What ever happened to cherry-flavored dip for ice cream cones?

Cafe Society
1

When I was a kid, back in Wisconsin in the '70s, one of my favorite treats was a soft-serve ice cream cone dipped in cherry-flavored topping.

Although it hasn’t disappeared — the internet turns up photos and other examples of this treat —cherry-flavored dip is not nearly as easy to find as it was when I was a kid. I honestly don’t know the last place I’ve seen it. I remember getting these cones at Dairy Queen, but their website doesn’t list cherry as a flavor option for dip cones.

But the '70s were a long time ago, and Wisconsin is now far away (for me). So I’ve been thinking about cherry dip cones, and have a few questions (that border on theories):

[ul]
[li]Was cherry-flavored ice cream dip always a niche product, and I just happened to benefit from its brief run of semi-popularity?[/li][li]Has cherry, as a dessert flavor, been supplanted by strawberry or (shudder) raspberry in the “red sweet food” category? [/li][li]Are cherry-flavored dip cones a regional thing —and maybe also a dying thing? [/li][li]Was that ever a flavor option at Dairy Queen, or am I conflating small regional stands with a familiar national brand?[/li][li]And, most importantly, where in god’s name can I get my hands on a cherry-dip ice cream cone within 100 miles of Portland, Oregon?[/li][/ul]
Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.

2

Dip ice cream cones come in two flavours round these parts, chocolate and caramel, and always have as long as I can remember (that’d be the 70s). So that’s a (far out) data point for your survey.

3

Same here. Chocolate, sometimes caramel, never anything but. Various places in the east end of Canada.

4

Our Chicago suburban DQ has chocolate, butterscotch, cherry, plus occasionally blackberry.

5

In this part of Western Pennsylvania you can still get the brown, red, or beige flavored cone dips. Jimmies, too, if you want them.

6

That vile stuff still exists at the DQs in CT. My man friend loves it…I had never seen it before and almost barfed when he ordered it. I like to refer to it as leftover Yankee Candle Wax.

7

What annoys me is that peanut butter dip is gone now, because of peanut allergies. Seriously? Peanut butter dip is not like peanuts. It doesn’t have particles in the air, and honestly, there are all kinds of peanut butter ice creams, with peanuts in them even, so why is only the peanut butter dip gone? It was my favorite!

Oh, and my local ice cream parlor does still have cherry dip. But I do not like cherry dip!

8

I grew up in Indiana (left in mid 70’s) and whenever we went to Dairy Queen I always got a cherry-dip cone. I’ve never seen cherry dip anywhere else:(

9

Looks like it’s at least partly a regional thing, then. Midwest and the Northeast, at least?

I have no idea if I’d still like it —I suspect I would, but I’m sure the primary flavor would be nostalgia.

I do remember both chocolate and caramel (maybe butterscotch, too?) —I was also a fan of the caramel version.

10

Truer words were never spoken. Coincidentally, Yankee Candles are also disgusting.

11

I remember Carvel having them, at least in NY in the '70s-'80s.

Cherry Bonnet

12

I grew up in Chicago, and I remember chocolate and butterscotch, but never cherry.

13

There’s a Facebook group for lovers of Cherry-dip cones.

14

Mm. Chocolate cone with cherry dip.

Available in Ohio in the 70s. No idea if it still is. (Now I want one and can’t have cones. :()

15

I know I got cherry dipped cones in Ohio in the 80s and 90s. Not sure if our DQ still has them or not.

I’d go investigate tonight but I’m not going out that way. DQ is few and far between!

16

I shouldn’t be surprised. Of course there is.

17

I get my cones cherry dipped here in Vermont.

18

Because if a worker accidentally gets a drop of the PB dip in the cherry dip and then someone with a peanut allergy orders a cherry dip and goes into anaphylactic shock, that’s a big deal for the company.

19

Mr. Softee, the mobile soft-serve truck found throughout NYC, offers cherry dip. If you ask real nice and the guy’s not busy, he’ll give you both chocolate and cherry. :smiley: I’ll grant that its disgusting, but I enjoy it now and again.

20

It’s easy to find here. My standard order is a kiddy cone, with chocolate soft-serve and cherry dip.