REVIEW: Blue Bell Black Raspberry Fudge Ice Cream

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Black raspberry not blackberry

I do not know much about pomology, and in fact did not know the word existed until about two minutes before I started typing this sentence.

For the non-pomologists out there, which I’m guessing is just about everyone reading this, it means the study of fruits and nuts, and in particular, their cultivation. Why is this relevant? Because I had to pretend to be a pomologist, poorly, I might add, to figure out Blue Bell’s new Black Raspberry Fudge Ice Cream.

If you showed this to me, I'd tell you it's a blackberry.

The packaging, to my untrained eye, appears to show a blackberry, but I guess that’s actually a black raspberry. According to my tens of seconds of pomology research, a black raspberry has a hollow core and is sweeter than the solid-cored blackberry, which is also a great phone that I weirdly still miss. Adding to the confusion, the list of ingredients for this includes both black raspberries and blackberries. And don’t get me started on blue raspberries, which apparently only exist in Slurpees and snow cones and not in nature.

The flavor is also available in a pint size.

Anyway, now that the pomology lesson is complete, let’s talk about how this ice cream tastes. As a veteran eater of many blackberry cobblers, I can tell you this has a distinct, wonderful blackberry flavor. Could it also be black raspberry? I guess…I’m not sure I’ve ever had a black raspberry, so I can’t say for sure. But I am certain that the dark chocolate-flavored chunks are plentiful and delicious with a truly fudgy flavor, and they are quite thick, adding a nice crunch.

Moar swirls!!!

My only complaint is that the chocolate fudge swirl is sparse, and it would have been great to have thicker ribbons of it throughout. That’s just a minor issue, though, because the pairing of whatever berry flavor this is with chocolatey fudge chunks and swirl is perfectly rich and decadent.

It's so purple!

It’s always a tough call on whether to pick up a pint or a half gallon for an ice cream review, but I made the right choice with the big tub, and there is no danger of the dreaded ice crystals forming because the contents are unlikely to make it until next week.

Purchased Price: $8.99
Size: Half Gallon
Purchased at: Brookshire Brothers
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 240 calories, 13 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Fruity Pebbles Shake

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Dairy Queen Fruity Pebbles Shake with top on

If I were to be crowned Dairy King, I would decree that ice cream is a perfectly acceptable breakfast food. But Dairy Queen beat me to it with the new “Breakfast Collection” that includes the Choco Frosted Donut Blizzard, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone, and Fruity Pebbles Shake. As a dutiful peasant of the Kingdom of Dairy, I honored the crown by partaking in all three offerings. In this review, I hereby declare that the Fruity Pebbles Shake is indeed glorious, though with one caveat.

Dairy Queen Fruity Pebbles Shake with whipped topping

I had muted expectations for this shake, as I assumed it would take some kind of wizardly magic to keep the Fruity Pebbles from turning mushy in their ice cream bath. And while I’m a big fan of any sugar- and/or color-enhanced cereal, I’ve always preferred Cap’n Crunch (Crunch Berries, of course) or Lucky Charms. It turns out, however, that as the kids say, this really slaps.

Dairy Queen Fruity Pebbles Shake with vanilla soft serve and Fruity Pebbles cereal.

The fruity flavor of the fancy Rice Krispies in this shake is astounding. Plus, this is just fun to look at and to eat. I was not prepared for the delicious punch of sweetness that paired perfectly with the creaminess of the vanilla ice cream and milk. It truly was a wonderful combination packed with flavor.

Fruity Pebbles does not stay crispy in soft serve

The aforementioned caveat is that it seems Dairy Queen’s best wizard could not suspend the laws of physics involved with putting Fruity Pebbles into a liquid, which I guess is how a shake would be classified. I wouldn’t say the cereal turned soggy, but it also wasn’t crispy in any sense. I wolfed down the shake with impressive speed, so I imagine if I had done so at a more leisurely pace, then perhaps sogginess would have entered the chat. The texture was just a tad off-putting, but aside from that, this is a delicious, not-so-nutritious “breakfast.”

As a side note, I learned in my review of the Choco Frosted Donut Blizzard that some Dairy Queens serve actual breakfast food during breakfast hours. Unfortunately, there are no DQs in my area that are open for breakfast, so the best I could do was have this shake shortly after 10 a.m. But I assume you can get the Breakfast Collection items before the sun comes up if you are lucky enough to live near a breakfast-enabled DQ.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 500 calories, 23 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 52 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Burger King Grogu’s Blue Cookie Shake

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Burger King Grogu’s Blue Cookie Shake in its cup.

My knowledge of Star Wars is limited, but one of the rare bits of trivia that stuck with me is the fact that Luke Skywalker drinks blue milk. So when I saw that Burger King’s new limited edition Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu menu features a blue-tinged milkshake, I was equal parts excited to try a brightly colored twist on my favorite dessert and just proud that I understood the reference!

Specifically, this shake is called Grogu’s Blue Cookie Shake (and if that name doesn’t ring a bell, you’re probably more familiar with its adorable namesake’s nickname, “Baby Yoda”). BK’s press release states that it contains “Grogu’s favorite snack – blue cookies.” I’m not sure if that’s just a play on the blue milk or something that’s actually depicted in the Mandalorian series where Grogu appears (Star Wars fans, sound off in the comments!), but either way, as soon as I tasted the shake, I understood why the little guy likes blue cookies so much.

Burger King Grogu’s Blue Cookie Shake look at those fish tank pebbles. Oh wait, I'm being told that they are cookies.

