REVIEW: Little Debbie Fudge Rounds and Birthday Cakes Ice Cream

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If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and I will keep reviewing it. That seems to be the unspoken agreement between the folks behind Little Debbie at McKee Foods Co., the Michigan ice cream makers of Hudsonville Ice Cream, and me, the enthusiastic consumer.

Fudge Rounds and Birthday Cakes are the latest additions to the successful and vast Little Debbie Ice Cream pint lineup. I found them in a freezer endcap at a local Walmart, directly across the aisle from a Little Debbie snack cake display. Clever choice.

Fudge Rounds Ice Cream

Fudge Rounds variety swirls together two types of chocolate ice cream to mimic the Fudge Rounds’ chocolate cookie and chocolate cream filling. The two ice creams, one darker chocolate and one closer to milk chocolate, had distinct flavors on their own. Over time, though, the flavor did sort of just mellow out into one “chocolate” note.

There were some hearty chocolate cookie-ish chunks in the base, and. they were tasty, but didn’t quite taste the same as the Fudge Rounds cookie. In general, I tend to prefer more inclusion pieces, so I would’ve liked more. They offered a nice disruption to the heavy chocolate flavor and overall made the Fudge Rounds Ice Cream pretty interesting and a decent match to the bakery confection.

Birthday Cakes Ice Cream

I’d read a few early positive reviews of the Birthday Cake Ice Cream already, and I think the classic imitation vanilla and almond extract flavor of an American confetti birthday cake is fantastic, so my expectations were pretty elevated. This iteration is a reliably delicious vanilla ice cream with somehow still crunchy sprinkle bits and the occasional glob of vanilla cake, but I have to say I was a little underwhelmed. Yes, it was delicious, but the Birthday Cake flavor wasn’t there as much as I wanted. I mean, you wouldn’t catch me turning this down at a bowling alley birthday party. I just think that given the track record of absolutely nailing the Little Debbie flavors on the nose, this one could have been closer.

Overall I am happy to report that I was generally delighted by these latest Little Debbie Ice Cream additions. I like how this line started with the undisputed cult favorites and then have been working down the “Oh, but do you remember THIS one?” list. I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to see a banana marshmallow pie iteration. Please and thank you!

Purchased Price: $2.50 each
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Fudge Rounds), 7 out of 10 (Birthday Cake)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Fudge Rounds – 210 calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 20 grams of sugar (including 16 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein. Birthday Cakes – 230 calories, 10 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 23 grams of sugar (including 18 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Churray for Churros! Ice Cream

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Churros and ice cream are nearly complete opposites. Aside from their robust sweetness, I can’t imagine many things in the dessert realm that are more drastically different than each other. One is hot and crispy, while the other is cold and melty.

When I dream up the ideal churro, the first thing that comes to mind is a fried crunch that gives way to soft fluffy dough with a sharp sugary cinnamon bite. When I imagine the perfect pint, I see gooey swirls and chewy chunks in a velvety smooth base. They’re like completely different experiences, right? I’ve had churros in ice cream before and it hasn’t worked, but Ben & Jerry’s is daringly giving it a shot. Churray for Churros! is buttery cinnamon ice cream with churro pieces and crunchy cinnamon swirls.

Bad news first: this pint doesn’t give me much of the satisfaction I associate with a churro, but the good news is it is a really great cinnamon ice cream. The base is delightful. It is absolutely buttery with a smooth texture that gives way to a very prominent but sweet cinnamon flavor that works beautifully with the lush fatty dairy notes. It is a mild flavor that most fans of the spice should find sufficient while not being so intense that it will turn people away who may not love it as much as I do; it is balanced.

The “churro pieces” are really more like a cross between a chewy cookie and cookie dough. They’re very soft and slightly gritty, not nearly as gritty as the classic gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough B&J are known for, but there’s a hint of undone-ness to the chew. They amp up the cinnamon flavor AND the buttery flavor from the base, and it’s like a match made in heaven. Again, these “churro pieces” don’t really remind me of a churro texturally at all, but when I’ve had churro pieces in other ice creams, it has been a disaster. So kudos to the gurus in Vermont for figuring this one out because the cinnamon sugar taste is awesome.

