Tag: Blue Bell

What is Blue Bell Peachy Peach Ice Cream?

It’s not the most creatively named ice cream, but it certainly has an accurate moniker. This newest flavor from Texas-based Blue Bell is described as “creamy peach ice cream with chunks of sweetened peaches.”

How is it?

Well, it’s peachy, as advertised, both literally and figuratively. There are no bells and whistles with this ice cream — those wouldn’t taste very good anyway — but it delivers on its promise. It’s a tasty peach ice cream base, and the peach chunks give it a pleasant boost and some extra texture. I generally find Blue Bell ice creams to be creamier than the average store brand. However, this one seemed to be a bit lacking in the creaminess department. Even so, that’s about the only mark I have against this. The ice cream flavor is pleasant with the perfect amount of peachiness while not being overpowering.

The peach chunks, which are quite large, dial up the peach flavor and the sweetness a few notches, but again, not to the extreme. I wouldn’t say you get a fresh peach flavor from the chunks but rather more of a candied peach taste. It’s hard for a somewhat basic ice cream product to be spectacular, and this one isn’t, but I did like it better than the average single-flavor ice cream.

Anything else you need to know?

You don’t need to know this in any way whatsoever, but apparently, the world record for the largest peach is 1 pound 12 ounces, and not surprisingly, it was grown in Georgia. I have to say I’m not that impressed. I don’t know what weight would sufficiently impress me — maybe if it was as big as my head — but I thought the record peach would be bigger for some reason. See, you didn’t need to know any of this, but since it’s a section of the review, I feel compelled to fill this space.

Conclusion:

For a straightforward ice cream flavor like this, your level of enjoyment will be closely tied to your affinity for peaches. For me, peaches land about in the middle of the fruit spectrum. So I’ll happily finish this pint but probably won’t buy another one. If you are a peach fanatic, this might turn into one of your favorite ice creams.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 210 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

What is Blue Bell Eggnog Ice Cream?

Just in time for the holidays, Blue Bell has released a new eggnog flavored French ice cream with nutmeg and whipped topping.

How is it?

Let’s just say that if I wanted Santa to give me some spectacular gifts, I’d leave a bowl of this ice cream next to the fireplace (and I know it would melt by the time he came down the chimney, but I’m going to assume he’s magical enough to resolve that issue).

This is rich, creamy, silky, and not all that dissimilar from fancy vanilla ice cream, but you also get hints of nutmeg (even though the advertised nutmeg “flecks” are really hard to see) and the subtle but distinct eggnog flavor. This was the first time I’ve ever had eggnog-flavored ice cream, and I loved it.

The only thing I didn’t love was the whipped topping, which I’ve mentioned in other Blue Bell reviews. There’s quite a bit of it in here, and it has the taste and consistency of Cool Whip. Now I have nothing against Cool Whip. When there’s a tub of it sitting out, I’m going to jam my finger in it for a taste. I might even take a second taste, but that’s about it.

Cool Whip is fine when it plays a minor role, so a scoop of this ice cream that is 80/20 eggnog to Cool Whip is great. But when you get a bite with the opposite ratio, then it’s a little off-putting. So use that spoon wisely.

Anything else you need to know?

I’m probably in the minority in that I don’t have a strong opinion on eggnog. It seems everyone else either loves it or hates it. If someone offers me some, I’ll probably take it, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually purchased eggnog.

I think it can be delicious, but its consistency sometimes bothers me. It’s not as thick as a milkshake but not quite thin enough to pass for liquid, at least in my book. And if it’s a little too yellowish, it makes me think I’m about to drink uncooked scrambled eggs. I even get a little bit of a slimy or mucous-like vibe from some. Perhaps that’s why I liked this ice cream so much. It has all the taste and richness of eggnog without reminding me of nasal drainage!

Conclusion:

If you are already on Team Eggnog, chances are you will really like this. If eggnog is on your naughty list because of its consistency, you might still want to give this a shot. And if you just don’t like the taste of eggnog, why are you reading this review anyway?

Purchased Price: $6.17
Size: 1/2 gallon
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 240 calories, 14 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 24 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

What is Blue Bell Coconut Cream Pie Ice Cream?

It’s a whole lotta coconut with coconut flavored French ice cream with coconut flakes and pie crust pieces and whipped topping with toasted coconut.

How is it?

As one reader astutely pointed out in the comments in the prior “Spotted” posting for this ice cream, coconuts are among the most polarizing of all foods, right up there with black licorice and pineapple on pizza. There’s just not much middle ground for most people, including my wife and me. She loves coconuts, and I think they look ugly and taste nasty. But somehow we make our relationship work, despite widely divergent views on the subject.

Since it would be hard for me to objectively review this ice cream, I gave her the chance to experience the prestige, power, and considerable wealth that comes with being a reviewer for The Impulsive Buy!

So what did she think of it?

Well, she loved it, and surprisingly, I sort of liked it too. I didn’t like it enough to ever eat it again due to my dislike of all things coconut, but if Blue Bell ever does any different cream pie flavor in the future, then I’ll be all over it.

The ice cream is wonderfully smooth and creamy with a very subtle coconut flavor. At first, my wife and I both thought our tub didn’t have any pie crust pieces, but after a few bites, we did indeed find some of the elusive gems. The crust pieces are virtually the same color as the ice cream, but they are worth the search as they have a great crumbly texture and buttery flavor. There are coconut flakes in the ice cream, which are also hard to see, but they don’t have much of an impact on the taste because they are so small.

