Tag: Ice Cream

QUICK REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Cinnamon Buns Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Marvo 3 Comments

Ben Jerry s Cinnamon Buns Non Dairy Frozen Dessert

What is it?

At first, I thought the idea of using almond milk to make a non-dairy version of Ben & Jerry’s fantastic Cinnamon Buns Ice Cream sounded like using gluten-free ingredients to make Cinnabon’s classic roll. But, while gluten-free Cinnabon doesn’t seem too appetizing, that’s not the case with this pint.

While the dairy version has caramel ice cream, this one features a cinnamon-flavored non-dairy frozen dessert base. But, like the original, cinnamon bun dough pieces and a cinnamon streusel swirl are included.

How is it?

If you love cinnamon, you will enjoy this flavor immensely. There’s so much of it that it’s as if someone used the spice as talcum powder on their hands and then punched me in the face with them. It does an outstanding job at hiding the fact it’s a non-dairy dessert.

Ben Jerry s Cinnamon Buns Non Dairy Frozen Dessert 2

Most of the cinnamon flavor comes from the gooey swirl. It has that sugary grittiness one would feel in a cinnamon bun and the same explosive flavor. Surprisingly, the non-dairy base doesn’t taste as if it has much of the spice. I do get a little bit of the almond milk, which my brain seems to registers as a bit of doughiness.

The cinnamon dough balls have the same texture as the chocolate chip cookie dough balls in Ben & Jerry’s classic variety. The spice is in every bite, but they don’t have as much of a punch as the swirl. There’s also an equal amount of brown sugar that adds a sweetness that cuts through all the spice. This is welcomed because it makes the dessert not so one note.

Is there anything else I need to know?

The flavor does linger and makes your mouth feel as if you’re chewing on a well-worn piece of Big Red Gum.

Conclusion:

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I find the original Cinnamon Buns Ice Cream to be superb, and this non-dairy version, while not as creamy, is just as hard-to-put-down tasty.

(Click here to read our other Ben & Jerry’s Non-Dairy reviews.)

DISCLOSURE: Ben & Jerry’s sent me coupons for free pints to celebrate National Ice Cream Month, which was last month. I used one of the coupons to purchase this. Receiving the coupon didn’t influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 260 calories, 120 calories from fat, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Blue Bunny Bunny Snacks (2018)

Marvo 3 Comments

In 2017, Blue Bunny introduced the Bunny Snacks line that features reduced fat ice cream bars with candy coatings and sandwiches. It debuted with four varieties — Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Vanilla Twist, Cookies ’n Cream, Salted Caramel Pretzel — all of which are still around.

In 2018, the ice cream brand rolled out four new Bunny Snacks varieties — Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Hazelnut, Vanilla Fudge Brownie, and Mint Chocolate Twist.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bunny Snacks

Blue Bunny Bunny Snacks Strawberry Cheesecake

The snack features cheesecake-flavored reduced fat ice cream topped with strawberry sauce and graham cracker crunch bits covered with cream cheese-flavored coating and drizzled with strawberry flavored ribbon.

I reviewed a Pop-Tart that has half-strawberry filling and half-cheesecake-flavored filling. Combined they didn’t taste like strawberry cheesecake because they lack the tanginess the dessert has. I bring up that Pop-Tart for two reasons:

  1. The strawberry sauce on this Bunny Snack reminds me of the strawberry Pop-Tarts filling.
  2. This has the tang I wish the Pop-Tart had.

Blue Bunny Bunny Snacks Strawberry Cheesecake 2

Some of you might think the tanginess comes from the cheesecake-flavored ice cream, and some of it does. But most of it is from the white cream cheese-flavored candy shell. That combined with the strawberry filling and drizzle creates a recognizable strawberry cheesecake-like flavor. The graham flavor isn’t noticeable, but the pieces add some crunchiness. However, most of the texture contrasting the ice cream come from our tangy friend, the candy shell.

Blue Bunny Bunny Snacks Strawberry Cheesecake 3

Even though there’s reduced fat ice cream and it doesn’t have a strong flavor, everything around it hides those facts. Overall, Strawberry Cheesecake Bunny Snacks are sweet little treats.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 170 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 90 milligrams of potassium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Chocolate Hazelnut Bunny Snacks

Blue Bunny Bunny Snacks Chocolate Hazelnut

This bar has chocolate hazelnut-flavored reduced fat ice cream with a hazelnut fudge ribbon dipped in a chocolaty coating and hazelnut pieces drizzled with a chocolatey coating.

