BJ's Old Fashioned Ice Cream

When we heard that Baskin Robbins in Albany was closing - it was a jab to the heart.  Admittedly, I haven't been there in quite a while but it had been a fixture in our town since we were kids.  Fond memories there!

First I panicked .... where would I get peanut butter and chocolate now!?  But recently, 31 Flavors seemed to have changed their recipe to include crunchy peanut butter so I had switched to Tillamook anyway.

Of course there was rumor that BJ's was moving into the space.  Brownie and I love this place.  We visit Florence often and always try to find time to stop by BJ's.  I mean .... Brownie & Jen!?  Hello!?  :-)  It's one of our things.

While we were visiting the coast with Things #3, #4 and #5 we decided to stop at BJ's and introduce ourselves to Albany's newest ice cream.  Little did we know that the Albany location had already opened!  That was a quick transition!

BJ's on the coast has salt water taffy, caramel corn, fudge and several different kinds of desserts.  We took pictures of it all but we were there for the ice cream!

We kept it simple and the kids and I just ordered 1 scoop.  Well, one scoop may seem a bit expensive on the menu but as you can see in the pictures - it isn't just one scoop!  It's actually quite a bit of ice cream!  The kids tried different cones, I stuck with mine just in a dish.  Brownie went for two scoops!  That's his on the right.

 My dish may look less impressive, but it was creamy peanut butter (of course I tried the chocolate peanut butter!) and it was really good!

Now, none of us are fans of saltwater taffy; we're terrible Oregonians that way.  We took a picture for you anyway.  I doubt they'll bring this into the Albany space, but you never know!  They had a huge variety of flavors!

Did we mention they have fudge!?  Why yes, they do!  This isn't just an ice cream parlor!  We got 1/4 lb of chocolate mint and we all tried a little piece.  It was very rich and a few of us were too full from our ice cream to try it.  The kids did make some time to play with the fudge on their cones, however.  Gotta love Thing #4.

 We always enjoy our experience at BJ's and I know the kids loved it!  On a whim,we bought a bag of the caramel corn just so we could try it and tell you how it is.  This. Is. The. Best. Caramel. Corn. I've. Ever. Eaten.  I sincerely hope they bring the caramel corn in with the new location in Albany!  It is buttery and sweet and salty and FANTASTIC!

I know we Albany-ites are possessive with our favorite places and Baskin Robbins will be greatly missed as part of our town.  But don't blame BJ's and don't hesitate to go in and try their ice cream.  It's made right here in Oregon on Hwy 101!  It may not be healthier than 31 Flavors in many ways, but they have just as many flavor choices and it's very good. You'll like it; I promise!

Go give them a try and let us know what YOU think!  Craving more caramel corn now....