Tag: Ben & Jerry’s

TIL: Ben & Jerry’s was the first to make cookie dough in ice cream happen.

What?!

Mind. Blown.

When I worked there in high school, that fun fact was not on any training or marketing materials. Glad they’re tapping into it now because that’s some serious cred!

For the summer, they’ve launched three Scoop Shop-exclusives that are chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream to the nth power. The Chip off the Dough Block flavor is the most extreme of the three; its chipper description reads: “Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Ice Creams with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Chocolate Chip Cookies.” I for one don’t think there’s such thing as too much chocolate chip cookie ever and the Flavor Gurus clearly agree.

Before trying the new flavor, I sampled the OG cookie dough one to orient my taste buds. The small sample was enough to remind me of that tasty, raw cookie dough flavor. I went all in for the new flavor though! When the scooper was scooping it, it was visibly much softer than some of the other ice creams. I appreciate that he dug a little deeper into the carton to get the bits that were a little more frozen.

The ice cream was light milk chocolate in color with visible caramel-colored streaks and studded with chocolate. I could see that they were bigger chunks, which fondly reminded me of the delicious chunks in one of my favorite flavors, Coffee, Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz. Because there’s no caramel in this flavor, I speculated that the streaks were smeared bits of the chocolate chip cookies.

The first lick (yes, fellow ice cream lickers unite!) was distinctly cookie dough but with a milkier, almost muted taste. The raw cookie dough flavor wasn’t as pronounced. But, I liked that I got the same texture-y goodness – if not more texture-y goodness.

As I continued eating, I noticed that there were also smaller chips like in Famous Amos cookies. I enjoyed both the chunk and chip. I didn’t see any real pieces of chocolate chip cookies though, which was disappointing. Bits of real cookie would have been a treat! The best textural element ended up being the chunks.

This flavor has all the qualities of great Ben & Jerry’s ice creams – smooth, creamy, scoop-able with fantastic texture – but it’s not worth a trek out to a Scoop Shop. I was able to achieve a close enough flavor experience with a Milk & Cookies pint from the local grocery store.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 scoop – 210 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $6.50
Size: Small
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Great texture-y goodness from both the chocolate chunks and chips. You might enjoy this flavor if find regular cookie dough ice cream too raw tasting!
Cons: Where are the pieces of chocolate chip cookies? Not worth the trek – similar in taste to Milk & Cookies.

As much as I love being able to spoon an entire Ben & Jerry’s pint into my mouth while watching Netflix, there’s something to be said about the magical nature of eating Ben & Jerry’s in an actual Scoop Shop.

See, whereas the whole pint/couch combination has convenience, the Scoop Shop has atmosphere. There’s the sweet fragrance of perfectly tempered ice cream circulating in the air, a seemingly endless buffet of delicious choices in the cooler, and a smiling ice cream scooper eagerly awaiting your decision.

Plus, Scoop Shops have exclusive flavors like Ben & Jerry’s new Cinn-DOUGH-rella, which continues Ben & Jerry’s tradition of including everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink by featuring, “Cinnamon and Caramel Ice Creams with Cinnamon Bun Dough, Shortbread Cookies, & Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookie Swirls.”

Unlike other ice creams that try to tame cinnamon’s natural spiciness to please delicate palates, this variety brought it out right from the get-go. The two ice creams came together in a way that allowed them to shine and complement one another, and the resulting combination was reminiscent of pouring icing onto fresh cinnamon rolls.

Ben & Jerry’s handled the cinnamon bun dough pieces nicely, too. They were abundant in my scoop, and they provided an extra-strong cinnamon hit that made me want to keep digging through my bowl to find more.

The swirl, while not particularly impressive looking, more than made up for its lackluster appearance in the taste department! It added even more flavor into what was already a Cinna-Bonanza, and the oat cookie swirls brought a subtle grittiness that helped to shake up the texture of the entire experience.

To be honest, the mix-ins are what I enjoyed the most about this variety. In fact, I liked the flavor of the cinnamon bun dough and oatmeal cookie swirl so much that I actually forgot about the shortbread cookie pieces, which were M.I.A. in my scoop. Not that it needed them anyway, because this flavor was busy enough.

One thing’s for sure: this is a flavor for the Cinna-Maniacs out there. Fans of Ben & Jerry’s Cinnamon Buns would love this. In fact, I’d go as far to say that this new flavor is everything the classic flavor wishes it could be. It’s almost as though the Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Gurus decided to dress up Cinnamon Buns to attend a Scoop Shop Ball, turning it into a cinnamon lover’s ultimate dream.

