Tag: Ice Cream

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Netflix & Chilll’d Ice Cream and Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Marvo 1 Comment

Ben Jerry s Netflix Chilll d Ice Cream

Pretzels seem like an odd inclusion in Ben & Jerry’s new Netflix & Chilll’d Ice Cream. Is it popular among Netflix subscribers and password sharers? Maybe it’s just me, but popcorn and potato chips are probably munched on more during a binge-watching.

Is there something in Netflix’s algorithm that not only knows we might like Interior Design Masters because we’ve watched Queer Eye, but also what we like to eat while we watch Tan France turn folks from Le Eek to Le Chic? Or maybe Netflix’s algorithm watches us through the cameras in our phones, tablets, and compu…

(Knock at the door)

Hi. Who are you guys? Hey, nice red suits. Wait. W-w-what are you doing? Let me go! LET ME GO! HELP! HELP!

Oh, hello. I’m back. Forget that whole thing about Netflix’s algorithm binge watches our lives through our cameras. Netflix’s algorithm is definitely not watching us right now or threatening me with revealing the amount of high school romance anime I watch.

Ben Jerry s Netflix Chilll d Non Dairy Frozen Dessert

Just like Netflix has something for everyone in the family, Ben & Jerry’s is offering Netflix & Chilll’d in varieties that will satisfy everyone’s deal with dairy. The regular version features peanut butter ice cream with sweet and salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownies. The non-dairy one has peanut butter-flavored frozen dessert made with almond milk, sweet and salty pretzel swirls, and fudge brownies.

After trying both, I have to say I prefer the non-dairy one.

Ben Jerry s Netflix Chilll d Ice Cream Closeup

The combination of the peanut butter frozen dessert with the saltiness and flavor from the pretzel swirl tastes something like a Nutter Butter cookie to me, which is something I haven’t experienced with ice cream (or frozen dessert). Also, the PB flavor in the non-dairy one is more prominent than the dairy version. Maybe the almond milk used in the base makes it a little nuttier. The peanut butter ice cream in the regular Netflix & Chilll’d is fine, but the frozen dessert stands out a bit more.

Ben Jerry s Netflix Chilll d Non Dairy Frozen Dessert Closeup

The pretzel swirls in both pints add a welcomed saltiness that contrast and enhance the sweet components. The swirl in the non-dairy one also gives off toffee notes. I feel the flavor is more prominent in the regular one, but that might be because the peanut butter ice cream doesn’t have as strong a flavor as the frozen dessert. Also, although “pretzel” is in both descriptions, the swirls don’t provide any crunch, which is disappointing.

Unlike the pretzels and their lack of texture, the fudge brownies bring the expected chewiness to each spoonful. And, like we’ve seen hundreds of times with peanut butter and chocolate, combining it with the peanut butter ice cream/frozen dessert results in sweet tooth satisfaction. Actually, the fudge brownies help make the regular version taste similar to a peanut butter cup.

I know. The previous sentence makes it hard to believe I prefer the non-dairy and non-peanut-butter-cup-tasting one.

Chill Netflix

Both Netflix & Chilll’d pints are NOT binge-worthy. Well, they are, but I don’t want to encourage anyone to eat entire pints in one sitting. Again, I prefer the non-dairy one, but I feel you can’t go wrong with either.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Non-Dairy), 7 out of 10 (Regular)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Regular – 390 calories, 24 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 290 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 29 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein. Non-Dairy – 380 calories, 22 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free samples of the product from Ben & Jerry’s (thanks Ben & Jerry’s!). Doing so did not influence my review in any way. Although, with ratings like that, you might think it did. But I assure you it did not.

REVIEW: Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

Meghan

Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream

What is Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream?

‘Twas the month before Christmas, and all through the store
No one craved ice cream, and even Dubba Scoops did not want any more;
The freezers were stocked to the brim with care
In hopes for warmer weather to soon be there;

But the folks at Breyers had all these ideas dancing through their heads
With visions of mint and frozen cocoa leading their team through winter’s dread;
Combining dark chocolate and peppermint ice creams, throwing in chocolatey chips, and everything else in sight
They thought, what more could one want to cap off a perfect Christmas night?

How is it?

Very chocolatey!

Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream Top

Alright, maybe that’s something to be expected of a treat modeled after hot cocoa, but let me be clear, this stuff is way more cocoa-forward than I was expecting. I couldn’t even see the peppermint ice cream when I lifted the lid off this sucker, and it took a few inches of hardcore chiseling with a heavy-duty spoon to even find a thin seam of peppermint buried within all the chocolate slag.

The ice cream’s flavor is similarly disproportionate. Although the chocolate ice cream is good, it covers up what little presence the peppermint has in this tub. Eating slowly and intentionally, I could barely taste it, but, I mean, who usually eats ice cream mindfully and methodically? I’ll bet most people will plow through this container without ever noticing any peppermint.

