REVIEW: Halo Top Fruit Sorbets

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Halo Top Fruit Sorbet PInts

What are Halo Top Fruit Sorbets?

It’s the brand’s first foray into fruit sorbet pints. They’re made from real fruit and fruit juice and have at least 50 percent less sugar than sorbet from leading brands. There are three flavors — Mango, Strawberry, and Raspberry.

How are they?

They’re what I expected from Halo Top fruit sorbets. The flavors are good, their textures are hard to distinguish from other sorbets if they’re allowed to temper a bit, there’s something a little off about them in the aftertaste, and they have colon-pleasing amounts of fiber.

Halo Top Mango Fruit Sorbet

Mango is delightful and my favorite of the bunch. If a friend did a secret Folgers coffee-like switch of Häagen-Dazs’ Mango Sorbet with this Halo Top one, I’d probably not realize it, and I should probably be wary of this “friend.” Like all the varieties, it uses fruit puree, but this one was the closest to tasting like I’ve taken a bite of the fruit.

Halo Top Strawberry Fruit Sorbet

When I stuffed a spoonful of the strawberry one in my mouth, I instantly thought of strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups or Fruit by the Foot. I enjoyed the flavor, but I find it odd that it tastes like two kids’ treats that don’t have actual strawberries listed in their ingredients.

Halo Top Raspberry Fruit Sorbet

Finally, we have the raspberry one, which doesn’t remind me of another sorbet brand or a sugary treat beloved by middle school children that I have to unravel. Nevertheless, I did like this flavor. It’s a bit tart with a raspberry hit that reminds me of something I’ve had from Jamba Juice. I enjoyed it as much as the strawberry one, which is a little surprising because strawberries are well ahead of raspberries on my internal fruit rankings board.

All three have less than half the sugar of other sorbets in the freezer aisle. For example, a 2/3 cup serving of Häagen-Dazs Mango Sorbet has 44 grams of sugar, while the same serving of Halo Top’s has 17 grams. A combination of sugar and stevia allows that significant drop. While it doesn’t affect the initial flavors that hit my taste buds, the stevia might be the cause of the aftertaste oddness.

Anything else you need to know?

Halo Top Fruit Sorbet Soften

As with Halo Top ice cream pints, the recommendation is to leave it out for a couple of minutes to soften. It does make a difference, so I will create a catchy slogan off the top of my head. “Want your Halo Top with the right texture? Wait a few minutes to dig into your treasure.” Yup, that is the best I can come up with. Totally not a mouthful.

Also, these have no protein, so no gains!

Oh, “Remember to temper!” That’s much better!

Conclusion:

Halo Top Fruit Sorbets are off to a good start, and I’d like to use this space to request future flavors — lychee and pineapple.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Halo Top. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Halo Top
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Mango), 7 out of 10 (Strawberry), 7 out of 10 (Raspberry)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Mango – 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar (12 grams of added sugar), 3 grams of sugar alcohol, and 0 grams of protein. Strawberry – 90 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 30 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar (13 grams of added sugar), 4 grams of sugar alcohol, and 0 grams of protein. Raspberry – 90 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar (12 grams of added sugar), 2 grams of sugar alcohol, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jeni’s Powdered Jelly Donut Ice Cream

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Jeni s Powdered Jelly Donut Ice Cream Pint

What is Jeni’s Powdered Jelly Donut Ice Cream?

Ever wanted to be able to sneeze while eating a jelly donut without spraying your countertop with powdered sugar? Jeni’s has endeavored to create an allergy season compatible version of the treat with vanilla custard, raspberry jelly, and a brown sugar donut crumble.

How is it?

Jeni s Powdered Jelly Donut Ice Cream Top

From how easily my ice cream scoop glided through the top of the pint, it was clear this was going to have the same heavenly consistency as other Jeni’s ice creams I’ve tried. The custard was thick, creamy, and smooth with a slight chewiness, and there were big pockets of both jam and crumble to keep the texture interesting.

Despite the high quality of the ice cream and mix-ins, I was disappointed with how little it tasted like a powdered jelly donut. Each bite had an unfitting cream cheese-like tang, which I suspect resulted from using a salted custard but may have been from a natural flavor added to mimic the taste of powdered sugar. There was also a noticeable nutmeg flavor that, when combined with the sweet and egg yolky custard, made the ice cream taste like eggnog.

Jeni s Powdered Jelly Donut Ice Cream Scoop

The donut crumble wasn’t quite right either. As far as I know, jelly donuts are usually yeast donuts, but the flavor and texture of the crumble led me to believe more inspiration was taken from cake donuts. The nutmeg flavor throughout strengthened that assumption since I associate the spice with plain cake donuts.

