Tag: Ice Cream

REVIEW: Good Humor Reese’s Bar

Vin 5 Comments

Good Humor Reese s Bar

Who is this Good Humor Man I always hear about?

Growing up, my neighborhood had a Good Humor truck, but the man inside looked like he hadn’t smiled since the Carter administration. His icy demeanor definitely matched the goods he was peddling. Despite the awkward interactions, his sweet siren song never failed to boost my adrenaline levels to Herculean heights. Besides, as unfunny people like myself will always tell you – good humor is subjective.

Good Humor Reese s Bar 2

Now while I was usually a WWF Superstar bar, candy cigarettes, Pixie Stick, and Warheads kid, I did get the occasional Good Humor ice cream bar.

Strawberry Shortcake always seemed to be the popular choice. My mother used to buy boxes of them from the supermarket, and while they’re classics, my choice was always Toasted Almond. (Chocolate Éclair was great, but a distant third and I’ve never had Cookies and Cream.)

I haven’t had one of those babies in ages, so when I saw Good Humor had a Reese’s bar on the market, it was like hearing the Good Humor truck song all over again.

Good Humor Reese s Bar 3

These certainly look the part of a Good Humor bar. I was excited about the prospect of the chocolate and peanut butter crumb exterior, as that was always my favorite part.

I plucked a few crumb pieces off and tasted them individually. They weren’t bursting with the Reese’s flavor I was hoping for, but no big deal. I trudged on and went for a bite.

Good Humor Reese s Bar 4

The look of the ice cream itself was a bit uninspiring. It has a very light khaki color, that resembled cake texturally.

As for the flavor, the ice cream was not nearly as peanut buttery as I had hoped. Not only that, I felt the chocolate almost took a bit away from the already weak peanut butter.

The crumbs enhanced the experience a bit but weren’t as crunchy as I remember them being back in the day. They almost added a “stale” element to the bar to be honest. My memory could just be off here, but the bites felt less satisfying.

Look, you slap the name “Reese’s,” on anything, and I’ll enjoy it. I’d brush my teeth with Reese’s toothpaste if they felt inclined to make it. The Reese’s brand has never let me down, until now.

These aren’t very flavorful. They’re boring – I mean, pretty good boring, but boring.

These bars are one step above eating those healthy ice creams that people on diets pretend is good but actually tastes like ice you chip off the wall of an old freezer.

I’m disappointed a Reese’s product didn’t live up to my standards. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll probably still enjoy these, but I see no reason to recommend them. They’re middle of the road but aren’t better than the Good Humor OG’s. They’re not better than any other Reese’s products, and they’re probably not better than any other peanut butter item in the frozen section, so really, why bother?

(Nutrition Facts – 1 Bar – 180 calories, 100 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 13 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: 6-pack box
Purchased at: Stop & Shop
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Taste like Reese’s light. Still a decent ice cream bar. Ice Cream Truck music. Good Humor memories.
Cons: So many better options out there. Lacking that Reese’s punch. Miserable Ice Cream Men. Subtle phallic box imagery.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Moo-phoria Light Ice Cream

Marvo 5 Comments

Ben Jerry s Moo phoria Light Ice Cream

Update: If you’re looking for reviews of the new Moo-phoria flavors — P.B. Marshmallow Swirl, Cherry Garcia with a Twist, Chocolate Cookie EnlightenMint, and Mocha Fudge Brownie — click here to read our reviews.

Eating an entire pint of ice cream in one sitting is a thing that, if I rationalize it, will create an balanced pros and cons list. 

Pros: It’s yummy. It makes me feel good. There will be more room in my freezer.

Cons: Consuming a lot of fat and sugar. I’ll feel guilty about eating an entire pint later. I’ll have a stomachache soon.

There’s been an influx of light ice cream brands that take away the guilt of eating an entire container, like Halo Top, Enlightened, and Breyers Delights. They’re advertised as having around 300 calories, not a lot of sugar, and a decent amount of protein PER PINT. Ben & Jerry’s decided to jump into the not quite creamy river of light ice creams with its new Moo-phoria line.

