Ice Cream – Page 38 – The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Toy Story 4 Carnival Churro Cravings Ice Cream

Denis / March 4, 2019 / Reviews / 1 Comment

What is Toy Story 4 Carnival Churro Cravings Ice Cream?

One of two new flavors (Chocolate Peanut Butter Midway Mash-Up is the other) released by Edy’s/Dreyer’s in advance of Toy Story 4, which presumably includes a plot featuring a carnival with a midway and a couple of oh-so-cute stuffed animal prizes featured on the package. According to Wikipedia, my sole source of sometimes accurate information, the two new characters are Ducky and Bunny, voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. (Wikipedia didn’t specify which was which, and I didn’t think it would affect how the ice cream tasted, so I moved on).

How is it?

Quite good, especially considering it’s a light ice cream. It has a surprisingly rich and creamy taste and a more complex flavor than your run-of-the-mill cinnamon ice cream. However, I suspect the particular tub I purchased might have been produced when the quality control manager was taking a potty break, as it seemed pretty light on churro pieces and despite some furious digging I could barely locate the graham cracker swirl promised on the label.

Even taking into account that the photo on the package rarely matches what’s inside, the lack of churro and swirl was a minor letdown. But the churro pieces I did manage to find added a nice texture and extra flavor, and there is definitely a hint of graham cracker, so overall this is a winner.

Is there anything else you need to know?

The movie is not set to be released until June 21, so this product debut seems a bit premature. The good news is that it should be available at least through the end of summer. Also, I learned from the package that it’s “Great for birthdays!” Wow, thanks for the tip, otherwise I might have picked up some frozen broccoli for my next birthday blowout.

Conclusion:

Even with a possible churro and graham cracker swirl shortage, this ranks high for me as a solid choice. And bonus points for it being a light ice cream with 1/2 the fat and 1/3 fewer calories than regular ice cream. I was never good at fractions, but I think that means you can eat ten times as much.

I’m also tempted to sneak this into a movie theater this summer, especially since my local megaplex also serves warm churros, and that would make an incredible, albeit messy and probably short-lived, utensil to deliver the ice cream to my hungry mouth.

Purchased Price: $3.98
Size: 1.5 quarts
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 8 out of 10 (possibly higher with some more freakin’ graham cracker swirl)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup serving) 160 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Core Ice Cream

Marvo / February 19, 2019 / Reviews / 4 Comments

If you’ve been following Ben & Jerry’s over the past few years, you know the brand has come out with a line of Core pints that feature a sweet middle that in the past has included cookies, cheesecake, caramel, and whatever Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Gurus dream during REM sleep (Of course, REM meaning Ruminating on Edible Middles). This time, though, it’s cookie dough.

The line features three varieties — Chocolate Chip, Sweet Like Sugar, and Wake & “No Bake” — and they all have a cookie dough core running through the middle of each pint. But here’s the thing about these, they sound exciting, but they’re very similar to other flavors. Ben & Jerry’s has basically Core-ified its core (totally intended) varieties.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Core Ice Cream

If anyone knows how to make completely safe edible cookie dough, it’s Ben & Jerry’s.

Its classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor that features vanilla ice cream with gobs of cookie dough has been around for decades. All that experience, I imagine, has helped with the development of the new Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Core Ice Cream.

The pint has cookie milk ice cream with fudge chips and a chocolate chip cookie dough core. After trying it, it’s hard not to think of this as kind of like a reboot to the Ben & Jerry’s classic because the difference in taste between the two is so slight.

The cookie milk base seems to have a bit of the brown sugar that the cookie dough has, but I have to really think about it to notice it. If eaters don’t look at the label, they may assume it’s vanilla.

There’s more of a chocolatey presence because of the fudge chips, which, thankfully, are smaller than fudge flakes. Because they’re smaller pieces, there are more throughout the pint, which ensures that you’ll get a little bit in every spoonful.