Jelly was spot on, though. So spot on that I wished there was even more of it since it was the only thing making the ice cream taste like a jelly donut.

Anything else you need to know?

This is premium ice cream and priced accordingly. If this flavor doesn’t sound 100% up your alley, it might be a bit too expensive to take a chance on. However, Jeni’s ice cream is so high quality and delicious that it truly is worth splurging on from time to time (I’m particularly fond of its buttermilk frozen yogurts).

Conclusion:

Jeni s Powdered Jelly Donut Ice Cream Copy

I’ve still given Jeni’s Powdered Jelly Donut Ice Cream a decent rating because it’s a tasty ice cream that I’ll have no problem finishing. I don’t know that anyone could be unhappy with the flavors in this pint if they tried it name unknown. But, as a powdered jelly donut ice cream, it was unsuccessful. Seems my countertops (and floor, and pants, and…) will continue to live with powdered sugar on them.

Purchased Price: $8.99
Size: One pint (473 mL)
Purchased at: Whole Foods
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 Cup / 123g) 310 calories, 17 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 80 mg of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of total carbohydrates, 33 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Halo Top Chocolate Cake Batter Light Ice Cream

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Halo Top Chocolate Cake Batter Pint

What is Halo Top Chocolate Cake Batter Light Ice Cream?

The gold standard of diet ice cream is doubling up on the dessert by infusing (Kind of? Theoretically?) its light ice cream with chocolate cake batter. Or, you know, at least some candy sprinkles. Because those are on cakes. Sometimes.

How is it?

Halo Top Chocolate Cake Batter Top

Thoroughly unnecessary. See, the ice cream is fine. It’s creamy and surprisingly rich for healthy ice cream. Halo Top’s chocolate base is a good one, and the different-than-normal-ice-cream texture almost makes it reminiscent of a frozen chocolate malt concoction you’d get at a baseball game. (Have you ever had one of those things? Comes with a wooden spoon? Those things.)

Halo Top Chocolate Cake Batter Bowl

So, ice cream = good. But for the life of me, I can’t tell what makes this “Chocolate Cake Batter.” Except for the aforementioned sprinkles. And here’s the thing about the sprinkles: there are a lot of them. And they’re, you know, sprinkles. Just little crunchy bits of mostly tasteless confection. They don’t really add anything, unless you’re four years old. In which case, how’d you end up on this website, anyway? That’s pretty weird.

Anything else you need to know?

Probably not surprising, but Wikipedia has a wildly robust page on sprinkles. I was Googling to find out where they are called “jimmies” (it’s a northeast United States thing, and it always makes me laugh), but I also learned that in England — and Australia and New Zealand — they are also popularly referred to as “hundreds and thousands.” I love it, but it’s so wordy! When you go to the ice cream shop, do they actually ask, “An’ would you like ta’ top off yeh Sundae with some ‘undrets an’ thousands, guvnah?” That’s wild!

Conclusion:

Regular Halo Top chocolate ice cream is a nice, comparatively healthy frozen dessert treat, and I’d recommend it to just about anyone. I’d only suggest getting the kind with HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS if regular chocolate is out, though. Or you’re four. In which case, again, I ask, “What are you doing here? How are you reading this?”

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Hy-Vee
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (86 grams) 110 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of dietary fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Flavors at Walmart That Aren’t Pizza or Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

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Van Leeuwen Walmart Spring 2022 PInts

Update 9/9/22: We tried the Tapatio Mexican Hot Chocolate one! Click here to read our review.

Update 9/8/22: We tried most of the Fall 2022 flavors at Walmart! Click here to read our review.

Update 6/13/22: We also reviewed the Van Leeuwen Summer 2022 flavors at Walmart (Summer Peach Crisp, Espresso Fior Di Latte Chip, Campfire S’mores, and Honey Cornbread). Click here to read that review. There’s also a Grey Poupon flavor that we reviewed separately, click here if you want to read that.

Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen currently offers seven ice cream flavors exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide. They’ll be there for ten weeks and then disappear. The lineup includes new and fan-favorite flavors — Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Planet Earth, Pizza (new), Hot Honey, Royal Wedding Cake, Bourbon Cherries Jubilee, and Wild Blueberry Shortcake.

We already shared our thoughts about Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Pizza, so here are reviews of the other five flavors.

Hot Honey

Van Leeuwen Hot Honey Ice Cream Pint

“Hot” is definitely not the right adjective to describe this flavor, but “Slight Back of the Throat Burn After a Few Spoonfuls Honey” is too long to fit on any carton. The burn is so mild that folks who are averse to spicy foods might not mind it.

