Ice Cream – Page 36 – The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Caramel Cannonball Blizzard

Denis / April 15, 2019 / Reviews / 4 Comments

What is the Caramel Cannonball Blizzard?

It’s the most vaguely named of the newest offerings on Dairy Queen’s 2019 Summer Blizzard menu. Yes, it has caramel, and a lot of it, with that word appearing three times in what DQ says is a mix of vanilla soft-serve with caramel-coated caramel truffles, toffee pieces, and caramel topping.

How is it?

Do you know how in fast food commercials the people eating are always smiling, laughing and generally looking a bit too overjoyed to be munching on a $5 value meal? That’s how I behaved while eating this Blizzard, which was a little strange since I was dining alone. But it was just that good, even great.

The caramel topping brings a light brown color to the mix and a subtle flavor to the soft-serve, and the toffee pieces add a nice crunch and buttery taste that pairs perfectly with the topping. But the caramel-coated caramel truffles really complete the mix, even beyond their alliterative brilliance. The coating would have been good on its own, but when you bite into a truffle and release the gooey caramel trapped inside you’ll find yourself furiously digging around for the next one.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Another similar truffle, the chocolate-coated caramel variety, has been used sparingly by DQ in past Blizzard concoctions, including the Triple Truffle (along with fudge and peanut butter), and a salted caramel truffle was featured in the not-so-creatively-named Salted Caramel Truffle Blizzard. This version appears to be the first time a caramel-coated caramel one has been thrown into the mix, and I hope it’s not the last.

I must admit that truffle is one of those words I’ve never been completely clear on and been too lazy to seek clarification. I know what the Truffle Shuffle is from watching “The Goonies” countless times, but I’ve always thought it was a type of mushroom.

It turns out they’re not, but they’re a mushroom-like fungus. Not being a fan of mushrooms or mushroom-like fungi, I’ve generally stayed away from them, only to find out that chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, etc. truffles are named simply because of their resemblance to the fungus. The point of that little story is to let any other linguistically-challenged readers rest easy in knowing that there are no mushrooms or fungi in this Blizzard, just sugary goodness.

Conclusion:

It’s always tempting to say the last great thing you had was the greatest ever, and with plenty of tasty Blizzard flavors over the years I’ll refrain from crowning this one king (or perhaps more appropriately, queen) of all Blizzardtopia. But for me, this one is a rightful heir to the throne, and with an untimely demise or two from above, I might bow down and say this is my favorite of all-time.

Purchased Price: $2.89
Size: Mini
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Mini) 470 calories, 21 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat,
0.5 gram of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 50 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Brownie Dough Blizzard

Adam / April 8, 2019 / Reviews / 2 Comments

What is the Brownie Dough Blizzard?

One of Dairy Queen’s new summer Blizzard treats. Refusing to be categorized as cookie dough or brownie batter, brownie dough is, as far as I can tell, basically a chewy brownie ball of no special significance. Dairy Queen is serving them blended with soft serve, choco chunks, and cocoa fudge to complete the chocolate trinity.

How is it?

Two words: Wonderfully chocolatey.

Also, chewy and crunchy.

To be sure, there’s no difference in the Blizzard’s flavor or composition from Dairy Queen’s Choco Brownie Extreme Blizzard Treat, which, instead of “brownie dough,” uses “chewy brownie pieces.” The dough balls in mine were chewy and modestly fudgy, punctuated by bursts of crunchy and sweet chocolate thanks to a plentiful supply of choco chunks. Unfortunately, there were no extra-chewy end pieces. But there was ice cream, which, blended with fudge, made a classic chocolate and vanilla twist base.

Is there anything else you should know?

If you’re the kind of person who cannot refrain from leaving a comment about how these dough balls are in no way, shape, or form as good as the brownies you made after watching Alton Brown’s 2002 Good Eats episode “Art of Darkness II,” I’m going to preempt you and tell you that you’re right. But they’re still pretty okay.

Conclusion:

Semantics aside, if you like brownies, which most human beings do, you should like this Blizzard. It’s a good mixture of crunchy and chewy chocolate textures swimming in an ocean of creamy soft serve — in other words, the perfect summer treat.

Purchased Price: $2.89
Size: Mini
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Mini) 400 calories, 17 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 57 grams of carbohydrates, 2 gram of dietary fiber, 46 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

Blizzard Dairy Queen Fast Food Ice Cream

REVIEW: Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins Affogato

Tiffany / April 5, 2019 / Reviews / 1 Comment

What is the Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins Affogato?

An affogato is a classic Italian dessert featuring gelato “drowned” (direct translation of the word) by warm espresso. In this version, it’s naturally Dunkin’s espresso poured over Baskin-Robbin’s ice cream.

How is it?

Better than expected!

This combination isn’t new to me, but Dunkin’ isn’t really a place where I would think to order this because it sounds fancy and frou frou. But, if you haven’t tried one yet, it basically tastes like a coffee milkshake (if ordered with vanilla like I did).

However, because ice cream is less dense than gelato, the pour-over created a weird looking texture that I can only describe as brain-like. Appetizing, I know.