Breyers Limited Edition Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate Ice Cream Closeup

As for the chocolatey chips, they’re abundant and yummy, but I can’t help but feel as though they’re a bit misplaced. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t typically have solid chunks of chocolate in my hot cocoa. Instead of doubling down on the chocolate, Breyer’s could have brought this limited edition flavor home by mixing in miniature marshmallows or even crushed peppermint bits. Anything that could have helped the mint stand up to the chocolate’s overwhelming presence.

Is there anything else you should know?

For the Frozen Dairy Dessert haters out there, never fear, because this is actual ice cream. Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, this flavor isn’t too different from Breyers’ 2017 Chocolate Mint ice cream. Oh well, at least this version has festive packaging.

Conclusion:

I wish this had had more peppermint to balance out all the chocolate, but, overall, it’s a decent ice cream. If you like your hot cocoa frozen, and you don’t mind crumbling a few candy canes on top, I’d say this is a solid choice if you’re looking for holiday-themed ice cream.

Purchased Price: $3.98
Size: 1.5-quart container
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 of a cup) 200 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 21 grams of total sugars, 16 grams of added sugars, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream

Marvo 7 Comments

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream with Blueberry Cheesecake

Way before “lotus” was used in the names of 50 percent of all yoga studios in the world, the name Lotus was mostly associated with Biscoff speculoos cookies (and the Kama Sutra). Later, the company crushed those cookies to makes its famous cookie butter. Now, it’s using its name and cookies to sell ice cream.

Biscoff Ice Cream is available in five flavors — Original, Salted Caramel, Blueberry Cheesecake, Belgian Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Brownies. Unfortunately, I was able to find only the Blueberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Brownies versions.

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream 5 Pizza Lid

After pulling back the flimsy paper lid, I’m face-to-foil with a shiny protective cover that I assume tells me to either wait five minutes before eating or consume five slices of pizza before eating. Because I didn’t have any pizza, I went with the former.

Although, I didn’t wait five minutes because I assume, like microwave wattages will vary cooking times, living on a tropical island with the current temperature being in the mid-80s should reduce those five minutes down to two or three. Pulling back the pizza pushing or just plain pushy foil lid reveals a layer of crushed speculoos cookies.

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream Blueberry Cheesecake Top

According to the flimsy container, the blueberry cheesecake one features “dairy ice cream and crunchy Lotus Biscoff cookies paired with blueberry cheesecake.” But to be more exact, it seems to be more like vanilla ice cream with a blueberry cheesecake swirl and crunchy Lotus Biscoff cookie bits.

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream Blueberry Cheesecake Inside

This one is my favorite of those I purchased. It tastes like what I expect — blueberry cheesecake with a speculoos cookie crust. And it is wonderful. There’s a nice tang and bold blueberry flavor from the swirl, and the speculoos crumbs add a pleasant spiced flavor and a crunchy texture. At first, I thought the cookies on top were all that the near-pint had, but it seems as if there are also bits suspended throughout the ice cream.

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream with Chocolate Brownies

The chocolate brownie version has Biscoff and chocolate ice cream with chunks of dark chocolate brownies, cookie butter, and crunchy Lotus Biscoff Cookies. Just reading the previous sentence would usually make my mouth water, but after eating the ice cream, I can’t help but share my slight disappointment.

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream with Chocolate Brownies Top

First off, the crushed up cookies on the top are, for some reason, not at all crunchy like the ones on the blueberry cheesecake flavor. Oh, their flavor is there, but it’s not the same without the crunch. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any bits in the ice cream. Instead, they’re replaced with a cookie butter swirl that doesn’t have a recognizable texture and doesn’t snake through the pint as much as I would like.

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream with Chocolate Brownies Inside

Another disappointment is the number of brownie chunks in the pint. It seems like I experienced a ratio of one brownie chunk for every four dips into the near-pint. Whatever pieces there are, they provide an added burst of chocolatey flavor within the chocolate ice cream.

With all that said, the combination of chocolate and Biscoff cookies is tasty, but being a texture guy, I wish there was a crunchiness. Now, maybe I got a lousy not-quite-a-pint, so if you had crunchy cookies in yours, let me know.

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream Dents

While I like the flavors, the containers they come in annoy me. The one thing I noticed and disliked the moment I picked one up was how rickety the paper containers feel. When I grab it, the walls of the packaging cave in to the point where I feel either the whole thing is going to fall apart, or I’m going to squeeze it so much that all the ice cream pops out like I’m Popeye with a can of spinach. It makes me feel as if I suddenly have superhuman strength and can’t control it.