As for the cookie dough, I want to say it’s slightly different from what’s in the classic in that it has a stronger brown sugar flavor and it tastes as if there’s a little maltiness. Its texture is the same sugar gritty feel as the gobs in the classic, which I love chewing on.

Bottom line with this variety is that if you love Ben & Jerry’s classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, then you’ll most definitely enjoy this.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 290 calories, 18 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Sweet Like Sugar Cookie Dough Core Ice Cream

This features sweet cream ice cream with a hint of almond flavor, shortbread cookies, cherry ice cream with cherries, and a sugar cookie dough core.

From the first spoonful, I’ve wanted to call this by another name, Cherry Garcia Dressed Up as Santa Claus. But I don’t think any graphic designer could legibly fit that on the front of a pint-sized ice cream container. My logic for the name is this: It has a lot of the same flavor as Cherry Garcia (mainly the cherry), but both ice creams are light in color like Santa’s beard and sugar cookies are what you leave out for Santa.

The cherry base and cherries are going to remind you of Cherry Garcia, minus the fudge flakes, which I don’t miss here. The other base is sweet cream with a hint of almond, but “hint” is a little modest. Eating the ice cream and its mix-in, the shortbread cookies, tastes like I’m eating Chinese almond cookies and it’s wonderful.

Haven’t you had Chinese almonds cookies? Find some, they’re wonderful!

Combining the almond with the cherry makes it divine. Cherry is the driving flavor, but at times I thought the combination tasted like pistachio. But no matter how I scooped it, I loved it. Although my love for Cherry Garcia, probably plays a major role in how I feel.

If I didn’t have to stop to type out my thoughts, I think I might’ve eaten half a pint in record time. You can see my lack of willpower with this in the photo above. Notice how far I’ve dug into it before taking a photo. Now look at the other pics. I didn’t dig very far into those.

As for the sugar cookie dough core, it doesn’t play a prominent role in terms of flavor. It has that wonderful sugar grittiness like the other cookie dough, but its taste is kind of plain compared with the chocolate chip one.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 270 calories, 16 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Wake & “No Bake” Cookie Dough Core Ice Cream

So if the first pint was like Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and the second pint was like Cherry Garcia, then the third must also be like another. And, it is, Sherlock. It reminds me of Peanut Butter Half Baked, which had chocolate and peanut butter ice cream mixed with gobs of peanut butter cookie dough and fudge brownies.

Wake & “No Bake” features vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cookies, peanut butter ice cream with fudge chips, and a no bake cookie dough core.

You may think, due to its color, that the core will bring a chocolatey-ness. It does, but it’s also noticeably nutty and salty. I don’t know if that’s because the peanut butter ingredients somewhat permeated into it, but it shifts the flavor of the pint more into a nutty direction. Also, I’m not going to test this scientifically, but the core feels grittier than the other two, which I liked.

The fudge chips weren’t too plentiful in my pint, so that could also explain why it leaned more toward peanut butter. The vanilla base also helps prevents it from becoming too peanut butter-heavy.

While this has the best name out of the three, because I do love them Ben & Jerry’s pint names that are also weed references, it’s my least favorite of the three. Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s a great flavor if you like peanut butter, but don’t want to be smacked in the face with it. I found it easy to control myself around this pint, unlike the other two, which I had to force myself to put back in the freezer.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 290 calories, 19 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

Other Things

Don’t think of the cookie dough as this spreadable. I mean, if you let it thaw enough, it might be spreadable, but, at the same time, your ice cream will also be liquid.
Even though they’re new and wonderful, the flavors are too familiar.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free samples from Ben & Jerry’s. Doing so did not influence my review in any way. Although I know with 7, 8, and 9 ratings, it reads like it, but I assure you it did not.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream

QUICK REVIEW: Bubbies Chocolate Egg Nog and Peppermint Candy Mochi Ice Cream

Marvo / December 20, 2018 / Reviews

What are Bubbies Chocolate Egg Nog and Peppermint Candy Mochi Ice Cream?

