Just a reminder for everyone that today is Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry’s! This means waiting in a short line for a delicious ice cream cone. Locate your local scoop shop store here.
I hope that everyone enjoyed their free ice cream cone at Ben and Jerry’s Free Cone Day.
Following in their footsteps, Baskin Robbins is having a 31 cent scoop night on May 2, 2007. It’s in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Mark your calendars!
Today from 12 noon until 8pm you can get a free scoop of Ice Cream at your local Ben and Jerry’s.
Be sure to stop by and pick one up! You can find your local shop here.
Also, if you’re feeling generous, put a few dollars in the bucket for whatever charity they’re raising money for at your location.
Last night I was at a friend’s helping him pack for his move to the Netherlands next week. He had to run out and buy more packing tape and guess what- he came back with some ice cream! It’s been a long long time since I’ve had Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. I used to order it accidentally thinking it was Chubby Hubby (they sound kind of similar). I’ve never been a huge fan of banana flavored things. I like bananas, just not anything that’s flavored like banana. So, I haven’t purchased Chunky Monkey in awhile. But, I actually really enjoyed it last night. It won’t ever be one of my favorites, but it’s not as bad as I remembered. The banana ice cream is smooth and there are lots of chocolate chunks. The only disappointment was the lack of whole banana chunks. I like chunks of banana and there just weren’t enough. If you like bananas definitely give Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey a try.
As we just got back from a week long vacation in Cape Cod, I’m not completely caught up on my previous posts; but I promise to get them up in the next day or two.
Today’s ice cream is another Ben and Jerry’s flavor. I feel the need to buy it when it’s on sale (which it almost always is these days). Also, I feel less guilty about throwing away half a pint than I do about tossing a half a gallon of ice cream into the trash. There’s just something inherently wrong with throwing away that much ice cream. But, I don’t have much choice. I can’t eat it all and my freezer is so filled with ice cream that I don’t have room for anything else. Why don’t they make smaller sizes of Edy’s and Breyer’s and other brands that only come in half gallon sizes? I wonder if those companies have small sample sizes that I can convince them to send me…  I’ll have to look into that.
Back to today’s flavor: Oatmeal Cookie Chunk by Ben and Jerry’s. It says on the carton that it’s “by popular demand”. I’m not sure if they mean “back by popular demand” or what they mean. I know they carry it in their shops, but I haven’t seen it in a carton before. It’s really good. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. The ice cream in cinnamon (which I have had a lot of lately at Circle Bistro and The Dairy Godmother). There are chocolate chunks and pieces of oatmeal cookie in the ice cream. (I probably didn’t need to mention the chocolate chunks, since as I have previously commented on Ben and Jerry’s obscene overuse use of chocolate chunks.) The chunks of Oatmeal Cookie are soft and gooey. And they are amazing. When I recently had Oatmeal Cookie at The Dairy Godmother, their cookies were crispy, something Ben and Jerry’s probably couldn’t pull off since the ice cream has to be stored so long. I really enjoy the gooeyness of the cookies. This ice cream was an excellent surprise and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an interesting, but tasty flavor. As usual, I have a gripe with Safeway and the ice cream; the texture was terrible! When will Safeway properly store their ice cream so it doesn’t melt and refreeze into an icy mess?!
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. Can’t you just hear that screechy voice playing over and over in your head? Maybe that’s just me. I’m really not sure what Marsha Brady has to do with marshmallows or s’mores. Honestly, the folks at Ben and Jerry’s are getting a little desperate with this one. Does she really deserve an ice cream flavor named after her?
Well, it’s not one I would want named after me. It’s not all that impressive. It reminds me a lot of the chocolate ice cream I had at Larry’s—a lot of flair, but not that much different than plain chocolate ice cream. The chocolate ice cream is so rich it overpowers everything else. The marshmallow only dulls the chocolate flavor a little and adds an interesting texture. The graham cracker isn’t bad, it’s just scarce. And the chocolate fudge chunks. Seriously, what is wrong with those people at B&J’s??? They put fudge chunks in everything these days. I’m really sick of the fudge chunks. Put them in Cherry Garcia, but let’s leave it at that. To sum it up, if you want some good chocolate ice cream, with a variety of textures (in a good way), then you’d like Marsha Marsha Marshamallow. But if you’re looking for something that tastes like marshmallows or s’mores then you’re on your own.
The first time I had Ben and Jerry’s Pistachio Pistachio was during public speaking class in high school. One of the girls in our class did a “demonstration speech†which involved mixing Jelly Bellys and Pistachio Pistachio. I haven’t had Jelly Bellys in my ice cream since then, but I still enjoy Pistachio Pistachio on an occasional basis. In fact, it is the standard I hold all other pistachio ice creams to. Pistachio Pistachio is pistachio flavored, without being overwhelming. It’s sweet without being intensely nutty. It’s creamy and there is always at least one whole nut in every bite. When it comes to pistachio ice cream, this is without a doubt my favorite.
The chocolate fudge in Ben and Jerry’s Fudge Central is just like hot fudge. Except it’s not hot. But it is this awesome “core” in the middle of the ice creams that is rich and gooey and fudgey. The chocolate ice cream with white fudge chunks and the the vanilla bean with chocolate fudge chunks surround the fudge core. I preferred the chocolate ice cream to the vanilla though. The vanilla ice cream was overpowered by all the chocolate. While the vanilla may not have been the best part, it was still good. And I couldn’t have been happier with all of the textures and flavors. Honestly, I could have just eaten the fudge core; though mixing it with the ice cream made it even better.
