Tag: Ben & Jerry’s

My relationship with Ben & Jerry’s goes way back. Our Facebook status would be “It’s Complicated” because of its on again/off again nature. While in college, a cone of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia was a splurge compared to the soft-serve offered on campus. While I lived in Mexico, I often longed for a scoop of Vermont gold instead of the frozen vegetable shortening offered by Nestle.

Our relationship back then was intense and passionate. These days, though, Ben & Jerry’s has taken a back seat to a more sultry suitor, Talenti.

Ice cream is my favorite food group and I’m not picky. If it’s cold, sweet, and creamy, I’m generally content. Until recently, Ben & Jerry’s distinguished itself from other brands for something I refer to as the “eat-in-one-sitting” factor. Their ice creams usually rate high on that factor and recently, when I’ve picked a pint of Pistachio Pistachio, I’m reminded of the steadfastness of my relationship with Ben & Jerry’s.

I was hoping that Ben & Jerry’s new Truffles line would woo me back to ice cream brand fidelity with the promise of a sweet lover’s whammy: ice cream and a decadent confection together. The Truffles line has three flavors: Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake, Chillin’ the Roast, and Chocolate Shake It! After trying these new flavors, our status is still “It’s Complicated.”

Chocolate Shake It Truffles

I started with this one because I’m not a big fan of malt flavors (except in beer) so I had low expectations and wanted to get it out of the way. I was wrong. It turned out to be my favorite of the three and the only one I felt compelled to eat the whole pint in one sitting. The chocolate malt milkshake ice cream base was mildly malt flavored, more like milk chocolate with a hint of malt. The marshmallow ribbons were gooey but not sticky.

The truffles had a dark chocolate cookie coating with a pronounced roasted (burnt?) flavor and were evenly balanced throughout the pint. Each spoonful of ice cream was more reminiscent of s’mores than Whopper malt balls. For someone like myself who doesn’t like malt, this was a plus. This was the most balanced flavor combination of the three.

Chillin’ the Roast Truffles

The coffee ice cream base had a distinct coffee flavor, not overpowering but definitely obvious. It reminded me of what my coffee tastes like when it has been sitting out for a few hours, half-and-half mildly soured.

The truffles had the same coating as Chocolate Shake It! but with a dense rum-laced liqueur core. The fudge swirls were unremarkable and did not seem elemental to this flavor mashup. The truffles were less evenly distributed in this flavor than in the other two flavors, though, overall, they were my favorite, especially when eaten separately from the ice cream base. This flavor was a nice change from plain ol’ coffee ice cream, but too intense for whole pint-bingeing.

Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles

In theory, this one sounded amazing. In practice, it was very disappointing. I kept looking at the label to remind myself of what Ben & Jerry’s was trying to achieve. What flavor was the ice cream base? Oh. Caramel Cheesecake? Okaaay. The truffles? Cheesecake? Oh really?

The graham cracker coating on these truffles disintegrated easily into the ice cream base, leaving a marble-sized pellet of frozen coconut oil. The “cheesecake” core tasted like coconut oil with lemon notes. The chocolate swirl didn’t meld well with rest of the flavor elements, perhaps because the flavor of the cheesecake truffle was so strong. Perhaps a caramel swirl would have been better suited? I tried this one last, fully expecting to eat it in one sitting. Alas, it’s one of a few ice creams I’ve ever tasted where I was not compelled to eat more than just the recommended serving. Ben & Jerry’s, you have betrayed me.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake – 300 calories, 19 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 23 grams of sugars, and 4 grams of protein. Chillin’ The Roast – 270 calories, 17 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 23 grams of sugars, and 5 grams of protein. Chocolate Shake It! – 260 calories, 15 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 23 grams of sugars, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $4.69 each
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Food Lion
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Chocolate Shake It!)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Chillin’ the Roast)
Rating: 4 out of 10 (Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake)
Pros: Ice cream and fancy candy together. Unique additions to otherwise common ice cream flavors.
Cons: Pronounced coconut oil flavor in some truffle bites. Ice cream base flavors that are just “meh.”

Update: If you’re looking for reviews of the new Moo-phoria flavors — P.B. Marshmallow Swirl, Cherry Garcia with a Twist, Chocolate Cookie EnlightenMint, and Mocha Fudge Brownie — click here to read our reviews.

Eating an entire pint of ice cream in one sitting is a thing that, if I rationalize it, will create an balanced pros and cons list. 

