The last of the Snickers ice cream, the last of the Stone Ridge Peanut Butter Cup, some 2% organic milk and just the right amount of Nesquik = an absolutely awesome afternoon milkshake.
Ahhh, it's a good day to be an ice cream reviewer, you want to know why? Because I found a new little friend today! (sorry, DQ is on hold until at least tomorrow). The funny thing is, I was just talking to someone about how it's been a while since I've really been wowed by Blue Bunny.
From the very first bite, you're going to realize Bunny Tracks is a special flavor that should please anyone who loves chocolate with their peanut butter. It's been awhile since it's happened, but this is one of those flavors where you take your first scoop and go "whoa, what was that? that's not what I expected". I was prepared for boring, bland or buttery, but instead I got bite. Oh yeah, when chocolate and peanut butter come knocking on the door, they better be prepared with that salty textured zest I crave. I had my first bite and immediately needed more.
Overall, I am very pleased with this flavor and I was so sad to see it go. If I had bought two of this flavor, or if I had a bigger container, I totally would have gone in for a second bowl. It's just that good, go try some!
The only plausible complaint you might see below here is that the fat content is a little high, but this is peanut butter ice cream we're talking about, so you're going to get some added protein with that extra fat.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size 1/2 cup (75g) Servings Per Container 2 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 210 | from Fat 110 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 12g | 19% |
| - Sat Fat 7g | 33% |
| - Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 25mg | 9% |
| Sodium 85mg | 4% |
| Total Carbohydrate 22g | 7% |
| - Dietary Fiber <1g | 3% |
| - Sugars 19g | |
| Protein 4g | |
| Vitamin A 4% | Vitamin C 0% |
| Calcium 10% | Iron 0% |
Ok, the current plan is to head to the only DQ sanctuary I know of that is still open in New England ...the ones they've built inside New Hampshire malls. We had hoped to go the past two weekends (while they still had the turtle blizzard) but hey, I'm still pretty excited about trying a midnight truffle blizzard. So, come back for that review and hopefully one or two others. Peace!
It has been well over a year, but finally, I've got a camera phone back in my pocket (thanks work!)
AND
...it's just awful!! The one I've picked up is disgustingly chewy. I was so hungry for ice cream that I kept trying to eat it, but man, this isn't even worth 50 cents. I could have poured chocolate syrup on some wet cardboard and had the exact same dining experience. Awful. Awful. Awful.
Beware!
In my Blue Bunny Personals review, I mentioned Market Basket had a respectable selection of Turkey Hill Ice Cream. At first I picked up an awesome container of Box of Chocolates, but then with the blog in mind, I put it back down and decided to go with something that hasn't been on the blog yet. Since I don't really have anything low fat in the freezer, right now, I decided to go with one of their light recipes.
The low fat chocolate base isn't bad, but there is a hint of chewiness. Nothing awful, but the texture is a smidge off, but when can only complain with half the fat. Chocolate flavor is decent, and the whole thing comes together pretty well. My biggest thought while eating this was actually "hmmm, I wonder if this would make an awesome milkshake?" I hope to answer that question with a second scoop soon.
On Second Scoop: I can admit that this flavor isn't doing a whole lot for me. It's not bad, it's just not super exciting. It's just one of those so-so/decent flavors, but I will admit that I was starting to have some fun as a I discovered several layers of cookie crunch close to each other in the center of the container. Hey, you take what excitement you can get and run with it!
On Third Scoop: Oh man, the third time was a charm on this flavor. I just dug into these huge chunks of crunchy cookie swirl layer and it was heavenly. It was like a thin layer of chocolate ice cream between two thinly sliced brownies (or like a regular Oreo cookie but with ice cream instead of cream). Oh man I wish every bite was like those several I just had. I know they can't be, but man, simply fantastic. Mmmmm, even leaves you with an awesome aftertaste.
ok, that doesn't even make a lick of sense does it, I blame the dumb cold I have. It messed me up a little more than I wanted to yesterday. I did have a turkey hill treat, and I've got the pictures ready for the article, but it's 10:20pm and I really should lay my weary head to rest.
let's quick do some news coverage so you don't feel like your visit was in vein: cool, a "local" farm co-op is getting into the ice cream biz (read here). They picked 10 flavors to start with, I wonder if they would let me sample them? hehehe, I can be there in about an hour! Mooooooo!!
whoa whoa whoa: performance ice cream??? According to BevNET.com that's exactly what's coming at us, a "world's first" according to Pro Foods... HOLY COW BELLS, 40 grams of protein!! wait, it's actually 10g of protein per 1/2 cup serving. That is alot, but a respectable nut-based ice cream can have 5 grams, so that number isn't quite as crazy as it first seems. I'm willing to try anything, but I'm thinking this one is best saved for right before I mow or some other strenuous task.
Ok, time to rest, 'til tomorrow.
Hmmmm, so many choices, so little time, plus I have a cold which is slowing me down a bit here, but no matter, the test tasting must go on! I can't decide between a new container of stone ridge creamery, some light turkey hill ice cream, some more blue bunny personals, or ....is that it, I think there are a few other things in the freezer (besides the half dozen open containers in there). Feel free to throw a vote out there if you want.