There are a ton of churro pieces in my pint but not so much of the crunchy cinnamon swirls. I don’t notice a big textural shift between bites, and with three cinnamon components, it’s hard to differentiate exactly what’s going on. In fact, that’s the only issue I have with this creation is that while it’s very good, it’s a bit of a one-trick pony. This is the perfect ice cream to have a single scoop of on a cone or to use as the base of a sundae. But on its own, it feels like it’s one component away from being a B&J all-timer.

Perhaps pairing this with churro dipping sauce, like a dulce de leche or fudge swirl, could have taken this to churro spiral city. Churray for Churros! reminds me a lot more of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and snickerdoodle cookie dough than it does churros, but I am a cinnamon fiend, and all of those profiles have a special place in my heart, even if it’s a bit one-note at times.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Ben & Jerry’s. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 133g) 380 calories, 23 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Twix Cookie Dough Ice Cream

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“My goodness, the cookies are crunchy!”

Those were the first words to pop into my head after tasting a spoonful of Twix Cookie Dough Ice Cream. It wasn’t, “Dear Lord, the caramel swirl is so gooey!” Or, “Hot skippity damn, the cookie dough bites are so cookie dough-y!” Or, “Oh my, the vanilla flavored reduced fat ice cream with artificial flavor added is so creamy!” The Twix caramel cookie bar pieces shouldn’t be the most memorable components of this new ice cream from Mars, but they are to me, and that’s probably not a good thing.

However, I do have to say they’re crunchier than the actual cookie in a Twix bar. Granted, I did get this pretty much straight from the factory, thanks to Mars. Also, while they’re chocolate-coated and apparently have caramel, I didn’t taste either. Maybe their crunch might be distracting me from noticing.

Despite the caramel swirl and the crunch from the Twix cookie pieces, I couldn’t shake the thought that this tasted like a typical chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. The cookie dough bites have the same flavor and soft, gritty texture as they do from other brands. But while they’re somewhat plentiful, their size isn’t impressive compared to the gobs in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

“Vanilla flavored reduced fat ice cream with artificial flavor added” isn’t the most tantalizing string of words, but the sweet and creamy vanilla base does the job of allowing the cookie dough flavor to come through whenever your spoon scoops one up.

Twix Cookie Dough Ice Cream is adequate, and I happily ate the entire pint to satisfy my sweet tooth. But I wish this had chopped Twix Cookie Dough Bar pieces with the cookie dough bites. That might’ve helped make this pint a bit more memorable.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Mars. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 16 fl oz
Purchased at: Received from Mars
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 220 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 27 grams of sugar (includes 17 grams added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Blue Bell I Heart Cereal Ice Cream

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What is it?

It is Blue Bell’s newest flavor featuring fruity cereal-flavored ice cream with confetti sprinkles and coated fruity cereal pieces. As you probably figured out from the photo, the cereal is a Fruity Pebbles knockoff. I guess the lawyers at Blue Bell and Post couldn’t come to a mutually agreeable collaboration on this.

How is it?

This little pint is full of surprises. I did not read the label before digging in, so it caught me off guard that the ice cream is not vanilla but rather fruity cereal flavored. And that really makes all the difference here. This has the perfect level of sweetness; it’s not too sugary, but you definitely get that distinctive Fruity Pebbles flavor.

The second surprise is that the cereal remains crunchy even as the ice cream melts, thanks to some kind of magical whiteish coating. The cereal pieces were often clumped together in groups of two or three, delivering a satisfying crunch and burst of flavor every time. The confetti sprinkles are just kind of hanging around to add some color and texture but not really much flavor. If you like Fruity Pebbles and have ever wondered what they would taste like in ice cream form, this one is for you.