There are three flavors:

  • Chocolate Milk & Cookies – Chocolate and vanilla light ice cream with chocolate chip cookies.
  • Caramel Cookie Fix – Vanilla light ice cream with shortbread cookies and a salted caramel swirl.
  • P.B. Dough – Chocolate light ice cream with gobs of chocolate chip peanut butter cookie dough.

While Moo-phoria is a light ice cream, it’s done differently than its competition. It doesn’t use ingredients other brands use, like sugar alcohols (which can cause stomach issues) and sugar substitutes (which can cause taste issues). But those do allow Halo Top and its ilk to take “light” to a whole different level. Per pint, they have fewer calories, fat, and sugar than Ben & Jerry’s offering. Plus, they shove in stuff to give them more protein and fiber.

But Moo-phoria is more like regular ice cream than its competition. If you scan the ingredients, it reads like normal ice cream. There’s milk, cream, egg yolks, love, sugar, and a bunch of normal Ben & Jerry’s ice cream looking ingredients. There’s no out of place vegetable glycerin or soluble corn fiber.

However, in my mouth is where the differences become clear.

Ben Jerry s Chocolate Milk Cookies Moo phoria Light Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Milk & Cookies Moo-phoria Light Ice Cream

The textures of the chocolate and vanilla ice cream bases are not as creamy as regular ice cream, so when they melt, they do so cleaner and quicker. As for their flavor, the chocolate one tastes like full-fat Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice cream, but not with the same punch. The vanilla one is somewhat lacking in flavor. It tastes closer to something you’d get from Breyers instead of Ben & Jerry’s. And, yes, that’s an insult, Breyers. But not having strong flavors shouldn’t be surprising since they’re light ice creams.

Ben Jerry s Caramel Cookie Fix Moo phoria Light Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry’s Caramel Cookie Fix Moo-phoria Light Ice Cream

But what I didn’t expect was how mild in flavor some mix-ins were. The shortbread and chocolate chip cookies in their respective pints blend in with the ice cream and don’t stand out. I imagine they also had to be lightened in order to bring down the calories and fat. With the mix-ins you’d find in regular Ben & Jerry’s pints, such as fudge chunks, brownies, and cake pieces, it’s easy to determine what they are because their flavors pop. But with the cookies in their respective Moo-phoria pints, if you didn’t read the labels, it would be hard to tell what they are because of their flavor and chewy textures that are more like cookie dough or swirls than cookies.

Speaking of cookie dough, the chocolate chip peanut butter gobs in P.B. Dough didn’t have the same issues. They have a strong peanut butter flavor and a texture that’s similar to the cookie dough in other Ben & Jerry’s pints.

Ben Jerry s PB Dough Moo phoria Light Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry’s P.B. Dough Moo-phoria Light Ice Cream

If I had to choose a favorite, I’d pick P.B. Dough because the chocolate ice cream and cookie dough have more flavor. Also, my container had a lot of mix-ins. If my pint was a minefield and the cookie dough gobs were mines, I’d be dead many times over. As for the other two, the use of light flavored vanilla ice cream and mix-ins don’t excite my taste buds. Not even the salted caramel swirl could fix Caramel Cookie Fix.

But here I am comparing it to regular Ben & Jerry’s. I’m sure some of you are wondering if it’s better than light ice cream juggernaut Halo Top. I definitely think it is. But, to be honest, I don’t have a strong positive opinion of Halo Top. The stevia messes with the flavor and the texture is odd. Every one I’ve tried has been okay, but I also feel they’re an unsatisfactory attempt at something that should be pleasurable. Don’t @ me.

But with that said, the best way I can describe Moo-phoria is to say it’s Ben & Jerry’s ice cream but without a soul. I don’t feel a lot of joy or excitement when I shove a spoonful into my mouth, although there’s slightly more with P.B. Dough. These lack what most standard Ben & Jerry’s varieties have, which is some kind of strong willpower casting aside ability that can ruin diets, New Year’s resolutions, and calorie counter limits.

With pints like those I have to force myself to stop or else I’ll eat the entire container in one sitting. But with Moo-phoria I don’t have to force myself to stop because I don’t have the desire to eat the entire container in one sitting, even though I can.

