Ice Cream – Page 23 – The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Milk Bar Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cornflake Ice Cream

Ann / December 8, 2021 / Reviews / 8 Comments

What is Milk Bar Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cornflake Ice Cream?

It’s a mouthful in every sense! True to the Milk Bar standard, this ice cream loads in the flavors and textures to your heart’s content. Packed into the seasonal candy cane cookie dough flavored ice cream are crushed candy cane bits, chocolate-flavored chunks, a gooey marshmallow swirl, and the renowned cornflake crunch.

How is it?

The ice cream base was a perfect mix of sweet candy peppermint flavor and toasty, buttery cookie dough flavor. Really impressive and not at all overwhelming in mint, as some minty ice creams can be. Plus, despite having a reindeer line-up’s worth of inclusions, everything was noticeably present and accounted for upon the first scoop.

I quickly encountered a large swirl of gooey marshmallows and was surprised by how much marshmallow flavor it really had. You lose the marshmallow flavor somewhat when this swirl isn’t the majority of a bite, as it’s the most subtle flavor of the lot. That being said, I thought it was authentic and a fun texture change true to the gooey description.

The candy cane crunchies and chocolate-flavored pieces were pretty standard and added a nice crunch and sweetness without being too waxy. Nothing overly innovative there, but they balance out the other sweet and creative inclusions.

The real pay dirt of this ice cream is the cornflake crunch. Anyone who has attempted to bake the Momofuku Milk Bar cookies will recognize this golden nugget of an ingredient. I found a large pocket of cornflake crunch and dug right in. This was my favorite part of this ice cream by far, as it delivered crunch, cereal milk sweetness, and a buttery balance.

Anything else you need to know?

Just like its Gingerbread counterpart, this flavor is seasonal. So don’t cut it down to the wire like a Turbo Man shopping trip. Go find this flavor now while you still can.

Conclusion:

Despite a possibly overwhelming number of inclusions, this ice cream was balanced in sweetness and texture variety. The cornflake crunch stood out, while the candy cane crunch and chocolate-flavored pieces helped round out the standard expectations. One of the better iterations of a mint ice cream I’ve ever had.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 14 oz
Purchased at: Whole Foods
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 380 calories, 21 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, <1 grams of fiber, 33 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Milk Bar Gingerbread House Ice Cream

Jenna / December 3, 2021 / Reviews / 2 Comments

What is Milk Bar Gingerbread House Ice Cream?

This festive flavor is an on-brand addition to Milk Bar’s lineup of quirky-but-upscale re-imaginings of nostalgic desserts. Between the chunks of gingerbread cookie, brightly colored candy “gems,” and sweet bits of icing, this gingerbread-flavored ice cream is more filled than Santa’s sleigh.

How is it?

My first bite of pure ice cream was pleasantly milky with a hint of spice — tasty, but not quite something to write to the North Pole about. The cookie that I secured in my next spoonful packed a much stronger punch of ginger flavor, with an interesting consistency more solid than cookie dough but not as firm as an actual cookie (a bit reminiscent of a Ben & Jerry’s mix-in).

When I found some icing next (the white color is surprisingly hard to identify in the tannish ice cream), its burst of sugariness was much more flavorful than the bland, just-for-show icing I typically associate with gingerbread cookies. Like the cookie crunch, it also brings a textural surprise — it doesn’t appear in the thick, creamy spirals illustrated on the pint, but rather as a series of squarish shards more similar to pieces of white chocolate.

On their own, these ingredients were tasty though not particularly thrilling. But when I finally scooped up ice cream, icing, and cookie all together, the sweetness of the icing and the spice of the cookie contrasted very nicely, and the rich ice cream was a satisfying backdrop to hold it all together.

Oh yeah, and I guess the candy gems were there too. They just didn’t add much more than a pop of (admittedly welcome) color.

Anything else you need to know?

In case you missed the banner on the pint saying so four times in a row, this flavor is seasonal, so be sure to grab some before it makes like a Christmas tree and leaves.

Conclusion:

Filled with cookies and icing, Milk Bar Gingerbread House Ice Cream’s blend of sugar, spice, and everything ice is sure to end up on the nice list.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 14 oz
Purchased at: Whole Foods
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 400 calories, 23 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 38 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Ice Cream Milk Bar

REVIEW: Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream

Mark / November 18, 2021 / Reviews / 8 Comments

What is Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream?

Per the carton, “Two family-owned brands, Little Debbie and Hudsonville®, have come together to craft this cold and creamy Christmas Tree Cake® inspired ice cream, making holiday moments even sweeter.”

It features ice cream, red icing, green sugar sprinkles, and pieces of pound cake.

Oh, and it’s exclusive to Walmart.

How is it?

It’s so festive that I have to remind myself that it’s not going to taste like peppermint.

The red icing has a nice flavor, definitely better than the waxy coating on Little Debbie cakes. I also like the cake pieces mixed in with the ice cream. They are soft enough that the two elements work together nicely.

You know when you have cake and ice cream at a birthday party, and you mix the leftover ice cream with the cake crumbs on your plate? This ice cream is like that. In fact, swap out the colors, and this could be a birthday cake ice cream.

Anything else you need to know?