I also have to give Blue Bell credit for a little creativity with the name and packaging. If you look through the Blue Bell lineup, most of their flavors are named in a straightforward manner using the same font with a solid background corresponding to the color of the ice cream. This one has a fun, colorful font with a bowl of fake Fruity Pebbles in the background. A job well done by the Blue Bell design department, although they had set the bar pretty low.

Anything else you need to know?

This is one of the few Blue Bell flavors that are only available in pint-size containers, so if you are looking to get a half-gallon of this, you’ll have to buy…umm…I have no idea how many. After consulting with my phone, you’ll have to buy four pints to get a half-gallon.

Conclusion:

I cannot remember the last time I had Fruity Pebbles, and they were never one of my favorite cereals, but this ice cream flavor really delivers what it promises. Yes, I do heart this cereal ice cream, and if there’s ever a Cap’n Crunch version, I just might marry it. Please don’t tell my wife.

Purchased Price: $3.89
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 240 calories, 13 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s and Tony’s Chocolonely Chocolatey Love A-Fair Ice Cream

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When it comes to the snack game, few things are as fun and exciting as a good mashup. Two culinary titans colliding to create one new product tends to send the masses (at least those that frequent blogs like this) into a spiral of excitement — Peeps Oreo. Mountain Dew Doritos. Kellogg’s Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie cereal. And now, just in time for Valentine’s Day…a Chocolatey Love A-Fair.

The new pint from Ben & Jerry’s and Tony’s Chocolonely combines chocolate ice cream with salted caramel swirls, caramel chunks, and sea salt fudge chunks. In keeping with Tony’s mission statement to end modern slavery in cocoa farming, this new flavor uses fair trade cocoa that’s traceable via Tony’s open chain. Delicious AND good for the workers? Hell yeah.

This pint isn’t exactly what I expected, but it is really good. The chocolate ice cream is incredible. I’m a fan of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate base, but this has an extra depth and richness from the amount of saltiness floating within the mix-ins. It truly tastes and feels like a salted chocolate base with a brilliant, bittersweet flavor that tempers perfectly. A similar sensation happens with Glampfire Trail Mix from the pretzel swirl — the base itself isn’t different, but what’s in it changes the dynamic. This may be the best chocolate base I’ve had from B&J. For a grocery shelf available product, it is elite.

The salted caramel swirl isn’t as prominent here as in some of my other favorites, like Phish Food, but it pops up a couple of times in pleasant little globs. I have a feeling a lot of the caramel seeped into the base, which I can’t be too mad about because it has such a dynamic depth that the sticky sweet caramel is just a nice little bonus when I find it, as opposed to being necessary for satisfaction.

What threw me off initially were the mix-ins. When I read “caramel chunks” and “sea salt fudge chunks,” I think squishy, or at the very least soft and somewhat ganache-adjacent, but that’s not the case here. The sea salt fudge chunks are much closer to the classic B&J fudge flakes, but they have a legitimate salty pop that cuts through the base brilliantly. I tend to think B&J “fudge chunks” (basically big chocolate chips) always taste better in shapes like the fish in Phish Food than when they’re flakes, and that same rule applies here. They’re firm and snappy but still have a melt-in-your-mouth quality once chewed.

The caramel chunks are even more unique. They’re crunchy and crackly, like the outside of caramel corn meets Buncha Crunch, with a gently sweet buttery flavor. I expected something like a smaller version of a caramel that comes wrapped in plastic from the grocery store that gets melted down for caramel apples, but it’s its own thing entirely, and it works.

Chocolatey Love A-Fair doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but it delivers a legitimately delicious sweet and salty scooping experience that should please fans of both Ben & Jerry’s indulgent pints and Tony’s high quality cocoa expertise.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free product sample from Ben & Jerry’s. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup, 136g) 360 calories, 21 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 35 grams of total sugars, and 6 grams of protein.