Disclosure: Ben & Jerry’s sent me free Moo-phoria pints to sample. Receiving them for free did not influence my review.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – P.B. Dough – 160 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 16 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. Caramel Cookie Fix – 150 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. Chocolate Milk & Cookies – 140 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber 15 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint each
Purchased at: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10 (P.B. Dough)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Chocolate Milk & Cookies)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Caramel Cookie Fix)
Pros: Doesn’t make me want to eat the entire pint in one sitting. The light chocolate ice cream. P.B. Dough flavor. More like regular ice cream than other light ice creams. Doesn’t use sugar alcohols or sugar substitutes.
Cons: Doesn’t make me want to eat the entire pint in one sitting. The shortbread cookies and chocolate chip cookies. The light vanilla ice cream. Not as light as other light ice creams.

REVIEW: Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche Cookie Squares

Margaret 3 Comments

Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche Cookie Squares jpg

I know winter is supposed to be all fuzzy slippers and hot cocoa and half a metric ton of cinnamon spice, but, as someone known to recite Shakespearean love sonnets to frozen dairy, I need little to entice me that the dead middle of winter is the perfect time for some ice cream. Especially if it involves cookies, chocolate, and caramel, and boom-shackalacka! Haagen-Dazs is delivering just that.

Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche Cookie Squares 2 jpg

If you don’t have soft spot in your heart for gooey, deeply nutty caramel, just turn away ‘cause this bar is ribboned with the stuff. Now, in case you haven’t yet had the near-holy, angels-singing-from-the-sky experience of dulce de leche yet, prepare thyself to be amazed! For dulce de leche is what becomes of sweetened condensed milk after being slowly caramelized, creating an effect that is less sharply sugary than regular caramel and more nutty-sweet.

Here, it serves as a thick, sweetened, gooey, nutty confection that strings out like mad from the surrounding sweeter caramel ice cream, which provided me with enough energy to hurl a monster truck across a football field.

And it doesn’t even stop there, folks. The chocolate coating is snappy, sweet, and drizzled with just a tad bit of semisweet chocolate to yin out the yang of the main milk chocolate base. The Oreo-like cookie wafer has a snap, crumble, chew, and durability that holds up to the weight of the ice cream above. Taken as a whole, the result is crispy, creamy, nutty, crumbly, chocolatey, and other delicious adjectives that end in “y.” It all makes for something so delicious.

Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche Cookie Squares 3 jpg

In this small three-dimensional square, Haagen-Dazs proves that, while it may be winter, dessert doesn’t have to taste like a Gingerbread Man’s spice drawer to be absolutely delicious in a blustery season. Indeed, sometimes, a simple, well-executed square of cookie, ice cream, and chocolate is just the thing to transform a callous-hearted, snowy-sludged humbug into a un-grumpified, semi-regularly-functioning human who has big dreams and has done adult things today and deserves something very, very spectacular.

Like you, dear reader.

You deserve something very, very spectacular. So go get you some! They may not be perfect and hardly toe the line of breaking new ground, but they are delicious. And, for today, delicious is enough.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 bar – 310 calories, 170 calories from fat, 18 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.34 (on sale)
Size: 1 box/3 bars
Purchased at: Ralph’s
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Nutty, nutty dulce de leche. Milk and semisweet chocolate. Durable, Oreo-like cookie wafer. Enough sugar to hurl a monster truck across a football field.
Cons: Not the best if you’re looking for crazy mix-ins. Callous-hearted, snowy-sludged humbugs.

REVIEW: Kit Kat Ice Cream

Heather 7 Comments

Kit Kat Ice Cream 2018

As I snagged the very last container of Kit Kat Ice Cream at my local grocery store the previous weekend (was this a sign that everyone loves the ice cream?), I couldn’t get this scene from The Office out of my head. In fact, I still can’t.

All pop culture references aside, let’s cut to the chase. Thank you, Kit Kat Ice Cream, for being an amazing treat. I’ve always liked Kit Kat bars since they seem a little bit lighter and I can eat one and be perfectly satisfied. With this ice cream, I wasn’t quite satisfied… because I liked it so much I needed more. #wentbackforseconds

The description says that the product is chocolate light ice cream with a wafer swirl and Kit Kat candy pieces. So here’s the most important thing to note: This is NOT Kit Kat flavored ice cream. It’s chocolate. The Kit Kat comes in a second.

