This week, we visited an ice cream shop in our ~third~ state! Only 47 more to go until we can say that we’ve eaten our way across the United States. That’s the ultimate dream.
This is The Inside Scoops Blog‘s first stop in Delaware. The First State, and a small state, but one with delicious ice cream. And, a great part about buying ice cream (well, anything) in Delaware – there’s no tax!
Sweet Nel’s is a cute little ice cream shop and cafe. It’s a concept of Nelson’s Creamery, which is a longstanding farm and creamery in Pennsylvania. Sweet Nel’s serves homemade ice cream from Nelson’s Creamery, in addition to homemade gelato, coffee, and other delicious treats. There were so many options, so we will definitely be back to try the gelato on a different day!
There was plenty of seating inside – an old-fashioned looking counter with stools, tables, and couches. And, there was a wealth of tables outside as well. While it was not terribly crowded on an evening during the week, there was plenty of outdoor seating which probably comes in handy on busier weekend afternoons.
A unique (and my favorite) part of Sweet Nel’s is what they call a “Nellie.” This is an extra dollop of ice cream (any flavor of your choosing) on top of the scoop(s) you ordered. Think of it like a little taster scoop on top of your order. It’s a great way to get the taste of another flavor, without having to fully commit. And for me, it meant that I was able to try four flavors when I had only ordered two. Perhaps best of all, it makes it feel like you get extra ice cream, so we love to see that!
In terms of flavors, there was quite a range. I would say that all of the bases were covered – the classic chocolate and vanilla, cookie dough, cookies and cream, coffee based flavors, cookies & cream, mint, Moose Tracks, and many, many more. It was hard to decide which direction to go in, so the “Nellies” really came in handy!
Espresso Explosion & Chocolate Brownie Blast 
Peanut Butter Weave & Graham Slam
The Flavor Review:
Espresso Explosion (Rebecca): Just me again, going for the coffee flavor and not being terribly impressed. I didn’t love the coffee-flavored ice cream. It didn’t have as strong of a coffee taste as I would have liked and I wish there was more depth of flavor. This flavor had chocolate-covered espresso candies swirled into it, and that was my favorite part. I’ve never had such chocolates in ice cream before and I loved the crunch, as well as the burst of coffee flavor, after biting into one.
Peanut Butter Weave (Rebecca): This was my favorite flavor of the day. It was a vanilla base with peanut butter woven throughout. There was a generous ratio of peanut butter to vanilla ice cream, meaning that every bite had a thick swirl of peanut butter in it, which contrasted beautifully with the vanilla ice cream. This flavor was delicious and 10/10 would eat again.
Graham Slam (Rebecca): This is apparently a very popular flavor, so I had to give it a go. It was different, I enjoyed my “Nellie” of it, but that was enough for me. The ice cream base was graham cracker flavored and very sweet. It reminded me of the flavor of honey Teddy Grahams. There were chocolate-covered graham cracker pieces throughout, which I didn’t particularly care for – they were pretty hard and I didn’t love the texture. I enjoyed being able to taste such a different flavor, but overall it was too sweet for me.
Chocolate Brownie Blast (Rebecca): I’m usually a chocolate fan, but I have to say, I did not care for this chocolate ice cream base. It did not have a very rich chocolate flavor and I wanted a stronger, more chocolately flavor. Truthfully, I had expected more from the flavor. Because I found the chocolate to be not great, I didn’t really care for this flavor. It was just okay.
Overall Scoops (out of 5):
Rebecca: 3 Scoops. The ice cream was good, but it wasn’t my favorite. Overall, I wished that the ice cream was a little richer and creamier, and that some of the flavors had more depth. I did very much enjoy the Peanut Butter Weave flavor, and would definitely go back to try other flavors that didn’t make it into my cup on this visit.
The Inside Scoops 