Pros: It’s yummy. It makes me feel good. There will be more room in my freezer.

Cons: Consuming a lot of fat and sugar. I’ll feel guilty about eating an entire pint later. I’ll have a stomachache soon.

There’s been an influx of light ice cream brands that take away the guilt of eating an entire container, like Halo Top, Enlightened, and Breyers Delights. They’re advertised as having around 300 calories, not a lot of sugar, and a decent amount of protein PER PINT. Ben & Jerry’s decided to jump into the not quite creamy river of light ice creams with its new Moo-phoria line.

There are three flavors:

• Chocolate Milk & Cookies – Chocolate and vanilla light ice cream with chocolate chip cookies.
• Caramel Cookie Fix – Vanilla light ice cream with shortbread cookies and a salted caramel swirl.
• P.B. Dough – Chocolate light ice cream with gobs of chocolate chip peanut butter cookie dough.

While Moo-phoria is a light ice cream, it’s done differently than its competition. It doesn’t use ingredients other brands use, like sugar alcohols (which can cause stomach issues) and sugar substitutes (which can cause taste issues). But those do allow Halo Top and its ilk to take “light” to a whole different level. Per pint, they have fewer calories, fat, and sugar than Ben & Jerry’s offering. Plus, they shove in stuff to give them more protein and fiber.

But Moo-phoria is more like regular ice cream than its competition. If you scan the ingredients, it reads like normal ice cream. There’s milk, cream, egg yolks, love, sugar, and a bunch of normal Ben & Jerry’s ice cream looking ingredients. There’s no out of place vegetable glycerin or soluble corn fiber.

However, in my mouth is where the differences become clear.

Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Milk & Cookies Moo-phoria Light Ice Cream

The textures of the chocolate and vanilla ice cream bases are not as creamy as regular ice cream, so when they melt, they do so cleaner and quicker. As for their flavor, the chocolate one tastes like full-fat Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice cream, but not with the same punch. The vanilla one is somewhat lacking in flavor. It tastes closer to something you’d get from Breyers instead of Ben & Jerry’s. And, yes, that’s an insult, Breyers. But not having strong flavors shouldn’t be surprising since they’re light ice creams.

Ben & Jerry’s Caramel Cookie Fix Moo-phoria Light Ice Cream

But what I didn’t expect was how mild in flavor some mix-ins were. The shortbread and chocolate chip cookies in their respective pints blend in with the ice cream and don’t stand out. I imagine they also had to be lightened in order to bring down the calories and fat. With the mix-ins you’d find in regular Ben & Jerry’s pints, such as fudge chunks, brownies, and cake pieces, it’s easy to determine what they are because their flavors pop. But with the cookies in their respective Moo-phoria pints, if you didn’t read the labels, it would be hard to tell what they are because of their flavor and chewy textures that are more like cookie dough or swirls than cookies.

Speaking of cookie dough, the chocolate chip peanut butter gobs in P.B. Dough didn’t have the same issues. They have a strong peanut butter flavor and a texture that’s similar to the cookie dough in other Ben & Jerry’s pints.

Ben & Jerry’s P.B. Dough Moo-phoria Light Ice Cream

If I had to choose a favorite, I’d pick P.B. Dough because the chocolate ice cream and cookie dough have more flavor. Also, my container had a lot of mix-ins. If my pint was a minefield and the cookie dough gobs were mines, I’d be dead many times over. As for the other two, the use of light flavored vanilla ice cream and mix-ins don’t excite my taste buds. Not even the salted caramel swirl could fix Caramel Cookie Fix.

But here I am comparing it to regular Ben & Jerry’s. I’m sure some of you are wondering if it’s better than light ice cream juggernaut Halo Top. I definitely think it is. But, to be honest, I don’t have a strong positive opinion of Halo Top. The stevia messes with the flavor and the texture is odd. Every one I’ve tried has been okay, but I also feel they’re an unsatisfactory attempt at something that should be pleasurable. Don’t @ me.

But with that said, the best way I can describe Moo-phoria is to say it’s Ben & Jerry’s ice cream but without a soul. I don’t feel a lot of joy or excitement when I shove a spoonful into my mouth, although there’s slightly more with P.B. Dough. These lack what most standard Ben & Jerry’s varieties have, which is some kind of strong willpower casting aside ability that can ruin diets, New Year’s resolutions, and calorie counter limits.

