Ice Cream – Page 30 – The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Exclusive Flavor Berry Sweet Mascarpone Ice Cream

Sean / May 20, 2020 / Reviews

What is Ben & Jerry’s Berry Sweet Mascarpone Ice Cream?

While it’s commonplace for Target, Walmart, Safeway, and even 7-Eleven to have their own exclusive Ben & Jerry’s flavors, the now Amazon-owned Whole Foods enter spring 2020 with its first special pint. Berry Sweet Mascarpone combines blackberry and mascarpone ice creams with shortbread cookies and fudge-covered almonds.

How is it?

I love blackberry ice cream, and sadly, this one really misses the mark. I get virtually no berry flavor at all from the pleasantly light purple base, and its blandness completely confuses my mind while I eat. It looks so pretty but tastes like nothing. On the plus side, the mascarpone ice cream is the same one used in the recently revived Cannoli, and it has a solid creamy and cheesy flavor with a sweet frosting finish.

The mix-ins here are good but not good enough to offset the bland berry base. The shortbread is soft and sweet with a vanilla flavor and a texture that reminds me more of cake than cookies, akin to a madeleine soaked in milk. Tasty.

I love chocolate covered nuts in ice cream, and these are the same almonds that absolutely sing in Target’s exclusive Glampfire Trail Mix. But here, without any salty component to balance out their crunch, they aren’t nearly as good and generally feel out of place.

Anything else you need to know?

As is the case with most Ben & Jerry’s pints, if there isn’t a gooey swirl of some sort to tie things together, I always wish there was. And this is no exception. Something sweeter or saltier than the other elements could elevate this mishmash of flavors. But as it stands, it just feels flat.

Conclusion:

While it’s far from inedible and far from the floppiest of Ben & Jerry’s flops, this springy pint is lacking the tart berry punch I had hoped for and is simply a franken-flavor that just doesn’t deliver.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Whole Foods (Exclusive Flavor)
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 350 calories, 22 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Nestle Drumstick Mini Drums Vanilla Simply Dipped Mini Cones

Marvo / May 13, 2020 / Reviews / 8 Comments

The image on the front of the Nestle Drumstick Mini Drums Vanilla Simply (I need to catch my breath because the name is so long) Dipped Mini Cones box claims that it’s the actual size of the cones, but that’s simply not the case.

At this point, some of you might have some rage smoldering in you with the assumption that the cones are smaller.

But, I’m happy to report that in real life, they’re actually BIGGER than what’s on the box. But they’re still “Fun Size” frozen dessert dairy cones, and there are 20 of them in the box, which means they’re small.

To give you an idea of how mini they are, one of them weighs 17 grams, and it would take about 5.5 of them to equal the weight of a regular Drumstick Simple Dipped Vanilla Cone.

While the cones are mini, they have all the components of their bigger sibling — the same vanilla frozen dairy dessert, chocolatey coating, sugar cone, chocolatey cone lining, and chocolatey nugget at the bottom of the cone to prevent any leakage from the tip of the cone. They also taste like the larger cone, which probably isn’t a big surprise.

But these small cones offer an experience you can’t get with the bigger one — you can pretend you’re a giant, stick an entire cone in your mouth, and then say, “Fee-fi-fo-fum, I just ate an entire Nestle Drum…stick.”

Hmmm. Maybe that’s why these are called “Fun Size.” Of course, your results may vary when it comes to sticking an entire Fun Size cone in your mouth.

While Nestle Drumstick Mini Drums Vanilla (catching my breath, again) Simply Dipped Mini Cones are a nice little treat, I can’t help but look at the trays they come in and think of a fun idea for the Fun Size treats.

Instead of having just one variety, have ten different frozen dairy dessert flavors under the chocolatey coating, since each tray holds that many cones. One has to be a super oddball flavor that’s either gross or spicy to make it like Russian Roulette.

Also, don’t give us any hints about what flavors they could be. Just make the front of the box white with the Nestle and Drumstick logos, include an image of a cone that’s smaller than the actual size, and call the product, Mystery Mini Drums.

Dun dun drums!

Feel free to use this idea, Drumstick.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 16.9 fl. oz./20 cones
Purchased at: Received from PR firm representing Nestle Drumstick
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cone) 70 calories, 4 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

Drumstick Ice Cream Nestle

REVIEW: Cado Vanilla Bean Non-Dairy Avocado Frozen Dessert

Marvo / May 1, 2020 / Reviews / 1 Comment

Like instruction manuals and terms of service agreements, I didn’t read everything on the Cado Avocado Frozen Dessert container. And because I didn’t, I ate it thinking it was made with frozen avocados that have been mashed into a creamy texture.

