Murray’s Ice Cream & Cookies opens today

Today is, officially, the first day of spring. It’s also opening day for Murray’s Ice Cream & Cookies (4120 Pennsylvania), the beloved Westport homemade ice-cream shop; the store always closes for the winter and reopens, traditionally, right after St. Patrick’s Day for the new season. This year marks the 30th anniversary for the shop that owner Murray Nixon opened in 1984.

Nixon was in the store this morning getting ready for business when The Pitch caught up with her. She’s not ready to introduce new flavors for 2014 yet (“I usually start tinkering with new flavor ideas after the first week,” Nixon says), but reveals that her top-selling ice cream for 2013 was Midnight Mole, a combination of dark chocolate and hot peppers.

The shop’s Facebook page reveals that the “opening line up” of flavors. starting today, will feature most of Nixon’s greatest hits from the last three decades:  French Silk Fantasy, Blueberry Cheesecake, Praline Pecan, Banana Almond, Cappuccino Crunch, Orange Chocolate Fudge, Lime Sorbet, Malt Licker, The Chocolate Zone, Peanut Butter & Fudge, Oreos ‘n Cream, The Ultimint Mint, Chunky Chocolate Chip, Dutch Chocolate, Very Vanilla, and Chocolate Flake Fromage.

The shop is still cash-only and current hours are from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.