Some of you might think this is superficial nonsense, and that’s fine. But I’d like to enjoy these tasty ice creams without being paranoid about the container falling apart if I grip it a little too tightly.

Purchased Price: $4.49 each
Size: 15.55 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Blueberry Cheesecake), 6 out of 10 (Chocolate Brownies)
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) Blueberry Cheesecake – 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. Chocolate Brownies – 190 calories, 11 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Yasso Pecan Pie Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars

Marvo 3 Comments

Yasso Pecan Pie Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars

What are Yasso Pecan Pie Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars?

They are brown butter frozen Greek yogurt bars with a cinnamon graham swirl and honey glazed pecan pieces. Pecan Pie is a new seasonal flavor that joins the returning Pumpkin Cheesecake variety.

How are they?

I have to admit this is the first time I’ve had any Yasso product. I’ve been staying away partly because of a review we wrote of the brand’s original product back in 2012. But now I’ve been drawn in partly because Yasso’s recent package designs have been super adorbs!

Yasso Pecan Pie Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars Full Box

Unfortunately, the bars I purchased were not adorbs. They were adeforms. Not Yasso’s fault, though. I imagine something happened to them while being transported to my local Target or while they sat at the bottom of my cart as I casually coasted through EVERY FOOD AISLE and the men’s deodorant section at my local Target.

Warning: The following image may be unsuitable for younger audiences.

Yasso Pecan Pie Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars Smooshed

The horror! It’s like Michael Myers’ face on a stick!

Good thing my taste buds can only taste and hear because seeing what deformed thing they were being smothered by might’ve made them not like it as much as they did. My blind taste buds enjoyed every moment they had with the brown butter frozen Greek yogurt, cinnamon graham swirl, and honey glazed pecan pieces. The swirl gives the bar a nice sweet cinnamon punch and the brown butter froyo has a toffee-like flavor. The pecans, which there were many of, added a nice textural contrast to the creamy frozen Greek yogurt and the sticky swirl. My sweet tooth approves!

I do wish the swirl had a bit more texture. Perhaps, since it’s a cinnamon graham swirl, it could’ve been a little gritty like there were graham cracker bits in it.

Is there anything else you need to know?

With the bars being made of Greek yogurt, they contain live and active cultures, and the nutrition facts won’t make you feel guilty when you eat one.

Conclusion:

I’m writing this review at the beginning of fall, so there’s a lot more new seasonal products coming up. But, so far, Yasso’s Pecan Pie Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars have set a high bar for whatever other new fall products get released.

Purchased Price: $4.44
Size: 4 bars – 3.5 fl. oz. bars
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 130 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 14 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Bubbies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites

Marvo

Bubbies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites

What are Bubbies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites?

The concept is similar to mochi ice cream, which are small blobs of ice cream wrapped in soft Japanese rice cake. But instead of rice cake, these have a cookie dough exterior. More specifically, these feature chocolate chip ice cream wrapped in chocolate chip cookie dough.

How are they?

I hate to say this because I do LOVE Bubbies mochi ice cream, but these cookie dough ice cream bites don’t make me want to use all caps or the word “love.”

Bubbies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites Closeup

The ice cream inside is fine, although it’s not perfect, which I’ll explain later. My issue with this treat is the chocolate chip cookie dough exterior. It’s a bit bland when compared to other edible cookie dough brands I’ve tried.

There’s a brown sugar flavor that’s common with other edible cookie dough, but it’s too mild. Not even the tiny bits of chocolate in the dough or the vanilla ice cream help elevate it to the point where I’d ignore the serving size and stuff my mouth with all six in the box.

Bubbies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites Innards

But if you think about it, these cookie dough ice cream bites follow what mochi ice cream is like — a light-flavored exterior that lets the ice cream filling stand out. However, that’s not what I expected with these. I want the cookie dough to stand out, but it doesn’t.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Bubbies Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites Innards 2

The ice cream has the flavor and creaminess I expect from Bubbies, but with the four I’ve eaten so far there seems to be a lack of chocolate chips within the ice cream. They’re a different texture than what’s in the cookie dough, so it’s easy to feel one. Unfortunately, I felt a chip only two or three times with each piece. That seems like an adequate amount since it takes two or three bites to eat one. But when I cut open one, I’m looking at a short wall of vanilla ice cream.

Conclusion:

Chocolate chip ice cream wrapped in edible chocolate chip cookie dough looks like an instant winner on paper or a computer screen as a 3D model, but Bubbies’ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bites did not win over my taste buds.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Doing so did not influence my review in any way, which you saw if you read it. In fact, I believe this review will ensure I’ll never get samples from Bubbies again.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 6-pieces
Purchased at: Received from Bubbies
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bite) 130 calories, 6 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.