I’ve had ice cream made with the fruit. Yes, it was avocado-flavored and green. It was also not bad. And because of that, I thought, why wouldn’t Cado be like that too?

When I finally got around to reading the ingredients list because I wanted to know why my lips feel as if they’ve been making out with the spout of an olive oil bottle, I was disappointed to learn that Cado is made with avocado oil. Yes, technically, it’s made from avocados, but not in the way I expected.

Looking back, though, I really should’ve figured that out the moment I peeled back the lid because the vanilla-flavored frozen dessert is as bright white as celebrity teeth, and not at all green.

Cado is dairy-free, vegan, has been available for a few years, and I’ve passed by it many, many times at my local Target where it’s stuffed between Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy stuff and Archer Farms’ non-dairy stuff. I’ve always been curious about it, looking at it every time I’ve driven my cart past the dessert. But it’s expensive $5.99 price tag kept me away. Well, as you can see, I finally picked it up because it was on sale for the still expensive price of $5.

For the most part, it scoops like regular ice cream, although to achieve that, it needs to sit for a little bit. Its vanilla flavor is adequate and there are vanilla bean specks throughout the pint. Also, I didn’t taste anything that would suggest avocado oil is the main ingredient. But, again, it makes my lips feel as if I’m using Pam Cooking Spray as a lip gloss.

I didn’t dislike it, but at the same time, its flavor didn’t encourage me to eat the entire container, as I’ve experienced with other non-dairy frozen desserts. Then again, I did pick a basic flavor.

But if you’re looking for a vegan frozen dessert that’s nut, soy, and gluten free, this is a good option. Also, because it’s made with avocados, it’s low is saturated fat, but contains “good” fats like monounsaturated fat. Unfortunately, the website doesn’t seems to list how much a serving has.

Will there be a second time with Cado Avocado Frozen Dessert?

There are other flavors, like Deep Dark Chocolate, Java Chip, Salted Caramel Swirl, Cookies & Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Simply Lemon. I wouldn’t mind trying a different one when they go on sale again.

Purchased Price: $5.00 (on sale)
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 170 calories, 11 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Ice Cream

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Limited Botch Chip Happens Ice Cream

Sean / April 28, 2020 / Reviews / 6 Comments

Way back in 2011, before The Tonight Dough, Ben & Jerry’s and Jimmy Fallon collaborated for Late Night Snack, which threw clusters of chocolate-covered potato chips into vanilla bean ice cream with swirls of salted caramel. It was a great flavor that I regrettably only scooped once until it disappeared in 2015.

In 2020, appearing right around the annual 4/20 festivities, Ben & Jerry’s has a new collaboration with another TV giant, streaming content king Netflix, that also also features potato chips.

Chip Happens, inspired by the baking competition show Nailed It, combines “a cold mess of chocolate ice cream with fudge chips & crunchy potato chip swirls.”

The chocolate ice cream isn’t listed on the container as anything unique or new for B&J’s, but it looks lighter in color than what I’m used to in classics like Phish Food.

The initial flavor also tastes slightly different. It’s milkier and lighter with an almost malty undertone. It has a lightness to it that reminds me of vintage malt cups, but in the best possible way. Is this an altered base, or has the salty swirl seeped so much into the chocolate that it modifies it by accident? Either way, it works well as a base for this flavor.

The fudge chips are nothing to write home about, just a smaller, more palatable version of B&J’s oft-used fudge flakes. Even though they’re unremarkable in flavor, I appreciate their smaller size, which leads to a softer texture. Not like actual fudge or ganache, but meltier and darker than the milk chocolate-leaning base.

Where this pint shines, and no doubt had to shine to be anything close to a stand out scoop, is the potato chip swirl. It’s thick, crunchy, and salty in a way that I can’t really wrap my head around.

The only times chips, pretzels, or cereals have been successful in ice cream is when they’re coated in chocolate or a thick glaze, and as far as I can tell, this is pure chip. It tastes like someone took a handful of Lay’s and tossed them right on top of the ice cream, maintaining all of the texture and fried potato flavor like they came straight from the bag.

I’ll admit I wasn’t too excited when I found this limited release Netflix flavor at Target before the first one, Netflix & Chill’d. It’s chocolate chocolate chip ice cream with some potato chips. How good could it be?! Turns out a lot better than I thought, and oddly addictive.

If this also had a caramel swirl, it would’ve ranked among my favorite Ben & Jerry’s of all time. But even without it, if you’re a fan of sweet and salty or not-too-sweet chocolate indulgences, this one’s for you. A simple textural treat that I will be happily buying again.

Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 390 calories, 24 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 31 grams of total sugars, 6 grams of protein.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

REVIEW: Fairlife Light Ice Cream

Ann / April 10, 2020 / Reviews / 13 Comments

When you were younger, did you ever think ahead to being an adult and being able to “do whatever you want”?

I used to think along those lines, but even my adolescent hopefulness couldn’t have predicted the pure joy in buying every single flavor of a new ice cream release because I was “supposed to” for a product review. That was my reality when I found the new seven-flavor lineup of Fairlife Light Ice Cream.

You’re probably familiar with Fairlife from its presence in the fluid dairy aisle. Its most significant point of difference is the use of and direct-to-consumer sale of ultra-filtered (UF) milk, which is, in my opinion, as a dairy scientist, VERY NEAT.

Ultra-filtered milk is simply milk that has been passed through a membrane that separates out some of the water, lactose, and small minerals. What’s left is milk that is higher in protein and has much less lactose. Fairlife also does other super nifty things like adding lactase enzymes to its chocolate milk which breaks lactose into glucose and galactose, which together can be as sweet as sugar, so the chocolate milk needs less added sugar to be just as sweet! Science can be delicious! Okay, with all of that said, let’s bring it back to performance because it doesn’t matter how clever your ice cream is if it doesn’t deliver on taste.

Cookies & Cream

I chose to start with Cookies & Cream because I think it’s a crowd-pleasing favorite. The Fairlife version lived up to expectations. The cookies were chocolatey and soft, and the pieces weren’t skimpy. The vanilla had a nice flavor as well, but I did think the texture overall was a little icy and it could have been more creamy and melty. But considering these are light ice creams, I wasn’t shocked.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 190 Calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Double Fudge Brownie

I’m always a little wary when “light” versions of products shoot for flavors like Double Fudge Brownie. In the case of Fairlife, I think this flavor is fine, but not amazing. The chocolate ice cream was decent. It’s like their chocolate milk, but frozen. The brownie pieces were surprisingly good. They were soft and pillowy, sort of like a Fiber One brownie.

The fudge sauce was not for me. It had a very harsh acidic canned chocolate syrup flavor that didn’t mesh well with the sweetness level in the ice cream. Keep the brownies, lose the fudge swirl.

Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: I’m SO sorry, but this pint was tossed from our freezer to make room for frozen goods before I could snag a picture of the nutrition label.

Chocolate and Vanilla

Honestly, the staple flavors were a little icy, but pretty good. The Vanilla had little flecks of vanilla bean and the Chocolate flavor was mild, but pleasant. With more fat, the chocolate would have been more luscious. I’d accept a scoop of either as my à la mode any day. Especially considering a serving of the vanilla is basically the nutritional equivalent of a glass of 2% milk with a little sugar. Keep your expectations level, folks.

Rating: 7 out of 10 (Vanilla)
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 140 Calories, 6 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Rating: 6 out of 10 (Chocolate)
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 190 Calories, 6 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Chocolate Peanut Butter

The Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor was my only huge letdown. There is no peanut butter in this product. There is only added peanut flavor. I get that these are light ice creams, so maybe you can’t add peanut butter, but in that case, maybe don’t make this flavor at all? The pieces of chocolate flakes were mildly redeeming, but overall this one was pretty rough.

Rating: 3 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 190 Calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Java Chip

It was GREAT. Again, this is clearly lower fat than other ice creams, but for some reason, I didn’t notice that as much in this coffee version. The chocolate flakes, much like in the peanut butter version, are nice. They break down and aren’t waxy. Slow melt, but I really liked the coffee flavor in this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: I’m SO sorry, but this pint was tossed from our freezer to make room for frozen goods before I could snag a picture of the nutrition label.

Mint Chip

Ahh, mint chip. You can’t go wrong with mint chip. Minty flavor makes everything seem refreshing. Would a full fat mint chip melt better and taste better? Yeah. But this ain’t bad. I would love a mint chip ice cream sandwich made with this.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/3 of the container) 170 calories, 8 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

Overall:

Overall, it’s no surprise these light ice creams made from ultra-filtered milk deliver a slightly inferior texture to full-fat regular ice cream, but that’s par for the course in the rapidly expanding world of light ice creams.

Set these bad boys on the counter for five minutes before you scoop and they do pretty well. I also still think UF milk and some of the techniques used at Fairlife are really interesting. I would buy Java Chip, Mint Chip, Vanilla, or Cookies & Cream again for SURE. But I don’t care much for the flavor trade-offs when you get to flavors like Chocolate Peanut Butter that doesn’t have any actual peanut butter.

Purchased Price: $3.99 each
Size: 14 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco

Fairlife Ice Cream