Blue Bell’s two big holiday ice creams, Christmas Cookies and Peppermint Bark, are back in Texas freezer cases for the 2026 season. Here is what is in each one, which sizes to look for, and how to work them into Thanksgiving and Christmas desserts.
Photo: AI illustration.
What’s back, and since when
According to radio station KNUE, both flavors are “already available in stores” as of its October 26, 2026 report. Blue Bell updated the official product pages for both flavors on October 22, and its products page now lists Christmas Cookies, Peppermint Bark and its plain Peppermint flavor under “Featured,” a section Blue Bell describes as new, limited-time-only and regional flavors.
Blue Bell has not posted an end date on either product page, so treat both as seasonal: once the holiday run sells through, you usually wait until next fall.
Christmas Cookies: what’s in it
Blue Bell’s Christmas Cookies product page describes it as chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and sugar cookies “combined in a tasty sugar cookie ice cream with red sprinkles and a green icing swirl throughout.”
- Base: sugar cookie ice cream
- Mix-ins: chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and sugar cookie pieces
- Look: red sprinkles and a green icing swirl
- Size: half gallon, according to KNUE; Blue Bell’s product page shows only the half-gallon carton
Peppermint Bark: what’s in it
Blue Bell’s Peppermint Bark product page calls it “a smooth mint ice cream loaded with luscious dark chocolate-flavored chunks and tasty peppermint bark pieces.”
- Base: mint ice cream
- Mix-ins: dark chocolate-flavored chunks and peppermint bark pieces
- Sizes: half gallon and pint, according to KNUE; Blue Bell’s product page shows nutrition labels for both
Which one to buy for the holidays
Pick Christmas Cookies if you want a sweet, vanilla-leaning scoop that kids will like and that sits well next to warm, spiced desserts. Its sugar cookie base and cinnamon-sugar snickerdoodle pieces sit right next to a slice of brown butter Texas pecan pie without fighting it.
Pick Peppermint Bark if you want something cool and minty after a heavy holiday meal. The pint size also makes it the easier one to try first.
Easy ways to use them
- Pie à la mode: a scoop of Christmas Cookies on pecan or pumpkin pie.
- Cookie sandwiches: slightly softened Christmas Cookies pressed between two store-bought sugar cookies, then refrozen for 30 minutes.
- Hot cocoa float: a small scoop of Peppermint Bark dropped into a mug of hot chocolate.
- Brownie sundae: Peppermint Bark over a warm brownie with chocolate sauce.
Planning the rest of the Thanksgiving table? Our make-ahead sweet potato casserole with pecan streusel can be assembled a day early.
Where to find them
Both flavors are sold in grocery stores where Blue Bell is carried. Blue Bell says its products are sold in 24 states and are available in only a portion of the nation’s supermarkets, so use the Blue Bell store locator before you make a special trip. Stock varies by store, and seasonal flavors can sell out before the holidays end. If you are serving a crowd on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day, buy a few days ahead and keep the cartons in the coldest part of your freezer, away from the door.
