Tag: Ice Cream

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Reese’s Take 5 Blizzard

Denis 2 Comments

Dairy Queen Reese s Take 5 Blizzard Top

What is it?

The Reese’s Take 5 Blizzard is the August Blizzard of the Month, and Dairy Queen says it’s the first time ever that its signature treat contains five flavors, even if the math is a little fuzzy, as I’ll explain. This doesn’t contain pulverized Reese’s Take 5 bars but instead mimics the candy with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, caramel topping, peanuts, and pretzel pieces.

How is it?

It’s a touch disappointing if I’m being honest, and I don’t mess around with dishonesty when I’m talking about Blizzards. Before trying this, I was certain it would land at or near the top of my list of all-time favorites, but it comes up a little short.

Dairy Queen Reese s Take 5 Blizzard Spoon

For me, there’s just a bit too much going on, and perhaps that’s why DQ has never put five ingredients in a Blizzard. And I’m not even counting this as five flavors anyway. In an actual Take 5 bar, there are five parts, as the milk chocolate lovingly embraces and surrounds the pretzels, peanuts, peanut butter, and caramel, while this Blizzard uses peanut butter cups. Yes, I know PB cups contain peanut butter and chocolate, but for reasons I can’t articulate fully, I just can’t count that as two things.

As for how this tastes, the peanut butter flavor gets lost in the mix, which doesn’t quite seem right for something branded as Reese’s. The pretzels do give it a nice salty component to offset the sweetness, but again, the pretzel taste is hard to distinguish as the pieces have the same kind of crunch as the peanuts. And stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the caramel flavor is somewhat sparse because it’s fighting for attention against all its Take 5 friends. The four (or five) ingredients still combine for a pleasant taste experience, but instead of being distinctive, it’s almost more generic, like it should just be called a chocolatey peanutty Blizzard.

Dairy Queen Reese s Take 5 Blizzard Dig

Anything else you need to know?

I guess I haven’t followed candy bar branding closely in recent years because I didn’t realize that this bar was simply called TAKE5 until the “Reese’s” name was added in 2019. Also, Hershey’s needs to hire a proofreader for its website because on the same page, it alternates between a space and no space in TAKE 5 (and the DQ website doesn’t use all caps, so I have no idea what the official name really is). Regardless, Hershey’s has said that the peanut butter in the bar has always been Reese’s since it debuted in 2004.

Conclusion:

Even if you ignore the minor mathematical issues with this Blizzard, it doesn’t quite add up to a perfect 10. It’s good — actually very good — but it’s a classic case of more is not always better.

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small) 770 calories, 34 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 580 milligrams of sodium, 99 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 76 grams of sugar, and 21 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Blue Bell Oatmeal Cream Pie Ice Cream

Denis 7 Comments

Blue Bell Oatmeal Cream Pie Ice Cream Pint

What is it?

The Blue Bell website describes this new Oatmeal Cream Pie flavor in great detail, and since I assume many meetings and memos produced the synopsis, I’m just going to copy it: “A delicious oatmeal flavored ice cream with hints of brown sugar mixed with soft oatmeal cookies and a vanilla icing swirl.”

How is it?

Blue Bell Oatmeal Cream Pie Ice Cream Top

Is this delicious, as the Blue Bell website promised? Well, almost. Let’s start with the “oatmeal flavored ice cream.” I’m not even sure oatmeal has a flavor, and that’s why you add cinnamon, sugar, fruit, or if you have the imagination of a 5-year-old like I do, gummy bears to your oatmeal. If I did a blind tasting of this ice cream, I’m not sure I would have pegged it as oatmeal flavored, and even with the power of suggestion, I didn’t really get an oatmeal vibe. The “hints of brown sugar” was also a bit of a miss, as it took my complete concentration to just sorta, kinda maybe think I tasted a little bit of brown sugar.

Blue Bell Oatmeal Cream Pie Ice Cream Spoon Cookie

Things do improve substantially for the second half of the description. The oatmeal cookies are indeed soft, as well as pleasantly chewy, and generously mixed throughout the ice cream. There are some good-sized chunks in here. The vanilla icing brings a nice sweetness to the mix with a bit of a different texture that I did like. While this flavor as a complete package doesn’t quite live up to its billing, it’s still pretty tasty.

Anything else you need to know?