If you’re not familiar with mochi ice cream, it’s ice cream inside mochi, which is a chewy Japanese rice dough. I know “rice dough” might not seem delicious, but I assure you, the ice cream stands out and the mochi’s texture is a wonderful contrast to the creamy ice cream. One of the first companies to offer mochi ice cream, Bubbies, has two holiday flavors — Chocolate Egg Nog and Peppermint Candy.

How are they?

Let’s start with the egg nog one because it’s the one I dream about when I close my eyes. It tastes like the holiday beverage in frozen treat form. While the nog spices excite my taste buds, the chocolate mochi exterior doesn’t come into play because the flavor of the ice cream is so rich and strong. But despite that, I adore these.

Peppermint Candy, on the other hand, doesn’t appear in my dreams, but the flavor is spot on. The level of mint is not intense. It’s slightly more sweet than minty, which is just like actually peppermint candy. The mochi exterior with this one also doesn’t play a significant role with the flavor. I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t make me want to go all mochi ice cream monster on the entire pack, like the other one does.

Is there anything else I need to know?

There are only six of them in each box, which go for about $5-$6 per box. And each one is about two inches in diameter and weigh 1.25 ounces. So if you do the math, it’s pricey for the amount of ice cream you get.

Also, while Bubbies is a company based in Hawaii, its mochi ice cream is available across the country. You can find them at Whole Foods and other grocers.

Conclusion:

Bubbies’ Chocolate Egg Nog and Peppermint Candy Mochi Ice Cream are great, but as you can tell from what I’ve written, I love the Chocolate Egg Nog way more because, full disclosure, I’m an egg nog hog.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples from Bubbies, but doing so didn’t influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 7.5 oz. box
Purchased at: Received from Bubbies
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Chocolate Egg Nog)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Peppermint Candy)
Nutrition Facts: (1 piece) Chocolate Egg Nog – 90 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. Peppermint Candy – 90 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Ice Cream

QUICK REVIEW: Perry’s Ice Cream Elf Trash

Vin / December 19, 2018 / Reviews / 6 Comments

What is Perry’s Ice Cream Elf Trash?

According to the North Pole’s head elf, Sugarplum Perry, he and his elf brethren “accidentally” raided Santa’s cupboard to create the “yummiest holiday stash.”

How “stash” became “trash” remains a mystery, but you know what they say, “One man’s trash is another elf’s pleasure.*”

How is it?

Elf Trash made my yuletide gay. I don’t exactly know what that means, and I don’t know if that’s still PC, but I’m pretty sure it’s a good thing.

Speaking of good things, using a flavor base of white chocolate instead of vanilla was an excellent decision. I’d never had Perry’s brand ice cream prior to this, but they seem to have the perfect level of creaminess nailed down.

The ice cream stood on its own, but the “Elf Trash” Christmas fix-ins brought it to another level. Not only do we get fudge covered pretzels, peanuts, and candies, but crispy pralines too. Each spoonful is loaded with additional bites of varying textures that really make this a happy “accident.”

Is there anything else you need to know?

While the green and red fudge ornaments give the ice cream its festive look, they’re a tad hard and chalky in the ice cream, and I honestly don’t think the overall product would have suffered without them. This is a nitpick though as they’re still fun and tasty enough. They’re essentially Sixlets without the candy shells.

Other than that, I have no complaints. The sugar crystal coated pralines were perfect, and the hint of salt from the pretzels and Goober-esque peanuts wrapped this all in a delicious bow.

Conclusion:

Don’t let “Trash” fool ya, because you’re not gonna find many better ice creams in the freezer right now. I’d absolutely recommend picking up a pint this Christmas.

*People say this, don’t fact check it. Feel free to fact check Sugarplum Perry’s “head elf” claim.

Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 Cup) 240 calories, 15 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 grams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

Ice Cream Perry's Ice Cream

REVIEW: Magnum Ice Cream Tubs (Late 2018 Flavors)

Meghan / November 14, 2018 / Reviews / 1 Comment

Expanding upon its foray into the pint-size game, Magnum has released three new flavors of its ultra-indulgent ice cream just in time to comfort the lonely souls stuck at home watching Hallmark Christmas specials all by themselves.

Each pint features velvety ice cream intermingled with crackable cocoa shards and topped with a solid disk of Magnum’s signature rich chocolate. Because, you know, why choose between ice cream and a chocolate bar when you can have both?

Magnum Milk Chocolate Almond Tub

Featuring vanilla ice cream studded with chopped almonds, chocolate shards, and additional almonds sprinkled on a milk chocolate top, this is probably the tamest flavor of the bunch.

It’s not a whole lot different from Magnum’s Milk Chocolate Vanilla pint from the original line-up. Neither the ice cream, nor the chocolate has any flavor variance, and the only thing that separates this flavor from its predecessor is the texture given by the chopped almonds.

Even so, this is plenty enjoyable as it is. The luscious vanilla base is tasty enough to stand by itself but is also mild enough to allow the almond’s flavor to come though layers of ice cream and chocolate.

While not being pretty, the almond-studded milk chocolate disk on top helped to drive home the idea behind this flavor, making it slightly reminiscent of the Hershey’s Almond bars I remember eating as a kid.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 390 calories, 25 grams of total fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of total carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, 26 grams of added sugars, and 6 grams of protein.

Magnum Dark Chocolate Mint Tub

Dark chocolate and mint are two flavors I’ve found an increasing appreciation for as an adult. Even so, it’s surprising this turned out to be my favorite of Magnum’s newest offerings.

The slight bitterness bought by ample amounts of dark chocolate helped keep this pint from seeming as sweet as it would have been had Magnum utilized the same milk chocolate featured in the other two flavors. The bright peppermint base complimented the dark chocolate’s richness exceptionally well, making it easy to finish in a sitting without feeling too heavy.

Honestly, eating this straight from the freezer reminds me of eating a frozen York Peppermint Patty, although the outer shell is notably thicker here. Even so, this is one of the best chocolate mint ice creams I’ve ever had, and it’s going to be a go-to when I’m craving chocolate, mint, and ice cream all at once.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 350 calories, 22 grams of total fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 29 grams of total sugars, 24 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein.

Magnum Milk Chocolate Mocha Tub

In contrast to how Dark Chocolate Mint utilized shards of dark chocolate to balance against a sweet peppermint base, this pint decided to tackle that issue from the other direction by making use of coffee extract to bring bittersweet notes to the ice cream itself.

Even though I’m generally a fan of coffee-infused anything, I didn’t like this pint quite as much as I’d hoped. While the ice cream is undoubtedly delicious, I found that the coffee extract covered up the milk chocolate’s flavor, and I only noticed its presence when I chomped down on a larger-than-average chunk.

Also, since the coffee and chocolate aspects of the ice cream aren’t seamlessly mixed, I don’t think that its fair of Magnum to call this flavor “Mocha.” Instead, calling it “Milk Chocolate Coffee,” or something similar, would more accurately describe how it actually tastes.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 14.8 fl. ox.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 350 calories, 23 grams of total fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 25 grams of total sugars, 21 grams of added sugars, and 5 grams of protein.

Other Things

To make sure that the chocolate shards crack properly, Magnum recommends that you let all three of these sit on your counter for at least ten minutes before you squeeze them. So, plan your snack ahead of time. Or you can take the impatient route as I did by microwaving them in ten-second bursts.
Even after letting mine soften, I still couldn’t get any of the chocolate disks on top to crack when I squeezed the containers. Eventually, I found that I had to grab a heavy duty spoon and really dig in there to break past the chocolate monoliths on top and get into the silky ice cream underneath.

Ice Cream Magnum