Have a good sunday everybody, I'll be back later today with a review.
Let me ask a question: Is it fair to review something I tried some ...hold on, counting... some 6 weeks ago? Well, half tried anyway. 3 of them are still in the freezer. Let me show you what I'm talking about.
My wife then tried cotton candy. She was unamused.
So, that's my horribly unimpressive review, my apologies. All the words aren't there, but my feelings are right on. These may have a "new smoother texture", but I'm still horribly unimpressed.
Some two and a half months ago, I finally brought home those nifty looking little sundae cups from Ben & Jerry's. In particular, I brought home the Peanut Butter Chocolate Flipped Out!. It did not go well at all. I was fairly convinced that somehow the chocolate coating had gone bad and wound up tossing it in the trash. Did I overreact? maybe, but remember, sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good ...ok, that was just silly. Let's move on.
Is the coating as bad as I remember? No. Call me prepared or call me crazy, but I don't have the urge to spit it out this time. HOWEVER, I still don't like it. I don't know what kind of sauce they are using, but I do not like it, plain and simple. It's unpleasant. It's not fowl and repulsive, but I don't like it. I wish I could be more descriptive. Is it missing an ingredient maybe? Are they trying to spice things up with a nice contrast? It bugs me when I can't quantify something like this, even after 20 months of blogging. It's the kind of thing were you taste it and go "do I just not have the palate to appreciate quality product?"
For me, flipped out brings nothing to the table. As a big B&J's fan, part of me feels obligated to try all three flavors, but why should I? I'd rather spend $3 on a pint I'll love rather than $3 on two little cups with some ill conceived sauce and extra brownie bits. Yes, I finished the treat this time, and no, my opinion doesn't cover everyone, but if you ask me, I'm going to tell you to save your money and go buy a regular pint.
My love of finding new ice cream treats finally has another destination to add to it's list of things deemed "local enough". That's right, I finally made it to a Market Basket which is a chain of over 60 groceries stores here in New England. They finally have one close enough for me to get their goods into my freezer before they melt. It's a chain with a storied history, but the real question is, what's it really like? I've heard horror stories about how busy they can be, but why is that? I finally got the chance to go in and find out.
The store is bright, very bright ....too bright actually. I spent most of my 45 minute trip squinting. What happened to new stores saving energy? It was also very busy, especially considering it was dinnertime on a Friday night, but I think a big part of the problem is that people were wandering just as much as they were shopping.
The aisles are fairly wide and quite tall. They are all jam-packed and constantly restocked by a large contingent of employees. The prices are definitely good but not unbeatable. The big thing that stands out to me is selection. While Wal-mart may carry one or two versions of a product (if you're lucky), and a regular grocery store might carry 3 or 4 versions, Market Basket will carry all 7 versions. Several times I caught myself standing there and thinking "Cool! I didn't even realize they made that flavor!".
In a unique twist, the ice cream section isn't in the freezer aisles. Oh no. Instead, you must traverse a fairly impressive produce section before reaching the frozen treat and cake section. At first glance I was faced with the Usual Suspects: Breyers, Edy's, store brand, and a surprisingly decent showing by our buddies at Turkey Hill. I continued my journey all the way 'til the end. There, in the individual serving section, I found these:
To be honest, and a bit harsh, the very first thought that popped into my mind was "wow, this tastes cheap". I don't know how else to describe it. It just felt like some generic bite of some entry level brand ice cream. My original goal was to only eat half of this treat, and after that first bite, I figured that wouldn't be a problem, but then something happened. The first bite may not have been great, but it wasn't bad either, and the ice cream was already starting to get soft. I started digging for brownie bites and before I knew it, I was at the half way mark. With the little B&J or Haagen-Dasz cups, you are confined to this little container that is a constant reminder to go slow. Here, we have a nice long oval that's just begging for a big scoop, and then another, and then another. Yeah, I kept going until about 90% of the container was gone --- Seemed like a waste to just put 3 bites back in the freezer --- and then there were none.
The treat may have started a little rough, but the melty texture quickly hooked me in. It didn't help I was dieing for some chocolate. MMMMM. Am I fully satisfied? Well, I'm certainly full, but that could be explained by the two servings of ice cream I just had. So then, am I satisfied? for a dollar? even though there isn't enough brownies? sure, why not, I'm satisfied enough anyway, but I think this a victory when it could really be a knockout. Why not run these with more brownie bits than the standard stuff? Why buy 3 personals (6 servings) when I could have a whole container (14 servings)? Sure, it's convenient, but it could be outstanding. I think Blue Bunny needs to make these extra special, then crank up distribution to pharmacies, gas stations, you name it.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size 1/2 cup (72g) Servings Per Container 2 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| Calories 170 | from Fat 70 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 8g | 12% |
| - Sat Fat 4.5g | 23% |
| - Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 25mg | 9% |
| Sodium 85mg | 3% |
| Total Carbohydrate 24g | 8% |
| - Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
| - Sugars 18g | |
| Protein 2g | |
| Vitamin A 4% | Vitamin C 0% |
| Calcium 6% | Iron 0% |
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