I only hope that Ben & Jerry’s decides to extend their Scoop-Shop-Exclusive party to the grocery store because I don’t think that downing a pint of Cinnamon Buns is going to satisfy my cravings for the sweet spice after getting a taste of such extravagant ice cream royalty!

(Nutrition Facts – 1 Scoop – 240 calories, 14 grams of total fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 21 grams of total sugars, 3 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 1 scoop
Purchased at: Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Getting to enjoy that Scoop Shop atmosphere. Not being afraid to show off bold cinnamon flavor. Worthy of being ice cream royalty in both flavor and name.
Cons: Missing shortbread cookie pieces. Exclusive only to Scoop Shops. Me not living anywhere close to a Scoop Shop. Not being able to inhale by the pint while watching Netflix.

What is it?

A Target-exclusive pint filled with chocolate ice cream, crunchy pretzel swirls, marshmallow swirls, and fudge-covered almonds.

How is it?

I might be wrong, but I think this is the first time Ben & Jerry’s has used a pretzel swirl. My pint didn’t have much of the salty swirl, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. When I did taste it, it didn’t make me think of pretzels. Instead, there were savory bursts in my mouth that I’d describe as too salty for an ice cream…or any food.

But, the saltiness lingers in subsequent spoonfuls and adds a pleasant light savoriness that goes well with the sweet chocolate ice cream, marshmallow swirls, and fudge-covered almonds.

Since there weren’t a lot of crunchy pretzel swirls, the pint reminded me of rocky road ice cream, which I didn’t mind at all. However, if there were as many pretzel swirls as there were marshmallow ones, then I would mind. The salt explosions in my mouth from them would be annoying and unpleasant.

Is there anything else I need to know?

I was confused about the name “Glampfire” at first. I had to look up on Urban Dictionary “glamping,” which, surprisingly, is also listed in a real dictionary. Apparently, dictionaries have lowered their standards.

Glamping is camping outdoors, but in comfort and luxury. For example, instead of sleeping in a tent with sleeping bags, glampers spend the night in a cottage on a Casper mattress with 4,000 thread count sheets and an almost extinct exotic bird down comforter.

Conclusion:

The saltiness is a bit much, but even though there might be pretzel swirls waiting for me at the bottom of the pint, I will finish it. Again, it’s rocky road-like, so it’s good as long as I don’t scoop up too much of the salty swirls. But, overall, this is one of my least favorite Ben & Jerry’s experiences.

DISCLOSURE: I received a sample from Ben & Jerry’s. Getting it didn’t influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 290 calories, 140 calories from fat, 16 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

Yes, Ben & Jerry’s already has a s’mores flavor, but not why s’more?

S’rry.

Limited Batch Gimme S’more Ice Cream seems to be influenced by what Ben & Jerry’s did two years ago with its Flavor Flip line, which involved taking its popular varieties and “flip” them. For example, it turned Chubby Hubby (vanilla malt ice cream with peanutty fudge-covered pretzels and fudge and peanut buttery swirls) into Tubby Hubby (peanut butter ice cream with sweet and salty pretzel swirls and fudge swirls).

While the original S’mores Ice Cream features chocolate ice cream with fudge chunks, toasted marshmallow, and graham cracker swirls, this upended s’mores has toasted marshmallow ice cream with chocolate cookie swirls, graham cracker swirls, and fudge flakes.

I’ve eaten Ben & Jerry’s S’mores and find it to be heavy on the chocolate. While this new s’mores variety has a noticeable chocolatiness, the use of the toasted marshmallow ice cream and graham cracker swirl help balance the flavor. By itself, the base is vanilla-ish with a tinge of something else.

But what I like about Gimme S’more are the swirls, and there were a lot of them in my pint. They say too much of a good thing is bad for you. Well, if those folks eat this ice cream, they will also eat their words.

Unfortunately, as I dug through the container, I’d occasionally come across the graham cracker one, but most of them were the chocolate cookie swirls, which give off an Oreo vibe. Because the latter dominates the pint and the base is similar to vanilla, as a whole it tastes like a better cookies and cream ice cream.

As for the fudge flakes, they’re now fudge shards, and I did a little dance when I realized that. Okay, not a little dance. I jumped up, screamed “YES,” pumped my fists, and thrust my hips at a rhythm matching my yelling of “That. Is. How. It. Should. Be.”

As long as I can remember, fudge flakes were more like fudge plates. They were these half-inch long rectangles that, if you scooped one up, would dominate whatever else was on your spoon. I’ve complained they are larger than they should be, but in this flavor, they’re not.

It’s as if Ben & Jerry’s reads my reviews. Hi, Ben & Jerry’s!