Doing these reviews has allowed me to compile plenty of knowledge that, while interesting, is totally useless for any other purpose except for filling space in said reviews. Since the Little Debbie brand is synonymous with oatmeal creme (not cream) pies, it got me wondering if Little Debbie is a real person. It turns out she is, and Debbie McKee-Fowler is no longer little and is now the executive vice president of McKee Foods, which owns Little Debbie. If I ever get on Jeopardy! then maybe that knowledge will pay off, but if not, I’ve just cluttered up my brain – and now yours – with information none of us will ever need.

Conclusion:

Blue Bell Oatmeal Cream Pie Ice Cream Spoon Base

This flavor to me is like a band that I wouldn’t pay full price to see because I only like some of their songs. If a friend has a free ticket or I see a discounted Groupon deal, then I’ll probably go, but I wouldn’t have the urge to go out and find tickets myself. I’m going to finish this pint and enjoy it, but next time I’m at the store, I’ll probably buy a different flavor.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 260 calories, 13 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 110 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Caramel Drumstick with Peanuts Blizzard

Denis

Dairy Queen Caramel Drumstick with Peanuts Blizzard Cup

What is it?

Dairy Queen’s Caramel Drumstick with Peanuts Blizzard is proof that whoever decides the new Blizzard flavors used a bunch of vacation time recently because this “new” treat isn’t really that new. It’s similar to the Nestle Drumstick Blizzard we reviewed a couple years ago with Drumstick pieces and peanuts, except this version adds caramel (and drops the Nestle name). DQ is also offering a Drumstick Blizzard without caramel.

How is it?

I gave the original Drumstick Blizzard a 9-rating, and the addition of caramel to this version is an improvement, so the laws of math dictate that I must give this a perfect 10!

Dairy Queen Caramel Drumstick with Peanuts Blizzard Top

I’d also like to congratulate the DQ person who greenlit this flavor for getting maximum results with minimal effort, which is something I strive for every day. This might not be how it actually happened, but I can’t help thinking the Chief Executive of Blizzards was on a beach in Tahiti when his or her phone rang. It was DQ headquarters asking what the next new flavor was going to be. Now this person didn’t get into their position without being a quick thinker, so they pretended like all kinds of extensive research and focus group interviews went into this new flavor, even though all they did was add caramel to that Drumstick Blizzard from two years ago. OK, maybe that’s not how it went, but the results are wonderful just the same.

Dairy Queen Caramel Drumstick with Peanuts Blizzard Choco Chunks

The best parts of this Blizzard are the Drumstick pieces, which are waffle cone squares covered in chocolate. The cone pieces remained delightfully crunchy inside their little chocolate blankets and the peanuts, which were pulverized into tiny morsels, added a bit of a different texture and a subtle but welcome saltiness. Then the caramel jumps in and hits you with a rich, creamy sweetness that makes this one of my all-time favorite Blizzards.

Anything else you need to know?

This flavor appears to just be a late addition to the DQ Summer Blizzard Menu rather than officially being named the July Blizzard of the Month (even though it was launched on July 1). So this flavor will probably hang around until at least the end of August.

Conclusion:

Dairy Queen Caramel Drumstick with Peanuts Blizzard Spoon

Even with Blizzards that I really enjoy, I can usually come up with at least a minor gripe or a suggestion to make it just a little bit better. In this case, I really can’t, and I’ll be sad to see this one go, whenever that might be.

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: Small
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small) 690 calories, 33 grams of fat, 22 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 250 milligrams of sodium, 82 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 66 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream

Denis 8 Comments

Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Tub

What is it?

Blue Bell’s Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream continues the company’s tradition of generally straightforward and boring names, but it does have a couple of twists. First, it’s a mix of ice cream (strawberry) and sherbet (lemonade), and then it adds in lemon-flavored flakes.

How is it?

It’s quite tasty but also a classic example that more is not always better. And yes, I’m talking about you, lemon-flavored flakes. But let me get back to them.

Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Top

The strawberry ice cream is creamy with a more subdued flavor than what you might get from other brands. It’s clearly strawberry, but it just doesn’t jump up and down and scream strawberry. The lemonade flavor is, well, basically lemon (is there really any difference between lemonade and lemon flavoring?). Together, they are a perfectly refreshing summer treat.

The surprising part for me was that the ice cream and sherbet were almost indistinguishable from each other, except for the different flavors, of course. Even eating the sherbet by itself, I had difficulty convincing myself it was sherbet, as it seemed almost as creamy as the strawberry. So if you are looking for two contrasting textures, you will likely be disappointed. But as for their flavor, they were great together.

Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Lemon Chip

Now let’s get back to the lemon flakes. On the plus side, they kind of look like shark teeth, so the 5-year-old in me thought that was cool. But other than that, all they did was add a weird and tasteless crunch, like when you eat ice cream of an unknown age from the back of the freezer and it has those big ice chunks in it. If you enjoy those ice chunks, you might like these flakes. But this would have been better off without them, even if they were only a minor annoyance.

Anything else you need to know?

As I wrote this review, I really gave spell check a workout as I could not stop typing “sherbert.” I know that’s not how you spell it, but my fingers kept adding that second r. It turns out that my fingers are smarter than my brain. This might blow your mind a little too, but “sherbert” is actually correct, sort of. According to Merriam-Webster, sherbert “isn’t wrong” and is “now a fully established (though far lesser-used) variant.” So I say we all make a pact to only use sherbert until it becomes the more common variant, or at least until spell check accepts it.

Conclusion:

Blue Bell Strawberry Lemonade Ice Cream Scoops

Even though the lemon flakes knocked my rating down a little for this one, it’s still a classic and delicious flavor combination. I’m looking forward to making a float with this by adding lemon-lime or strawberry soda like the Blue Bell website suggests.

Purchased Price: $6.98
Size: 1/2 Gallon
Purchased at: H-E-B
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 200 calories, 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 27 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Little Debbie Star Crunch and Unicorn Cake Ice Creams

Ann 4 Comments

Little Debbie Unicorn Cakes and Star Crunch Ice Creams

A few months ago, I reviewed a seven-flavor lineup of Little Debbie-themed ice creams exclusively available at Walmart. Despite a few instances of bare shelves, the original seven can now regularly be found at my local Wally World just in time for Miss Deborah and Hudsonville Creamery to grace us with two more line extensions: Star Crunch Ice Cream and Sparkling Strawberry Unicorn Cake Ice Cream.

I had high hopes for these two additions because they both contain a textural element (the crunchy rice puffs in Star Crunch and the candy sprinkles in the Unicorn Cakes).

Limited Edition Star Crunch Ice Cream Spoon

The Star Crunch Ice Cream has a chocolate ribbon swirl and chocolate-coated puffed rice. There was also, I’ll call it, an adjacent swirl that was very similar to the chocolate but tasted a bit more like the center of the Star Crunch. That amalgam of cookie and caramel wasn’t super strong, and it didn’t hit me over the head with caramel flavor, but I liked that it didn’t seem like there was one single chocolate swirl. The chocolate-coated puffed rice pieces were crunchy, and the chocolate flavor was well balanced against the vanilla ice cream. The Star Crunch itself is a tricky flavor to make stand out in ice cream, but I think the puffed rice pieces helped elevate this without a doubt.

Limited Edition Star Crunch Ice Cream Bpwl

Limited Edition Unicorn Cakes Ice Cream Top

Next up was Unicorn Cakes, and, gosh, did it have several wow factors. Upon opening, WOW that looks like psychedelic chicken pox! Bright blue sprinkles were EVERYWHERE and stood out against a pink strawberry-flavored ice cream base. The candies were crunchy and super sweet, and I think the candy made the ice cream overwhelmingly sweet, but the crunch was an impressive texture variant.

Limited Edition Unicorn Cakes Ice Cream Spoon

Like the Zebra Cake, Swiss Roll, and Strawberry Shortcake Roll ice cream flavors, this one also had little vanilla cake pieces. I found them to be a little saturated but authentic.

Limited Edition Unicorn Cakes Ice Cream Top 2

The final wow factor in this ice cream was the bright blue swirl, representing the icing design of its cake counterpart. My inner child was delighted by the vibrant colors. The adult in me was instantly concerned for the rest of my day after realizing I was eating something that tasted remarkably like strawberry cotton candy made into ice cream. What a trip.

Overall, I think these two are welcome and unique additions to the Little Debbie ice cream lineup. I preferred the balance and texture of the Star Crunch, but I can see how Unicorn Cake could delight the masses the way only something with crazy colors and candy can.

Purchased Price: $2.50 each
Size: One pint
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Star Crunch), 6 out of 10 (Unicorn Cakes)
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) Star Crunch – 250 calories, 13 grams of total fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 grams of dietary fiber, 25 grams of total sugars, 19 grams of added sugars, and 4 gram of protein.

Unicorn Cakes – 240 calories, 12 grams of total fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 23 grams of total sugars, 18 grams of added sugars, and 4 gram of protein.