my first heist. It’s the perfect crime.
Grab your pint here.
5. Skillet Cinnamon Roll
I don’t know how she does it, but Jeni bottled up the soul of a cinnamon roll and froze it. Cream cheese, pastry bites, cinnamon everywhere, and just enough dark caramel to push it into “is this a dream” territory. It’s the real deal, only colder. If I were hired as a consultant for the New York Times Cooking and tasked with finding Columbus-based ice cream flavors to steal, I’d present this one to them via a PowerPoint deck with the words “A NO BRAINER” in size 156 font.
Grab your pint here.
Long Live the Real Jeni’s
At the end of the day, Jeni’s is more than ice cream. It’s one of Columbus’ greatest success stories. And while you might be able to lift a recipe (looking at you, NYT), you can’t fake the creativity, the craft, or the magic that goes into every pint.
So let’s keep the recipes where they belong and just enjoy Jeni’s the way it was meant to be eaten… in a Jeni’s-branded pint.
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