There are basically two things I don’t like:

The green sprinkles. They are fine on the actual cakes, but the gritty texture clashes with the soft ice cream and cake. I can see how some people might like the textural contrast, but I don’t. They’re not a deal-breaker, but I do wish they weren’t there.
This product is good, but it’s just kind of boring. It’s basically vanilla ice cream flavored like vanilla cakes.

Conclusion:

I like Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream more than I like actual Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes. The flavor might not be very exciting, but visually, the ice cream screams Christmas, and the cake provides a pleasing texture.

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 230 calories, 10 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 26 grams of sugar, 21 grams of added sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Ice Cream Little Debbie

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Reese’s Pieces Cookie Dough Blizzard

Denis / October 8, 2021 / Reviews / 9 Comments

What is the Dairy Queen Reese’s Pieces Cookie Dough Blizzard?

It’s the October Blizzard of the Month, and its name pretty much describes what it contains: Reese’s Pieces candy, chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter topping, and pumpkin-flavored soft serve. OK, it’s regular vanilla soft serve. Just checking to make sure you are really reading this part of the review.

How is it?

It’s good, but this one goes into the category of what I’ll call the Taco Bell-style of Blizzard. While Taco Bell has introduced some new items lately that are actually new, like the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco, most of its “new” introductions are just a slightly different combination of its core ingredients or the same combination from a few years ago that it thinks we forgot about. While Reese’s Pieces are not generally on the standard DQ menu, there have been countless Blizzards with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and/or cookie dough, so I can’t give the DQ folks many creativity points here.

I realize with the seasonal Blizzard menus, the Blizzard of the Month (which is sometimes more than one), and other new Blizzards throughout the year that every Blizzard can’t be a mind-blowing creation, and there’s nothing at all wrong with this one. It’s quite good, but I doubt my opinion is going to sway you on this one.

If you like Reese’s Pieces (or PB Cups) and cookie dough, then this is going to be a winner for you. If you are not on Team Reese’s, then this probably isn’t for you. I will say that the crunch of the Pieces in a Blizzard is a nice change compared to PB Cups, which have a consistency similar to the cookie dough. Even though there are chocolate chip cookie dough pieces in this, the chocolate flavor gets pushed aside by the power of peanut butter. So if the chocolate part is important to you, then maybe ask them to add in a bit of chocolate fudge topping or chocolate chunks.

Anything else you need to know?

Assuming that the nutrition info on the DQ website is correct — which is not always a safe assumption because, in the past, the chain has challenged the laws of both math and science by listing negative numbers for dietary fiber — this is the highest calorie Blizzard I can remember seeing. The small size has a whopping 900 calories, and the large has 1,710 calories, along with 81 grams of fat and 192 carbs. Wow.

Conclusion:

At the risk of hurting the feelings of this Blizzard, there’s nothing special about it. But don’t feel bad little Blizzard, you are still pretty good.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: Small
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small) 900 calories, 39 grams of fat, 20 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 490 milligrams of sodium, 108 grams of carbohydrates, 2 gram of dietary fiber, 88 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of protein.

Dairy Queen Fast Food Ice Cream

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Sea Salt Toffee Fudge Blizzard

Denis / October 1, 2021 / Reviews / 3 Comments

What is the Sea Salt Toffee Fudge Blizzard?

It’s part of the Fall Blizzard Menu at Dairy Queen, and it features salted toffee pieces, rich fudge pieces, and caramel topping with vanilla soft serve.

How is it?

It’s the surprise hit of the fall season!

I wasn’t sure how much I would like this one because I don’t think I’ve ever bought a toffee bar in my life. Sure, I’ve had toffee plenty of times, but it’s usually been during the weeks after Halloween when I ask one of my kids for a piece of candy from their massive haul and they generously offer me a Heath bar because they don’t want to give up any of the good stuff. As a standalone candy, toffee is just OK to me. But as part of a tag team with the fudge pieces in this Blizzard, it’s really tasty.

The toffee pieces in here are quite small, but they pack a solid punch with their extreme crunchiness and buttery sweet flavor. The caramel topping blends well with the not-so-different toffee flavor, and then the fudge pieces provide a vastly different chewy texture and nice chocolatey kick. It all comes together to form a complex and pleasant taste experience that sets this one apart from most other Blizzards.

One caveat here -— if you are excited about the sea salt part of this Blizzard, well, calm down. As much as I tried, I couldn’t discern any salty taste at all, from the sea or anywhere else. I don’t want to call the fine people at DQ liars, especially considering I’m sure they have a whole team of lawyers that would frown upon such a statement, but I do think putting sea salt in the name of this Blizzard is a bit of a stretch.

Anything else you need to know?

I bet you can’t name three brands of toffee candy bars. In the U.S., there are basically two — Heath and Skor (and although they competed against each other at one point, both are now made by The Hershey Company). I tried, without much success, to see where those two candy bars rank in popularity compared to the likes of Snickers, Kit Kat, Milky Way, Twix, etc. The best I could do is find that the Heath bar was 56th in popularity in 1987, back when I’m not sure there were many more than 56 different candy bars being made. And maybe it’s time for someone to do a new survey.

Conclusion:

If you are like me and do not have an affinity for toffee, you should still give this Blizzard a chance because it’s unexpectedly good. And if you are one of the few people who actually goes out and buys toffee bars, then you are probably going to love this.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: Small
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small) 710 calories, 25 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 570 milligrams of sodium, 110 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 86 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

Dairy Queen Fast Food Ice Cream