Also, the vanilla ice cream was a bit too icy for my liking. Baskin-Robbins used to the gold standard for me as a kid! Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Is there anything else you need to know?

You can get any one of the 31 flavors as the base for your affogato! The gal working mentioned that she tried it with the Jamoca Almond Fudge and didn’t love it because it just tasted like a “less sweet version.” So, it’s probably better to stick with a more plain flavor.

Conclusion:

I would order this again! I think this new offering makes the combo stores a bit more exciting for me. I like less-sweet flavor profiles, so next time I’ll get it with a chocolate ice cream for a mocha version!

Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available.

Baskin-Robbins Dunkin Donuts Fast Food Ice Cream

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard

Denis / April 4, 2019 / Reviews / 3 Comments

What is the Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard?

Dairy Queen’s Blizzard of the Month for April brings together three veterans of the Blizzard universe — Oreo cookie pieces, chocolate chip cookie dough, and fudge — which of course is all blended with vanilla soft serve.

How is it?

It’s not life-altering, but this one ranks solidly in the upper echelon of tasty Blizzard combinations. I’ve never met an Oreo-infused Blizzard that I didn’t like, and the one-two punch of that classic chocolate cookie crunch and fudge is always good, and then the cookie dough adds another level to the experience.

This has a complex and satisfying flavor combo, especially considering it has only three things mixed in. Plus, the blending of textures here is a bit unique in that is has the crunch of the Oreo wafers and the soft chewiness of the dough. A good number of other Blizzards have just one consistency — be it crunchy, gooey, or chewy — so having two together is a nice change of pace. The cookie dough also prevents this one from hitting the point where there’s too much chocolate, even though that’s a difficult threshold to achieve.

It’s not the most creative concoction, but props to DQ for not over-hyping the name like they sometimes do by adding “extreme,” “ultimate,” “awesome,” or “blizztastic.” (OK, so it never used that last one, but I wanted to get that term out there so if it ever does, then I can file a frivolous lawsuit for theft of intellectual property.)

Is there anything else you need to know?

This Blizzard might be the record-breaker for the longest gap between the original introduction and re-introduction. According to TIB’s handy dandy Blizzards of the Month chronology, this one was first unveiled back in September 2009 and has since been in hibernation. Nearly a decade later, it’s back. Why now? I have no idea. Maybe because it debuted before Instagram, so the Blizzard wizards at DQ simply forgot they’d already done this flavor.

Conclusion:

If I were a teacher and my job was to grade Blizzards, then I would never take a vacation or even complain about the low pay. And I would give this one a high B or low A, depending on what other Blizzards were in my class and if I was using the flawed bell curve system.

Will I be sad when April is over and the Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard is gone? Yeah, somewhat, but I’m sure the Blizzard of the Month for May will cheer me up, especially if by some miracle DQ brings back the Nerds Blizzard (Google it, and I dare you not to run out and make it yourself after reading about it).

Purchased Price: $3.89
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small) 710 calories, 27 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat,
0.5 gram of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 430 milligrams of sodium, 106 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 75 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

Blizzard Dairy Queen Ice Cream

REVIEW: Kit Kat Cones

Meghan / April 3, 2019 / Reviews / 10 Comments

What are Kit Kat Cones?

Entering into the frozen treat category just in time for the warmer weather, these Kit Kat-themed Drumsticks offer vanilla frozen dairy dessert with a chocolatey coating and a fudge core placed atop a crispy sugar cone.

How are they?

Despite being as enjoyable as any other Drumstick flavor, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down by these. Although each component was good and made a tasty dessert when combined, none were able to capture the experience of eating an actual Kit Kat and translate it into a frozen dairy dessert form.

Putting aside the Kit Kat branding for a moment, it’s hard to find many other faults here. Between the vanilla ice cream, crisp chocolatey shell, and airy wafer bits, everything is really well balanced. Even the cones were crisp and fresh, and far exceeded my expectations. If I had to knock Nestle on anything else, it would be the fudge filling’s blandness. Although clearly present, it wasn’t flavorful enough to compete against everything else this treat has, and Nestle could have nixed it without compromising quality.

The main issue I have with these is that the box was the only aspect actually reminiscent of a real Kit Kat. The wafer bits stuck in the chocolatey coating weren’t prominent enough to simulate biting into a finger of the famous candy, and neither the sugar cone shell nor the chocolate coating tasted anything like the classic candy.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Nestlé would have been better off by taking the lead from Snickers Ice Cream Bars and modeling the form of these after actual Kit Kat wafers. They would have been a lot more successful if they had layered vanilla ice cream in-between stacked wafer cookies and just covered the entire thing in milk chocolate.

Conclusion:

Although Nestle’s new Kit Kat Cones are a worthy entry into the Drumstick line, they aren’t similar enough to their candy inspiration to justify the branding behind them. Rather than buying these, I’d recommend eating regular Kit Kats out of the freezer.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 4 cones pack
Purchased at: Kroger
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cone) 280 calories, 12 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 27 grams of sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

Candy Ice Cream Kit Kat