With pints like those I have to force myself to stop or else I’ll eat the entire container in one sitting. But with Moo-phoria I don’t have to force myself to stop because I don’t have the desire to eat the entire container in one sitting, even though I can.

Disclosure: Ben & Jerry’s sent me free Moo-phoria pints to sample. Receiving them for free did not influence my review.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – P.B. Dough – 160 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 16 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. Caramel Cookie Fix – 150 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. Chocolate Milk & Cookies – 140 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber 15 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint each
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10 (P.B. Dough)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Chocolate Milk & Cookies)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Caramel Cookie Fix)
Pros: Doesn’t make me want to eat the entire pint in one sitting. The light chocolate ice cream. P.B. Dough flavor. More like regular ice cream than other light ice creams. Doesn’t use sugar alcohols or sugar substitutes.
Cons: Doesn’t make me want to eat the entire pint in one sitting. The shortbread cookies and chocolate chip cookies. The light vanilla ice cream. Not as light as other light ice creams.

The backstory behind Ben & Jerry’s Special Stash Marshmallow Moon Ice Cream is that it was one of the options to replace Late Night Snack when Jimmy Fallon moved over The Tonight Show. But it lost to The Tonight Dough.

After trying Marshmallow Moon and realizing it’s the superior flavor, I began to wonder if The Tonight Dough becoming the official flavor of The Tonight Show was a conspiracy.

So I put on my tin foil hat and took deep dives into ice cream dark forums; watched on YouTube the unveiling of The Tonight Dough in slow motion, sped up, and in reverse; and talked to cows. And the conclusion I’ve come to is that Marshmallow Moon wasn’t selected because it didn’t rhyme well with The Tonight Dough.

Sure, The Mallow Moon-ight Show might’ve worked, but not as well.

Tin foil hat removed and, I’m sure Ben & Jerry’s would appreciate this, recycled.

But now we can all enjoy Marshmallow Moon. Although it’s a limited edition flavor that’s only available at Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops and the brand’s online store for three or four more dollars than one should pay for a pint.

The ice cream is influenced by the iconic MoonPie and does it without having to mention MoonPie or pay a royalty fee to use the MoonPie trademark. It features vanilla ice cream, marshmallow and graham cracker swirls, and fudge chunks.

I’ve mentioned in previous reviews how much I love Ben & Jerry’s squishy marshmallow swirl and gritty graham cracker swirl. You could say I’m over the moon with them. Sorry. That’s the only lunar reference I’ll make.

It’s nice to be able to experience both of them with vanilla ice cream, which allows their flavors to shine more than they would with another ice cream base. The marshmallow swirl has a vanilla sweetness that’s different than the ice cream and the graham cracker swirl has a bit of honey flavor. They’re wonderful together and I’m glad my pint has a lot of them.

The fudge chunks, while necessary to complete the whole MoonPie homage, are annoying. Like chaperones at a school dance, I understand why they’re there, but wish they weren’t. Their chocolate flavor overwhelms the other components. I ended up shoving them to the side so I could experience a ménage a quad with the ice cream and swirls.

Ben & Jerry’s Special Stash Marshmallow Moon has the elements of a MoonPie, but since it’s been so long since I’ve had one, I can’t say tastes like it. But it’s a great flavor if you avoid the fudge chunks. With that said, as much as I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t spend $7 to buy it again. But if it becomes a regular flavor I can buy from a grocery store, I’d buy it again.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 290 calories, 140 calories from fat, 16 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $6.99
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Ben & Jerry’s online store
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Graham cracker and marshmallow swirls. Better than The Tonight Dough which is too much of a hodgepodge of ingredients. Looking forward to future Special Stash flavors.
Cons: Fudge chunks gets in the way of the swirls. Only available from Scoop Shops and Ben & Jerry’s online store.

If I were to break down Ben & Jerry’s Limited Batch One Sweet World and figure out what each component represents, I’d say the tan coffee caramel ice cream symbolizes the dirt of the Earth.

The marshmallow swirls are the clouds.

The ampersand fudge chunks represent, um, um, um, the sign that brings all countries together?

And the salted caramel swirl is, um, um, um, the primordial soup that life came from?

Okay, so all my examples don’t quite work, but One Sweet World does work as a sweet treat.

The flavor made its debut in Europe last year and it took its sweet time to show up in this part of the world. It’s the second Ben & Jerry’s flavor we’ve seen in the U.S. this year that was introduced in Europe, the first being the delicious Bob Marley’s One Love.