Gimme S’more doesn’t make me think of s’mores, but neither did the original S’mores Ice Cream. Despite that and the fact it tastes like cookies and cream, I found myself quickly eating through the pint. It’s not s’mores to me, but I do want s’more of it.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample from Ben & Jerry’s. Receiving it for free did not influence my review in any way.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 310 calories, 160 calories from fat, 18 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 130 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: It’s like a slightly better cookies and cream, but I still really like it. Fudge flakes are broken into smaller pieces (you don’t know how happy this makes me). Lots of swirls in my pint.
Cons: It’s like a slightly better cookies and cream, not s’mores. Need more graham cracker swirls. Kind of miss the squishy marshmallow swirl.

My relationship with Ben & Jerry’s goes way back. Our Facebook status would be “It’s Complicated” because of its on again/off again nature. While in college, a cone of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia was a splurge compared to the soft-serve offered on campus. While I lived in Mexico, I often longed for a scoop of Vermont gold instead of the frozen vegetable shortening offered by Nestle.

Our relationship back then was intense and passionate. These days, though, Ben & Jerry’s has taken a back seat to a more sultry suitor, Talenti.

Ice cream is my favorite food group and I’m not picky. If it’s cold, sweet, and creamy, I’m generally content. Until recently, Ben & Jerry’s distinguished itself from other brands for something I refer to as the “eat-in-one-sitting” factor. Their ice creams usually rate high on that factor and recently, when I’ve picked a pint of Pistachio Pistachio, I’m reminded of the steadfastness of my relationship with Ben & Jerry’s.

I was hoping that Ben & Jerry’s new Truffles line would woo me back to ice cream brand fidelity with the promise of a sweet lover’s whammy: ice cream and a decadent confection together. The Truffles line has three flavors: Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake, Chillin’ the Roast, and Chocolate Shake It! After trying these new flavors, our status is still “It’s Complicated.”

Chocolate Shake It Truffles

I started with this one because I’m not a big fan of malt flavors (except in beer) so I had low expectations and wanted to get it out of the way. I was wrong. It turned out to be my favorite of the three and the only one I felt compelled to eat the whole pint in one sitting. The chocolate malt milkshake ice cream base was mildly malt flavored, more like milk chocolate with a hint of malt. The marshmallow ribbons were gooey but not sticky.

The truffles had a dark chocolate cookie coating with a pronounced roasted (burnt?) flavor and were evenly balanced throughout the pint. Each spoonful of ice cream was more reminiscent of s’mores than Whopper malt balls. For someone like myself who doesn’t like malt, this was a plus. This was the most balanced flavor combination of the three.

Chillin’ the Roast Truffles

The coffee ice cream base had a distinct coffee flavor, not overpowering but definitely obvious. It reminded me of what my coffee tastes like when it has been sitting out for a few hours, half-and-half mildly soured.

The truffles had the same coating as Chocolate Shake It! but with a dense rum-laced liqueur core. The fudge swirls were unremarkable and did not seem elemental to this flavor mashup. The truffles were less evenly distributed in this flavor than in the other two flavors, though, overall, they were my favorite, especially when eaten separately from the ice cream base. This flavor was a nice change from plain ol’ coffee ice cream, but too intense for whole pint-bingeing.

Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles

In theory, this one sounded amazing. In practice, it was very disappointing. I kept looking at the label to remind myself of what Ben & Jerry’s was trying to achieve. What flavor was the ice cream base? Oh. Caramel Cheesecake? Okaaay. The truffles? Cheesecake? Oh really?

The graham cracker coating on these truffles disintegrated easily into the ice cream base, leaving a marble-sized pellet of frozen coconut oil. The “cheesecake” core tasted like coconut oil with lemon notes. The chocolate swirl didn’t meld well with rest of the flavor elements, perhaps because the flavor of the cheesecake truffle was so strong. Perhaps a caramel swirl would have been better suited? I tried this one last, fully expecting to eat it in one sitting. Alas, it’s one of a few ice creams I’ve ever tasted where I was not compelled to eat more than just the recommended serving. Ben & Jerry’s, you have betrayed me.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake – 300 calories, 19 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 23 grams of sugars, and 4 grams of protein. Chillin’ The Roast – 270 calories, 17 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 23 grams of sugars, and 5 grams of protein. Chocolate Shake It! – 260 calories, 15 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 23 grams of sugars, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $4.69 each
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Food Lion
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Chocolate Shake It!)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Chillin’ the Roast)
Rating: 4 out of 10 (Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake)
Pros: Ice cream and fancy candy together. Unique additions to otherwise common ice cream flavors.
Cons: Pronounced coconut oil flavor in some truffle bites. Ice cream base flavors that are just “meh.”