What is Ben & Jerry’s Chewy Gooey Cookie?
Just in time for Girl Scout Cookie season, Ben & Jerry’s put its own spin on the purple-boxed caramel-y classic Samoas. Chewy Gooey Cookie combines milk chocolate and coconut ice creams with fudge flakes, shortbread cookies, and caramel swirls.
How is it?
It’s good, but not great.
The coconut ice cream is fantastic. I can’t recall the last time B&J’s used this in one of its dairy pints, if ever. It’s sweet and creamy with pieces of shredded coconut that add little pockets of chewiness to the predominately smooth landscape. I really like it. The milk chocolate base was the right choice over the standard, darker chocolate, as its milky sweetness doesn’t overpower the coconut’s gentler fruity and nutty notes. I don’t enjoy the chocolate nearly as much as the coconut on its own, but there’s no denying they’re a dream team when enjoyed in tandem.
The mix-ins do a great job of bringing the Samoas experience full circle when they’re present, but I wish there were more! Most notably, the caramel swirls are pretty thin, and I have to hunt to get some on my spoon. Surprisingly the fudge flakes are also relatively light, and as the least interesting inclusion, I didn’t think I would miss them. But I do wish I had more crunch.
The shortbread cookies are the most prominent of the three, and they’re crucial to realizing the cookie concept. That crumbly floury texture is pivotal to the Samoas, and while I wish their flavor had a bit more of a buttery and salty punch, I overall appreciate what they bring to the pint.
Anything else you need to know?
I know this isn’t Girl Scouts-branded, but I’m fixating on that because the homage jumped out at me when I read the description. Samoas are my favorite Scout cookie, oftentimes overshadowed by Thin Mints. Coincidentally last year, Ben & Jerry’s released an ice cream called Thick Mint, so someone at the company definitely loves these cookies, and I can get behind that.
Conclusion:
Even though the milk chocolate base is good, I would have preferred a fudge swirl for a more interesting texture and dense flavor and to not take any real estate away from the excellent coconut base. There’s a ton of potential in this pint, but it’s lacking the pizazz that some of B&J’s more effective outings, like Phish Food with its legendary dual swirl, bring to the table. Is this ice cream chewy? Absolutely. Is it gooey? Eh, not quite, but it could be exceptional with a couple of tweaks.
Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 140g) 360 calories, 20 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 31 grams of sugar, 5 grams of protein.