Kit Kat Ice Cream 2018 2

At first bite, the chocolate ice cream was delightful. Light, as described, and very creamy. It actually reminded me of a Wendy’s Frosty, as it was a little “meltier” and not as solid. (It was, in fact, in the freezer for a while before consuming – in case you thought that might have contributed to the meltiness.)

Within each bite of glorious ice cream are Kit Kat candy pieces. They definitely did not skimp on the candy pieces. I can confidently say that I got them in 95 percent of my bites. Next time there’s chocolate chips in an ice cream, can I substitute for Kit Kat pieces? To me, they tasted more like a dark chocolate than the usual milk chocolate… and I certainly wasn’t complaining. My only gripe was that the Kit Kat flavor from the candy was slightly overpowered by the ice cream. Not by much, but enough for me to knock my rating down a few points.

Kit Kat Ice Cream 2018 3

The wafer swirl was a nice addition, but it wasn’t super apparent. I barely noticed it as I took off the ice cream lid, and it was only faintly visible once I scooped. There was a little flavor from it as I ate, but the Kit Kat pieces were the pièce de résistance.

The ice cream did effect the crispiness of the Kit Kat pieces — more of a chocolate flavor with a small hint of the wafer inside. But the wafer swirl helps make up for the crispiness inside the pieces.

My favorite thing about this ice cream was that you could eat a decent amount of it and not feel weighed down. Looking at the nutritional facts, it’s not bad for a dessert. If you’re staying home on a Saturday night dateless eating straight out of a tub of ice cream, I recommend this one. You won’t be disappointed.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $3.34
Size: 1.5 qts.
Purchased at: Giant Eagle
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: A multitude of Kit Kat candy pieces. Fantastic chocolate ice cream.
Cons: Ice cream is chocolate, not Kit Kat flavored. Lackluster wafer swirl.

QUICK REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Bobsled Brownie Ice Cream

Joe 2 Comments

Baskin Robbins Bobsled Brownie Ice Cream

When the snowmen in my yard light impromptu bonfires to fight the frigid cold, ice cream is the last thing on my mind. Still, the sight of Baskin-Robbins returning Bobsled Brownie made me race over for a frozen treat. January’s Flavor of the Month boasts blonde brownie pieces and a fudge crackle ribbon mixed with milk-chocolate-mousse and butter-caramel-flavored ice creams.

The dessert itself is an imposing sight with a large crag of the fudge crackle ribbon jutting out of the ice cream mountain base. The chocolate and caramel ice cream slopes are swirled together preventing one from isolating a single track. Fortunately, the two combine to provide a smooth, creamy consistency with a flavor that vacillates depending on the ratio in any given spoonful.

Baskin Robbins Bobsled Brownie Ice Cream 2

Depressingly, the brownie pieces that always excite me when advertised are neither large nor frequent enough to add more than a spongy textural contrast. They don’t detract from the dessert, but I would not have noticed their absence. An unexpected rider for me is the attenuated but still chewy chunks of caramel that are as commonplace as the brownie bits. The flavor works well, but I do not appreciate having to chew parts of my ice cream.

Baskin Robbins Bobsled Brownie Ice Cream 3

The fudge crackle ribbon, on the other hand, is bold and pervasive but also firm and difficult to break apart. Small pieces occasionally cleave off from the core and find themselves in the mix, but a pickaxe the pink plastic spoon is not. This does, however, result in unavoidably fudgy, dark spoonfuls of the crackle ribbon that my chocoholic self adores.

Despite flirting with the lip of a caramel curve, Bobsled Brownie is an enjoyable treat. While some of the elements seem as out of place as a Jamaican bobsled team, everything works well enough together to be a cool running.

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: Large scoop (4 oz.)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Large scoop) 310 calories, 19 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, 24 grams of sugar, 2 grams of dietary fiber and 5 grams of protein.