Chocolate Hazelnut Bunny Snacks 2

If someone slapped a Ferrero Rocher sticker on this bag’s Blue Bunny logo, gave it to me, and I tried one of the treats, I wouldn’t question the label and think these are from Ferrero Rocher. The questioning would begin after wondering why they’re not wrapped in gold foil.

Chocolate Hazelnut Bunny Snacks 3

Even the texture of the bottom is as light and easily crumbly as a Ferrero Rocher’s chocolate coating. Yes, it has reduced fat ice cream, but as I found with the other two candy-coated varieties, the layer and toppings do an excellent job at hiding the fact it has less fat. This one was my favorite of the bunch.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 170 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 90 milligrams of potassium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

Vanilla Fudge Brownie Bunny Snacks

Blue Bunny Bunny Snacks Vanilla Fudge Brownie

This bunny snack features vanilla-flavored reduced fat ice cream topped with a layer of brownie batter and brownie brittle pieces covered in a milk chocolatey coating and candy drizzle.

Vanilla Fudge Brownie Bunny Snacks 2

The viscous brownie batter and crunchy brownie brittle pieces give the treat a flavor that’s richer than milk chocolate. But the fudgy brownie and vanilla ice cream combo, while darn good, didn’t get my taste buds jumping with excitement as much as the other two candy-coated Bunny Snacks.

Vanilla Fudge Brownie Bunny Snacks 3

If the other two didn’t exist, I probably would’ve liked this a bit more. But since Blue Bunny is giving us a number of Bunny Treat options and not everyone will buy all of them, I’d recommend the other two before this one.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 170 calories, 90 calories from fat, 11 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 95 milligrams of potassium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, and 2 gram of protein.

Mint Chocolate Twist Bunny Snacks

Blue Bunny Bunny Snacks Mint Chocolate Twist

This one isn’t candy-coated like the others. Instead, it’s an ice cream sandwich that features mint reduced fat ice cream with a fudge swirl inside that’s between two chocolate chocolate chip cookies with a green candy drizzle. I have to admit after all the candy-coated goodness of the other three this one is less exciting.

Much like I don’t read instructions before putting together anything, I didn’t read the front of the packaging before eating this, so I didn’t realize the two chocolate wafers are two chocolate chocolate chip cookies. But they sure didn’t feel like cookies. They have the same soft texture as what slapped on an ice cream sandwich.

Mint Chocolate Twist Bunny Snacks

But because they’re chocolate chip cookies, every so often my molars will mash tiny chocolate chips. However, there’s another texture level in the wafers cookies. There’s a grittiness that feels as if there are sugar granules in them that provide micro crunches with every chew. I guess they make up for the cookies’ lack of crunch.

The ice cream has the right amount of mint flavoring. It’s not going to make you think you brushed your teeth, but it’s also not light enough that the cookies overpower it. There’s a delicate balance between the two parts that make for a pleasant treat. But without the candy coating, it’s a bit basic compared with the others in the line. However, that does help make it a bit more waist-friendly than the others.

Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 sandwich) 150 calories, 45 calories from fat, 5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 95 milligrams of potassium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of sugar, and 2 gram of protein.

DISCLOSURE: I received free samples from Blue Bunny months ago. And only now I’ve gotten around to writing this review. Sorry, Blue Bunny. Receiving free samples or feeling sorry that it took so long to write this review did not influence my review in any way.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Special Stash Phish’s It’s Ice…Cream Ice Cream

Marvo 1 Comment

Ben Jerry s Special Stash Phish s It s Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry’s Special Stash Phish’s It’s Ice…Cream and caramel malt ice cream, a caramel swirl, fish-shaped fudge pieces, and almond toffee bits, which I’ve mentally filed away as a mix-in I’d use if I ever become a late night talk show host and Ben & Jerry’s asks me to develop a flavor.

Like the previous Special Stash variety, Marshmallow Moon, this was a finalist to become a pint sold in stores but got beat out by another candidate. In It’s Ice…Cream’s case, it was in the running to become the band Phish’s flavor back in the mid-90’s, Phish Food. While the it finally ended up seeing the light of day, it’s only available at Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops and online store in limited quantities.

How limited?

Well, to give you an idea, here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there are ONLY 50 pints available for the entire island. So is it worth hunting down at a price that’s more than what you’d pay for a regular pint of Ben & Jerry’s at your local grocery store?

Short answer. YES!

Long answer. READ ON!

