REVIEW: Dairy Queen Reese’s Lovers Blizzards

Dairy Queen Reese s Lovers Blizzards

Should it be Blizzards of the Month or Blizzard of the Months? Or should we throw in some random apostrophes somewhere? The reason for these grammatical and punctuative predicaments is that Dairy Queen has unleashed both the Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers and Reese’s Chocolate Lovers to battle for the title of Blizzard of the Month for June.

OK, so there’s no battle, but with two choices this month, plus the previously announced Summer Blizzard Menu with five other options, it’s enough for a Blizzard party!

Apparently with two new offerings to create, the Blizzard wizards at DQ could only muster half the creativity this month, as each of these are about as straightforward as can be. The peanut butter version has Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups mixed into a blend of vanilla soft serve and peanut butter topping, while the chocolate version substitutes fudge topping instead peanut butter.

While DQ will collect no prizes this month for thinking outside of the box, that doesn’t mean these Blizzards are not good just because they are close cousins to several previous Reese’s-inspired concoctions. In fact, they are genuinely good, proving again that sometimes the tried-and-true simple approach works just fine.

So, which one is better? That will depend largely — and not surprisingly — on whether you prefer peanut butter or chocolate.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers

Dairy Queen Reese s Peanut Butter Lovers Blizzard

My go-to Blizzard has always been the straight-up Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, but with all the new varieties being offered recently I can’t remember the last time I noshed on my old friend. (Note to self: Never use that phrasing again). So I got a little misty-eyed when I dug into the Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers Blizzard.

Dairy Queen Reese s Peanut Butter Lovers Blizzard Closeup

A Blizzard with just vanilla soft serve and peanut butter cups is perfectly good, but the addition of the peanut butter topping here really adds something. Again, no awards for creativity, but it’s a simple and solid improvement over the standard PB cup Blizzard. After tasting this version, I’ll be asking for a shot or two of that sweet peanut butter topping to be added to my standard PB cup Blizzard in the future.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: Mini
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on the DQ website

Reese’s Chocolate Lovers

Dairy Queen Reese s Chocolate Lovers Blizzard

If you really, really love chocolate, then you’ll likely really, really love the Reese’s Chocolate Lovers Blizzard. Perhaps my Blizzard barista got a little carried away with the fudge, but I found this one to be a bit too chocolatey to the point where the flavor of the peanut butter cups struggled to make much of an impact on my taste buds.

Dairy Queen Reese s Chocolate Lovers Blizzard Closeup

Certainly this is still a good Blizzard, even though, assuming you like chocolate, peanut butter, and soft serve, it’s hard to screw something like this up. But for me, it had just a little too much chocolate. Your results may vary.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: Mini
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on the DQ website

Dairy Queen Reese s Lovers Blizzards Party

So if one version is for hardcore chocolate lovers and the other is for peanut butter aficionados, what would happen if you combined them into one spoonful? Well, I’m glad you asked, or more correctly, that I asked myself.

Dairy Queen Reese s Lovers Blizzard Combo

The combination of both — not unlike when Mr. H.B. Reese brought together chocolate and peanut butter in cup form — is quite tasty. Depending on which part of the spoonful hit my tongue first, I got a nice alternation of flavors throughout my Blizzard meal. Sure, it was a bit awkward to order two Blizzards while dining alone and having people look at me sitting in a booth while wondering if my DQ date had stood me up, but I really don’t care.

By the way, in case the Grammar Police are (or is?) watching, the correct answer to the above is Blizzards of the Month.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Caramel Cannonball Blizzard

Dairy Queen Caramel Cannonball Blizzard

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.

Dairy Queen Caramel Cannonball Blizzard Spoonful

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.

Dairy Queen Caramel Cannonball Blizzard Caramel Truffle

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

Dairy Queen Brownie Dough Blizzard

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.

Dairy Queen Brownie Dough Blizzard Spoonful

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?

Dairy Queen Brownie Dough Blizzard Brownie Chunk

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.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard

Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard

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.

Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard Swimming

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.

Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Jar Blizzard Spoonful

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.

QUICK REVIEW: Dairy Queen Secret Menu Coffee Oreo Blizzard

Dairy Queen Secret Menu Coffee Oreo Blizzard

What is the Coffee Oreo Blizzard?

The Coffee Oreo Blizzard fulfills my childhood dream of being an ice cream secret agent. This “secret” menu item tasks my alter ego secret agent DQ7 with requesting coffee syrup to be blended with the standard vanilla base and Oreo cookie pieces.

How is it?

Dairy Queen Secret Menu Coffee Oreo Blizzard 2

The basic request for a coffee infusion added a flavor so light that I thought it was undercover itself. A slight mocha note peaks its shy head up in the bites that are light on Oreo magic. A spoonful consisting of cookies galore on the other hand drown out the faint whispers of coffee flavor found in their absence. This raises the vanilla floor, but the Oreo cookie ceiling isn’t even raised enough for Oddjob. The coffee syrup is a pleasant but uninspiring addition.

Is there anything else you need to know?

I take any opportunity to don a tuxedo and affect a terrible, and probably offensive, British accent. It is however completely unnecessary when ordering from the “secret” menu. At least based upon the lack of a convoluted plot to slowly lower me into a gigantic bladed Blizzard stirrer.

Dairy Queen Secret Menu Coffee Oreo Blizzard 3

To order the Coffee Oreo Blizzard for yourself, simply ask for coffee syrup to be added to the Oreo Cookie Blizzard. If you want more than just a hint of coffee, ask them to double it. Just don’t ask for it to be shaken and not stirred unless you enjoy exasperated eye rolls. I was not charged extra for the coffee flavoring, but they may have been scared of my license to chill.

Conclusion:

My first mission as a Dairy Queen secret agent ended satisfactorily. Coffee flavor fans will find this hack to be neutral at worst, and at best, an incremental upgrade unworthy of Q. Next time, I will ask for a heavier hand with the java juice.

Purchased Price: $4.19
Size: Medium
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: None available.