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Now that summer is finally here and the temperature is finally rising, ice cream is on top of everyone’s list. But with so many places in the area, how do you know where to go?

Elex Sy Photo

That’s where I come in. My name is Amanda Hamilton and for the next six weeks I’ll be giving you my choices for the places on the Seacoast you have to hit this summer. I’ll cover everything from coffee to pizza to roadside restaurants, and it all starts right here with ice cream. So let’s get started!

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Annabelle’s Natural Ice Cream – 49 Ceres Street, Portsmouth

Hidden away on a side street in downtown, Annabelle’s Natural Ice Cream has a flavor for every taste bud, from the ordinary to the adventurous.

The first flavor I tried was Yellow Brick Road, a mix of golden vanilla ice cream, caramel, roasted pecans and praline pecans. While the ice cream was of course cold, the caramel warmed your mouth as soon as it hit your tongue, making for an interesting, but amazing, combination. There were also plenty of nuts, adding a nice crunch to the creamy ice cream.

For my second ice cream I went with one of Annabelle’s more adventurous flavors, Ginger Fruit, which is a ginger flavored ice cream with pieces of ginger fruit in it. Surprisingly delicious, this ice cream was very refreshing and would be great on a hot day.

Other Notable Flavors: Coffee Espresso, made with fresh brewed coffee, and Pirate’s Treasure, rum-flavored ice cream with rum-soaked raisins and tropical fruit

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Golick’s Dairy Bar – 4 Dover Point Road, Dover

A small shop on the side of the road, the ice cream at Golick’s Dairy Bar always packs big flavor.

I tried the Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough first. Full of fudge, brownies and what tasted like chocolate chip cookie dough, this ice cream was full of flavor. And the smooth ice cream mixed with the creamy cookie dough and crunchy chocolate pieces were the perfect balance of texture.

Golick's Dairy Bar, Dover Elex Sy Photo

I also tried the Banana Caramel Rum. The three components made a great flavor combination, and while you could definitely taste the rum, it wasn’t too strong; in fact it actually gave it a nice kick.

Other Notable Flavors: Lemon Meringue Pie and Birthday Cake Batter

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Lago’s Lone Oak Ice Cream – 71 Lafayette Road, Rye

At Lago’s Lone Oak Ice Cream it’s all about the toppings mixed in the ice cream. Getting most of its flavor from the fruits, candies and cookies put in to it, even the smallest amount of this ice cream has tons of flavor.

The Apple Pie ice cream is full of pieces of apple and pie crust, making it just like mom’s homemade apple pie. The flavor is subtle, but still delicious.

Between the fudge and the Kahlua, the Kahlua Fudge Brownie was loaded with great flavor. The Kahlua hit you immediately, giving the ice cream a little extra bite, and the big pieces of brownie gave it added texture, creating a good balance between chewy and creamy.

Other Notable Flavors: Cappuccino Slam and Frozen Pudding

Mrs & Me, Kittery, Maine Elex Sy Photo

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Mrs & Me – 400 Route 1 Kittery, Maine

Just up the road from the Kittery outlet stores, newly re-opened Mrs & Me provides a great break from or a terrific end to a long day of shopping.

I first tried the Mint Cookie Crumble. Creamy in texture, the crumbled cookie pieces added a nice crunch, and the mint flavor was strong, but not overwhelming; definitely a good balance.

The second ice cream I tried was the Peanut Butter Banana Blast. While there wasn’t too much of a banana flavor, the peanut butter flavor really shined, and you could tell that real peanut butter had been mixed in by the way the ice cream stuck to the roof of your mouth; quite impressive!

The Big Dipper, Somersworth Elex Sy Photo

Other Notable Choices: Gumball, Triple Chocolate and Shipyard Sherbert

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The Big Dipper – 220 Route 108, Somersworth

If you’re looking for more than just a trip to the ice cream shop, head to The Big Dipper, where, with tented picnic table areas and a large playground for the kids, getting ice cream is a family outing.

The 16 percent butterfat in their hard ice cream made the Black Raspberry extremely creamy and a very good choice. The flavor itself was strong and smooth and tasted just like eating a bowl of black raspberries.

The Strawberry Cheesecake was also an excellent choice. It was full of gooey strawberries and big chunks of creamy cheesecake, which balanced very well with the hard ice cream.

Other Notable Flavors: Apple Harvest and Peanut Butter Eclipse

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Amanda’s Choice

Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough, Golick's Dairy Bar Elex Sy Photo

With its perfect balance of textures and incredible combination of flavors, without a doubt my choice for ice cream on the Seacoast is the Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough at Golick’s Dairy Bar. This ice cream packs a real punch with its creamy cookie dough and intense fudge flavor, and it absolutely leaves you wanting more. I will definitely be going back for this again and again.

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If you have a place you’d like me to visit or a topic you’d like me to cover, e-mail me at ahamilton@seacoastonline.com. Hope to hear from you soon!