The size of the crumbled cookies in the topping felt perfect to me and yet was different than most other cookie-themed desserts I’ve tried—the pieces aren’t so big that they interrupt your slurping experience, yet are still big enough to have a noticeable taste and texture. I worried they would be, like Anakin Skywalker infamously complains about sand, “coarse and rough and irritating,” but no, the cookie pieces are actually quite soft. They reminded me of a cross between frosted animal crackers and those pillowy Lofthouse Cookies. They did their job of looking pretty, but also were an interestingly chewy and delicious addition to the shake. My only critique is that it would be fun to have cookie pieces blended into the shake too—as is, they’re limited to sitting on top.

Use the Force, Grogu!

The shake has a vanilla base, but it gets both its sweetness and its color from “blue sugar cookie syrup,” giving it a birthday cake-like flavor. It is certainly sweet, but to me at least, it didn’t cross the line into overly sweet territory. I was also impressed by the thick and creamy texture, not watery like the most underwhelming fast-food shakes can be. It even comes in a snazzy cup featuring a cute image of Grogu either concentrating very hard or preparing to take a nap. (Just don’t be fooled by the tiny stars speckled across it—they’re a design on the cup, not extra cookie bits like I originally assumed.)

All in all, Grogu’s Blue Cookie Shake is an out-of-this-world experience. I wish I could come up with a cleverer pun to convey just how much I liked it, but I’ve officially exhausted all my Star Wars knowledge, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Or not… unlike a Jedi, I can’t Force you. (Never mind, I knew I could fit one more pun in there!)

Purchased Price: $6.59
Size: 16 oz
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 620 calories, 16 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 60 milligrams of sodium, 105 grams of carbohydrates, 84 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone with Cinnadust

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The sweating Dairy Queen Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone

I’ve had more Dairy Queen Blizzards than any dietician or doctor would ever recommend, but I don’t believe I’ve ever had a DQ dipped cone of any sort. That all changed when I strolled into DQ and ordered up the new Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dipped Cone with Cinnadust. It’s part of the new “Breakfast Collection,” which, despite the name, is available all day. It turns out, I have been missing out.

I’m not sure I would have been impressed by a standard chocolate-dipped cone, but this upscale version did get my attention. I did not see it being made, as my local DQ has the kitchen and treat preparation area hidden from view, but the DQ website implies a two-step process with the vanilla cone dipped in a cinnamon coating and then sprinkled with Cinnadust. The result is splendidly sweet cinnamon goodness.

See the Cinnadust?

When the cone was delivered to my table, it appeared to be sweating in fear that it was about to be consumed. And those fears were well-founded, as not long after, only the paper cone wrapping remained. The coating was quite thick and took a bit of careful use of the teeth to prevent any major spillage, but it was worth the effort. The Cinnadust added some nice texture and extra flavor.

See the cereal pieces?

What makes this cone special is that the coating has tiny pieces of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal embedded in it. There’s not a lot, but it was enough to deliver the distinctive flavor of the classic breakfast staple. If you like Cinnamon Toast Crunch and you like ice cream, then you will enjoy this no matter the time of day.

Purchased Price: $3.19
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 290 calories, 12 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 100 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 30 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Van Leeuwen Lovely Day for a Guinness Ice Cream

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Van Leeuwen Lovely Day for a Guinness Ice Cream pint

With so many ice cream brands out there, it’s easy to forget how genuinely good Van Leeuwen ice cream is. I’ve been to its NYC and LA scoop shops and have enjoyed numerous pints from the grocery store—particularly its Earl Grey tea flavor.

It went on a tear of chaotic collab flavors for a while that I just wasn’t that into, like Hidden Valley Ranch andGrey Poupon Mustard, but Van Leeuwen caught my eye again with the new beer collaboration with Guinness.

There’s no splitting the G with its “Lovely Day for a Guinness” ice cream, but I’d be splitting hairs if I said this wasn’t a fantastic drop.

Van Leeuwen Lovely Day for a Guinness Ice Cream top off

Technically, it’s a re-release. It first dropped last year at its scoop shops, but it was good enough to bring back for a full rollout at Whole Foods. Whole Foods coming in clutch! The name itself is also a re-release – it’s a nod to Guinness’ classic 1950s tagline “Lovely Day for a Guinness.” The flavor features roasted Guinness stout ice cream with dark chocolate chunks.

Many chocolate chunks in the ice cream

First test of any pint: scoopability. Rock hard and bending my spoon makes me sad. Happy to report this scooped easily. The base is a consistent light brown – think the color of the dome on a freshly poured Guinness – flecked with chocolate chunks.

The first bite made me stop and audibly “mmm” in both delight and genuine ponderance because it’s a fascinating flavor. The immediate word that popped into my head was “malty”; I don’t even like malty things like Whoppers or malted milkshakes, but this was dang good. I didn’t have a Guinness on hand for a side-by-side comparison, but it’s pretty spot-on to the one I had last week – except sweeter with zero bitterness. Apparently, they use Guinness 0, the non-alcoholic version, to nail the roasty flavor.

With Van Leeuwen’s French ice cream having double the egg yolks of standard ice cream, means it doesn’t need guar gum or other stabilizers to get its texture. The result is a gelato-adjacent creaminess with a luxurious mouthfeel. This one was no exception!

The sweetness takes over on the finish, so it lands fully in ice cream territory rather than anything bitter or beer-adjacent. The dark chocolate chunks are a perfect textural foil with Ben & Jerry‘s-caliber chunks. It all works better than expected as an ice cream.

At $7.99 a pint, Van Leeuwen is premium, but worth every spoonful. If this was sold this year-round, it’d be my permanent upgrade in the freezer.

The stout verdict: go get this one!

Purchased Price: $7.99
Size: 14 fl oz
Purchased at: Whole Foods
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup – 108g) 310 calories, 22 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 100mg of cholesterol, 135 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, 4 grams of protein.

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