I’m a “kar-muhl” guy when pronouncing caramel.
Apparently, my wife is firmly in the surprisingly passionate team “kar-a-mel” camp as I discovered when I informed her she was saying it wrong.
My logic? Function over form.
The faster I can say caramel, the faster I can shovel delicious treats like Baskin-Robbins’ March Flavor of the Month Oreo ’N Caramel Ice Cream into my mouth. When the promise of salted caramel ice cream, Oreo cookie pieces, and a caramel swirl is made, I’m not about to waste any time.
It’s a good thing too because this treat delivers. If I were to nitpick the description, I’d say this is a sometimes overly sweet caramel first, Oreo cookies and cream second flavor. I get vibes more of dulce de leche than what I typically associate with caramel which makes sense given the sweetened condensed milk used as a base. If Baskin-Robbins had gone with that title rather than caramel, I may have been spared the back pain of my futon banishment.
Speaking of being salty, the salted caramel element is added with a deft hand that enhances the sweetness of both the caramel and Oreo creme flavors. Practically every bite is a surprisingly complex dance between the two.
Some bites, the sweet Oreo creme leads and ends with a bit of salty caramel while other times an incredibly sweet caramel flavor trails off with a deeper chocolate wafer finish. The cookies themselves are possessed of a pleasantly soft texture in sizes that range from pervasive bits to a tad too infrequent chocolate chunks.
Baskin-Robbins captured something I have not tasted often with Oreo ‘N Caramel Ice Cream. There are certainly bites that are sweeter than I like, but overall, it’s a delectable change of pace from the “mintundation” that March usually heralds.
Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: Large scoop (4 oz.)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Large Scoop) 270 calories, 14 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 25 grams of sugar, 1 gram of dietary fiber and 4 grams of protein.