According to the website, Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie is one of the most popular flavors. I understand why. This ice cream is awesome. It is extremely fudgy in flavor and brownie-like in texture. The texture is rich and dense, yet still creamy. (It’s very hard to describe; but trust me, it’s good.) I had the mini sized container and like yesterday’s mini chocolate chip cookie dough, the pieces were tiny. I’m now convinced that these miniature sized brownie pieces are cut small on purpose—exclusively for the mini ice cream containers. Very cute. Also, did I mention that the miniature ice cream containers also have a secret compartment on top that holds a miniature spoon? And this isn’t a crappy flat wooden “spoon.†This miniature spoon actually has a spoon shape and can hold melted ice cream in it. I’m impressed.
Today I picked up 3.5 ounces of Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream. That’s less than a half a cup. The package is extremely cute and it even comes with a mini spoon. I don’t know why there aren’t more brands and flavors available in single serving sizes because really this is the greatest idea ever. If I were in charge of an ice cream company, I would sell “variety packs.†Just like you find with cereals, variety packs of ice cream would be easy to grab on the go and would have enough flavors to satisfy any craving. It would even solve family disputes when the kids are fighting over which ice cream to buy at the store. Finally, the ultimate American reason for ice cream variety packs: controlled portions. That’s right, market to the 85% of the American population who are on a diet. Wow, I didn’t even realize what a great idea it is; maybe I should try to sell it…
I was very pleased with my choice today. Not only was it the perfect size, but it tasted great too. The vanilla ice cream was vanilla bean-y and the cookie dough was really cookie dough-y. I’ve come to realize that Ben and Jerry’s ice cream isn’t the smoothest ice cream. It’s pretty smooth, just not as smooth as Haagen Dazs, for example. But, it more than makes up for that in flavor. If I had to complain about one thing in Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream, it would be the size of the cookie dough pieces. They are tiny. We are talking pea sized, maybe even smaller. This is good in that there is some cookie dough in almost every bite. But it’s bad because there is no excitement when you discover the chunks. In my mini sized serving, I didn’t find one giant chunk. Personally, I always love finding that big chunk.
Need more proof that Ben and Jerry’s caters to the young adult population? Ben and Jerry’s Dave Mathews Band “Magic Brownies.” This ice cream flavor name employs a popular band, a good cause, and of course, the mood altering dessert to gain attention. The ice cream is good and the cause is even better. Who needs a better excuse to eat ice cream than knowing that you’re doing it for a good cause? A portion of the sales of this ice cream goes to help fight global warming, that is- “lick global warming.” You can read all the details here.
The ice cream itself is pretty decent. It actually reminds me of a flavor Ben and Jerry’s used to carry, I think it was Black Raspberry Frozen Yogurt. I used to get it every so often, but I haven’t seen it in awhile. There’s not much plain vanilla ice cream in Magic Brownies. The raspberry swirls are fairly well integrated with the vanilla for an overall intense raspberry flavor. The brownies were good, as Ben and Jerry’s brownies usually are. But, I thought that the flavor could have been better. Maybe the brownies were too much, or maybe brownies and raspberry just don’t mix. In any event, I enjoyed Ben and Jerry’s Dave Mathews Band “Magic Brownies” and would get it again. Especially knowing that I was eating ice cream to save the environment.
Tonight I decided to try something different, frozen yogurt. To put it lightly: it was a terrible idea. I’ve had Ben and Jerry’s frozen yogurts in the past, at least a half dozen times. So, I expected to enjoy Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked frozen yogurt at least a little bit. But, I didn’t. First, it was extremely icy. While ice build-up sometimes occurs from improper freezing by the store, I don’t think I’ve ever had ice cream (or frozen yogurt) this icy. Moreover, there just weren’t enough chunks of cookie dough or brownie. I dug around in the container, but I ended up with only eight or nine chunks and a pint of ice cream that looked like a plowed up field. However, the cookie dough and brownie chunks that I did find were very tasty; possibly the only redeeming things about it. Oh, and I like the colors of the container too.
Can’t decide between a pint of Guinness and a pint cup of ice cream? Try a pint Ben and Jerry’s new Black and Tan. While the name is extremely offensive to the Irish, Black and Tan cream probably wouldn’t offend their tongues. (As a side note, Ben and Jerry’s did issue an apology and it’s not clear as to whether they will discontinue/rename the ice cream) You can read much more about the controversy in the comments here.
Tasting Black and Tan brought me straight back to my trip to Ireland two weeks ago. The stout tasted just like Guinness. Seriously, I don’t know how they did it. Maybe I was so impressed just because I was extremely skeptical, but the stout flavored ice cream tasted just like a stout beer. Now, I will say that this did not taste like any Black and Tan beverage (Guinness and Bass Ale) I’ve ever had. Quite frankly I think they should have just stuck to the stout. The “black†was chocolate ice cream and the two just didn’t seem to go together. So, while the flavor was good, it was not great. A better word to describe Black and Tan ice cream would have been interesting. Impressive would describe the “stout” part of it. It was about what you would have expected from B&J’s in terms of texture: smooth, but not the smoothest of their ice creams. In terms of flavor intensity, I wasn’t overpowering, but strong enough.
Back to deciding between Guinness and ice cream. I’ve always felt that since there are root beer floats, there should also be beer floats. Never have I thought of an ice cream flavor that would work well in a pint of beer though. I think I’ve found it. If you happen to really want both Guinness and ice cream I suggest creating your very own “beer float,” then let me know how it tastes…
There nothing like returning home from a long vacation and enjoying comfort foods. Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia is one of my comfort foods. I usually get the frozen yogurt because I enjoy the softer texture (and it has fewer calories), but I figured that since today still counts as vacation I would splurge and go for the real thing. I’m not usually a fan of cherry flavored things, But Cherry Garcia doesn’t taste artificial. And the bits of chocolate in it are so good. I’m glad they use high quality chocolate. What it comes down to is simply: I love Cherry Garcia and it really hit the spot tonight.