Van Leeuwen Hot Honey Ice Cream Top

The pint features a creamy, easy-to-scoop vanilla ice cream base with hard candy honeycomb pieces and hot honey swirls. I’ve eaten 1/4 of the carton, and every spoonful has had a honeycomb piece or some of the swirl. There are enough of the additions that after the first few spoonfuls, I thought the base was also honey flavored, but it turns out some of that sneaky swirl snuck onto my spoon. But I don’t mind because it has a wonderful honey flavor that eventually leads to the back of the throat heat.

Van Leeuwen Hot Honey Ice Cream Spoon

The honeycomb candy pieces have a very light honey taste, but I’m fine with that because the swirl does a lot of the heavy honey lifting. They do have a toffee-like crunch, which I love.

This was the first flavor I tried, and I had a difficult time putting it down. Partially because after I started feeling that back of the throat burn, I thought more ice cream would help. But mostly because it’s a tasty flavor.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 320 calories, 15 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 100 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 35 grams of sugar (30 grams of added sugar), and 5 grams of protein.

Wild Blueberry Shortcake

Van Leeuwen Wild Blueberry Shortcake Pint

What’s the difference between wild blueberries and, um, captive blueberries? I spent ten minutes researching that, and after those ten minutes, I realized that I don’t care because this pint of vanilla ice cream, blueberry swirls, and shortcake pieces is divine, and I’d rather eat it than gain blueberry knowledge.

Much like the Hot Honey, there are a lot of mix-ins, honey. I mean, look at all that in the vanilla ice cream. If you’re an archeologist and found that much stuff buried, I believe the academic term for such a discovery is JACKPOT!

Van Leeuwen Wild Blueberry Shortcake Top

The swirl has some tanginess, an occasional blueberry chunk, and reminds me of pie filling, except without the whole blueberries. The shortcake pieces are chewy and, to be honest, a bit boring on their own. But when combined with the swirl, their flavor is enhanced for some reason. Maybe it happened because some of the blueberry’s wildness rubbed onto the shortcake pieces. As for the vanilla base, it’s creamy, easy to scoop, and is pretty much a canvas for the mix-ins.

Am I wild about this Wild Blueberry Shortcake Ice Cream? Yeah. Will I be blue after I finish it? Berry much. Will I short-circuit if I’m not able to taste this flavor again? Cake.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 290 calories, 15 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 90 milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 29 grams of sugar (22 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein.

Bourbon Cherries Jubilee

Van Leeuwen Bourbon Cherries Jubilee Ice Cream Pint

It has just two components — sweet cream ice cream and swirls of bourbon cherry compote. Much like the pronunciation of Van Leeuwen, I had to look up what compote is. It’s fruit that’s cooked in syrup. Good to know.

Van Leeuwen Bourbon Cherries Jubilee Ice Cream Top

While bourbon is in its name and listed in the ingredients, don’t expect this to be boozy-flavored at all. It’s not something that stands out while eating the ice cream. But it does occasionally show up in the aftertaste. The sweet cream base has a noticeably sweeter flavor than the vanilla bases in the other varieties. Much like the blueberry pint, there’s a lot of fruity goodness. But while the blueberry swirl has some fruit, this cherry one has a lot.

It’s a delicious treat, but as I ate it, I couldn’t help but think this kind of tastes like Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, but without the fudge flakes and with more actual cherries. Like the blueberry one, it’s not a unique flavor, but it’s done really well.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 280 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 90 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 32 grams of sugar (26 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein.

Planet Earth

Van Leeuwen Planet Earth Ice Cream Pint

If you’re expecting an ice cream flavor that tastes like dirt, water, and plants, I’m not surprised because, as I mentioned earlier, Van Leeuwen also offers pizza and mac & cheese ice cream. But rest assured that the pint just looks like Earth and doesn’t taste like it. Although it’s what Earth looked like millions of years ago (or what it’ll look like several thousand years from now) — mostly water and patches of land popping out of it. Representing the water is a blue spirulina almond ice cream, and the green patches are matcha green tea cake pieces.

Van Leeuwen Planet Earth Ice Cream Top

Unfamiliar with spirulina? It’s a blue-green algae, which explains the ice cream base’s color. The ingredients list spirulina, but there isn’t a hint of pond scum-ness in the base’s taste. From what I can tell, it’s only used for color. But that color might be messing with my head because it reminds me of cotton candy, and in turn, when I take some bites, it tastes like the carnival treat. Blue raspberry extract is also an ingredient, so I don’t know if that’s what my taste buds notice. But I also recognize the same almond notes I’ve had with other almond-flavored ice creams.