One Sweet World has a wonderful symphony of textures — the creamy ice cream, the gooey salted caramel swirl, the snap of the fudge chunks, and the squishy marshmallow swirl. Oh, I love that squishiness. I hate to admit this, but I found myself poking at the spongy swirl a lot just so I hear it. Yes, I’m weird like that. My spoons must feel so dirty.

While I’m in the admitting mood, I have to say I enjoyed the textures a little more than One Sweet World’s flavor. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it as much as Ben and Jerry loved smoking weed back in the day. But I wish the coffee stood out a bit more. When eaten without mix-ins, a hint of coffee comes through. But with the salted caramel swirl or fudge chunks, it gets a bit lost, and I have to concentrate to taste it.

A spoonful with the ice cream and swirls is like a caramel iced coffee that’s heavy on the dairy and syrup. It’s still tasty, but, again, I wish it had more java flavor.

The marshmallow swirl doesn’t have as strong a flavor as the other ingredients, but if I think about it, I would’ve enjoyed One Sweet World less without it. Thankfully, there was a lot in the pint I purchased, so every spoonful was a little squishy. IT’S SO SQUISHY!!!

In the end, Ben & Jerry’s One Sweet World is one sweet flavor. It could’ve used a wee bit more coffee flavor, but that’s a personal thing and the marshmallow swirl almost made up for it. I’m glad this pint made its way to the States. But now, Ben & Jerry’s, how about bringing over this flavor next?

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 270 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $6.99*
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Ben & Jerry’s online store
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: It tastes like a caramel iced coffee that’s heavy on the dairy and syrup. So many great textures, especially the squishy marshmallow swirl. Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” keeps popping into my head when I type One Sweet World.
Cons: I wish it had a bit more coffee flavor. My attempts to figure out what each component represents.

*I purchased this from Ben & Jerry’s online store because it takes awhile for new flavors to end up in Hawaii.

I hold a very special place in my heart for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. My most memorable Valentine’s Day as a single gal included takeout from my favorite local spot, German grapefruit beer, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, and binge-watching Suits on USA. (A shameless plug: The show comes back on July 12 and I can’t wait. You’ll thank me later.)

Anyway, I told my now-husband about that when we were dating, so for our first Valentine’s Day, he recreated it, right down to the same Ben & Jerry’s pint I had savored. My waistline thanked me that year, considering we split it instead of me face planting into the entire thing.

I tell you this story because you need to understand my enthusiasm for Ben & Jerry’s. Now that this is established, I must also share my enthusiasm for Target. So: My favorite brand of ice cream has an exclusive flavor at my favorite store. Done deal, had to have it.

Ben & Jerry’s Keep Caramel and Cookie On is described as “Caramel Malt Ice Cream with Shortbread Cookies, Fudge Flakes & Caramel Swirls.” The first thing I noticed about this ice cream was how incredibly smooth it is. Like “goes down way too easy let me keep digging into this pint” smooth. The smoothness could be attributed to the malt, which, based on my research, can add to the creamy texture.

While I loved the smoothness of the ice cream, the downfall was the actual caramel flavor. It was slightly underwhelming. That being said, the ice cream was not bad, just not as caramel-y as I was expecting. It seems as though the focus was more on the add-ins and the ice cream was a bit overlooked. I definitely got more of a caramel note from the caramel swirls. I’m glad the swirls were there; otherwise, I would have been seriously missing some caramel flavor. #swirlpower

The fudge flakes are more than flakes – they’re basically glorified chocolate chips. Which was a nice surprise, considering I usually think of flakes as shavings or something not as prevalent. They were a nice add-in.

But let me tell you about the shortbread. You guys, the shortbread cookies totally made this ice cream. Why have I not had shortbread with ice cream before? It was soft, not crunchy (from being embedded in the ice cream), and not overly sweet. It was such a nice addition without overpowering the rest of the flavors. Did I tell you I loved the shortbread?

All in all, this is a super solid Ben & Jerry’s flavor that gets my seal of approval. It left me wanting more…in a good way, not an unsatisfied way. I’m thinking some kind of ice cream float is in my future with the rest of this puppy.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 270 calories, 130 calories from fat, 14 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: One pint
Purchased at: Target (Exclusive Flavor)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Shortbread in your ice cream. I repeat, shortbread.
Cons: Not enough caramel to live up to the name.