As for the whipped topping, it has a bit of a Cool Whip vibe to it. The toasted coconut is what really delivers the signature coconut flavor here, and although that didn’t do much for me, it sent my wife into ice cream bliss. She just gave it one thumb up instead of two, but that’s only because she was using the other hand to eat a bit more.

Anything else you need to know?

Coconuts are really bad for you! OK, let me rephrase that because I don’t want to feel the wrath of the coconut industry. They are not bad for you, and they are an amazingly versatile fruit (not a nut) that can be eaten and used in many ways, including oil, water, milk, and over-priced carved souvenirs for tourists. But according to the USDA, if you eat an entire medium coconut (I assume minus the shell), you will consume 118 grams of saturated fat. How much is that, you ask? Well, that’s 590% of your recommended daily value, which seems like a lot. So don’t eat a whole coconut.

Conclusion:

Kudos to Blue Bell for making a coconut ice cream that someone who has strong anti-coconut feelings can almost enjoy. If you do like the flavor of coconuts, you are wrong, but this is an ice cream you really should try.

Purchased Price: $5.97
Size: 1/2 gallon
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 260 calories, 14 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

What is Blue Bell Chocolate Sheet Cake Ice Cream?

Blue Bell’s newest flavor features milk chocolate ice cream with chocolate sheet cake pieces, chopped pecans, and chocolate icing swirl.

How is it?

As one might expect from an ice cream with the word “chocolate” appearing three times in the description, this is pretty chocolatey but not to the extreme or to its detriment. I thought this might be a choco overload situation, however, the different types and textures of chocolate really work well together.

The ice cream base is smooth and creamy, and the chocolate swirl actually did taste more like a fudgy icing than the generic chocolate swirl in many ice creams. As for the cake pieces, they were denser and richer than I was expecting, almost like a brownie, so it was an excellent complement to the ice cream.

The only thing that did not bring much to the table was the pecans. The pieces were quite small and not very plentiful, so you might be a little disappointed if you are a pecan lover. Overall, this flavor was quite delightful, and that’s coming from someone who is not a chocoholic.

Anything else you need to know?

Blue Bell claims this is “inspired by a favorite Texas dessert.” That befuddled me a bit, as I happen to live in Texas and have never heard of the Lone Star State taking credit for the sheet cake.

It turns out that it is not just marketing spin and that a chocolate cake with pecans in sheet form is sometimes called a Texas sheet cake. But I doubt anyone in Wisconsin, or in Texas for that matter, walks into their local Walmart and asks for a Texas sheet cake.

Although I live in Texas, I was not born here, and I do not own a Don’t Mess with Texas T-shirt or belt buckle, so whether or not Texas gets credit for a dessert matters little to me. That’s probably why I gave up on my research after a few minutes upon discovering there seems to be disagreement on both how the “Texas” and “sheet” parts of the name came into being. So the mystery will endure.

Conclusion:

Blue Bell is not breaking new ground here by mixing chocolate ice cream with cake, pecans, and some swirl, but if you are in the mood for a good chocolate treat with a bit of depth to it, then this should hit the spot.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 260 calories, 14 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

What is Blue Bell Cookies ‘n Cream Cone?

It’s the newest flavor from Blue Bell and is described as, to quote the packaging, “vanilla flavored ice cream with chocolate crème filled cookie crumbles, dark chocolate-coated chocolate cone pieces and a chocolate fudge swirl.”

If you’re counting, the word “chocolate” is mentioned four times in the description but not once in the product’s name. And if you are a stickler for punctuation, you might wonder why chocolate-coated is hyphenated, but not vanilla flavored or crème filled. I have no answer for that, and it will probably keep me up tonight.

How is it?

My first thought upon popping the top was that the quartet of chocolates in the description was not enough because all I saw was a small island of vanilla-ish color in the middle surrounded by a sea of chocolate.

However, after some excavating, it turned out that there just happened to be a thin layer of the fudge swirl on the top. A full scoop has more of a traditional cookies’ n cream look.

As for the taste, it was quite good and not overly chocolatey. The cookies’ n cream part was basically your standard cookies’ n cream flavor, but the fudge swirls added a nice chocolate boost and tasted a lot like Hershey’s syrup.

The cone pieces provided some extra taste and texture, although they were hard to distinguish from the cookie pieces. The label was not kidding when it said “crumbles” either, as I didn’t find many cookie pieces of significant size. The cone pieces were larger but still fairly small. Overall, the flavors and textures all worked together splendidly. It would have been nice to have some more sizable chunks of both cookies and cone, however.

Anything else you need to know?

In my dedication to providing you with the most comprehensive information available about this product, I actually read — OK, I skimmed — a press release about it. According to it, this new flavor is an homage to Blue Bell’s Cookie Cone product that launched in 1997, was sold mostly in school cafeterias, and discontinued in 2015. That product had a complete cone with a scoop of chocolate-coated ice cream, along with the same overly happy fake Oreo guy on the package.

Conclusion:

This is not the fanciest or most daring ice cream flavor out there, perhaps because Blue Bell sees itself as a more traditional ice cream maker. The packaging on this product is flashy by its standards, as most of its other flavors have just a solid color with the kid leading the cow logo. So if you want ice cream with Pop Rocks, Sour Patch Kids, or something like that in it, you have plenty of other options, but if you just want some good cookies’ n cream ice cream with a little something extra, this one is for you.

Purchased Price: $6.34
Size: Half-gallon
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 280 calories, 15 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.