As for the matcha green tea cake, you’ll be disappointed if you’re a matcha maniac. They provide a chewiness that contrasts the creamy base, but don’t have a lot of matcha flavor.

The cotton candy that I think I’m tasting makes me like this pint. My wife didn’t care for it, though. After one spoonful, she said it tasted weird and had enough.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 320 calories, 21 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 130 milligrams of sodium, 180 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 25 grams of sugar (18 grams of added sugar), and 6 grams of protein.

Royal Wedding Cake

Van Leeuwen Royal Wedding Cake Pint

I’m not into royal weddings, and I’m also not too much into this pint that was inspired by the cake served at a particular royal wedding in 2018. It features sweet cream cheese ice cream with lemon sponge cake chunks and layers of elderflower frosting.

Van Leeuwen Royal Wedding Cake Top

It’s a serviceable flavor, but I’d rather have any other pint I reviewed above. There are a few things about it that have me scratching my head. First, why does this feel as if it has nuts even though, after looking through the ingredients twice, there are no nuts? Something about the cake’s texture is probably making me think that. Second, why are geranium water and orange blossom water listed in the ingredients? Finally, why does the elderflower frosting taste like strawberry Guri-Guri from Maui? I realize that’s a reference 99.5 percent of you will not be able to relate to, but I had to mention it tastes like that sherbet. Well, at least the cake has a pleasant lemon flavor, and the sweet cream cheese ice cream isn’t offensive. Though, I did expect it to be tangier.

With Hot Honey, Wild Blueberry Shortcake, and Bourbon Cherries Jubilee, I had a hard time putting them down. But I don’t feel that way about this flavor. Again, it’s okay, but it’s easily my least favorite of the bunch.

Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 340 calories, 22 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 155 milligrams of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 25 grams of sugar (18 grams of added sugar), and 7 grams of protein.

These pints are my first taste of any Van Leeuwen ice cream, and I’m impressed. With most of the varieties, I had some of the same blown away feelings I felt after eating Jeni’s Ice Cream for the first time because they both pack a lot of flavors, thanks to the mix-ins’ quality and quantity.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Van Leeuwen. Doing so did not influence my review.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen S’mores Shake

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Dairy Queen S mores Shake Cup

What is Dairy Queen’s S’mores Shake?

DQ’s latest shake mimics the flavors of the classic campfire treat. It has vanilla soft serve blended with marshmallow topping, chocolate flakes, and graham cracker bits.

How is it?

The first thing I tried to figure out was what the little grainy pieces were. They were so tiny that I couldn’t discern much flavor. Were they chocolate bits or graham cracker bits? When I had drunk more of the shake and could see beyond the whipped topping, it was clear that the really tiny bits were the graham and the larger flakes were chocolate.

Dairy Queen S mores Shake Top

Flavor-wise, it’s a giant marshmallow-flavored kick in the face. There’s no subtlety here, not that I wanted any. The graham bits and chocolate flakes added enough texture to create a nice mouthfeel, but the marshmallow flavor of the product still overwhelmed the graham and chocolate notes. Strangely as I got deeper into the shake, the chocolate pieces were bigger, and it added more chocolatey-ness to the experience.

This is a thick shake, so thick that I sometimes had trouble sucking it up with my straw. This isn’t Wendy’s Frosty “Give up on straws, you need a spoon here” territory, but it’s getting there.

For some reason, this shake didn’t strike me as being as addictive as the shakes from Five Guys, currently my go-to for milkshakes. It’s good, but it just doesn’t have that same “OMG I have to shovel this in my face immediately!” quality. What’s the secret? Perhaps the quality of the base dairy product? Clearly, I need to do more research on this topic and drink many, many more shakes — for science.

Dairy Queen S mores Shake Straw

I should note that the shake is very sweet, but let’s be honest: I’m a person who reviews milkshakes from Dairy Queen. If “too sweet” were ever an issue, I probably would not be in the milkshake-review game.

Anything else you need to know?

Dairy Queen’s website tells us that “One sip and you’re sure to be left wanting s’more,” so you can be satisfied that no opportunity to make that old-as-the-hills pun was spared. It’s not a lie though; I finished my whole shake and I still kind of want s’more. Having any more at this point would probably make me sick, but I still want it.

Conclusion:

Dairy Queen S mores Shake Angle

The S’mores shake is a very respectable attempt to turn the gooey, classic summer snack into a drinkable delight. It’s a little one-note, but fortunately it’s a tasty note.

Purchased Price: $4.79
Size: 8 oz (small)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 640 calories, 32 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 240 milligrams of sodium, 77 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 64 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.