Ben Jerry s Special Stash Phish s It s Ice Cream 2

The caramel combo of the ice cream and swirl might seem like caramel excess, but I don’t find that to be the case because the ice cream base isn’t berating my taste buds with flavor. The gooey caramel provides all the buttery goodness and I’m fine with that.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I very much enjoyed the almond toffee bits and there were a lot of them in my pint. They add a thunderous crunch that contrasts the creamy ice cream and the sticky caramel swirl. But the thing about them is that I don’t think of almond toffee when I chew on them. Instead, it’s like eating a crunchy sugar cone.

Ben Jerry s Special Stash Phish s It s Ice Cream 3

And this leads to why I’m so fond of this ice cream. When I get all the ingredients into one spoonful, which happens a lot, it’s as if I’m eating the perfect Drumstick ice cream cone bite — creamy ice cream, caramel topping, the fudge fish are like the nugget of chocolate at the bottom of the cone, and the almond toffee’s flavor and crunch is like fresh cone.

I not only love this ice cream, but I also love the artwork on the container, which was drawn by Phish’s legendary illustrator Jim Pollock. Sure, I’m 100 percent positive a future dream of mine will involve an anthropomorphic fish, but the art gives it a small brand look to it, making it stand out among Ben & Jerry’s other pints.

On paper, It’s Ice…Cream seems so simple, but, I can’t stress this enough, the almond toffee takes it to another level. This flavor is special and worth seeking out.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample from Ben & Jerry’s. This did not influence my review in any way. I know. I know. It totally reads like I’m in Ben & Jerry’s pocket, but I really did enjoy this pint.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 290 calories, 140 calories from fat, 15 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Almond toffee pieces are awesome; for some reason, they remind me of a sugar cone. Eating all of the ingredients in a spoonful tastes like the best Drumstick bite, and there are a lot of spoonfuls like that.
Cons: Caramel malt ice cream flavor isn’t that noticeable. The pint’s artwork may end up in your dreams. Limited supply. Only available at Scoop Shops and the online store. Costs more than other Ben & Jerry’s pints at the grocery store.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Chip off the Dough Block Ice Cream

Tiffany 1 Comment

Ben Jerry s Chip off the Dough Block Ice Cream

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!

Ben Jerry s Chip off the Dough Block Ice Cream 2

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.

Ben Jerry s Chip off the Dough Block Ice Cream 3

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.

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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.

QUICK REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Dunkin’ Donuts French Vanilla Coffee Ice Cream

Meghan

Baskin Robbins Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Coffee Ice Cream

What is it?

A marriage between my two greatest loves in life: coffee and ice cream.

In other words, this is another one of Dunkin’ Brands’s attempts at co-branding, and it combines Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Flavored Ice Cream with French Vanilla Ice Cream.

How is it?

Baskin Robbins Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Coffee Ice Cream 2

Just as good as you would expect a frozen dessert with Baskin-Robbins’s pedigree to be! The creamy sweetness of the vanilla worked well alongside the subtle bitterness and slightly icy nature of the coffee portion. Both of them were well combined in my not-quite-a-pint, so I got a nice combination of both flavors in each spoonful.

When I ate the two together, the overall effect reminded me of a frozen vanilla latte. Considering that I’m always trying to figure out a way to get more caffeine and ice cream into my day, this flavor certainly kills two birds with one stone.

Baskin Robbins Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Coffee Ice Cream 3

As far as density is concerned, I wouldn’t consider this to be a hefty snack. Despite how small the container is, this ice cream isn’t nearly as rich and heavy as Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry’s is, so I’d compare it to be more similar to Edy’s/Dreyer’s Grand or Blue Bunny in the texture department.

Is there anything else I need to know?

Baskin Robbins Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Coffee Ice Cream 4

Since this flavor is inspired by French vanilla coffee, it’s not surprising that heating a cup over the stove produces an AMAZING result. Melting it down into a hot drink makes probably the most indulgent coffee that you’re likely to ever drink at home, and it’s absolutely an acceptable replacement for a real vanilla latte if you’re ever too lazy to drive to an actual Dunkin’ Donuts.

Conclusion:

Baskin-Robbins Dunkin’ Donuts French Vanilla Coffee Ice Cream’s versatility as both a dessert and as an emergency caffeine fix make it a definite must-have if you love coffee and ice cream as much as I do. Just don’t expect something super indulgent if you decide to go the frozen route.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 14 fl. oz.
Purchased at: Food Lion
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) 190 calories, 90 calories from fat, 10 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 18 grams of total sugars, 3 grams of protein.