Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Peanut Butter Cup

Well, this rarely happens, I've managed to pick up flavors of the same name but from different companies recently. In general, I don't like to do this because it cuts into the diversity in the freezer, but I was just so enamored with the budget minded Stone Ridge Peanut Butter Cup that I couldn't help but wonder how it would stack up to the top tier Ben & Jerry's version.

So, here we have it: Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Peanut Butter Cups. Plain and simple. No fancy swirls or ribbons. Just Peanut butter ice cream and lots and lots of peanut butter cup chunks.

Here's a closer look. I've just barely scraped the surface on this one and already I'm running into multiple cup chunks. How can you not get excited when you see this much peanut butter goodness just waiting for you a scoop away?

Let's keep this in mind before we continue comparing "apples & oranges":
1) Ben & Jerry's is over triple the cost (at Walmart) of Stone Ridge Creamery, go to a grocery store and we're talking 5 times the cost
2) Ben & Jerry's has over double the fat (but we are dealing with peanut butter here)

So, what's the first thing you do when you crack open this pint? Oh yeah, you go right for the pb cups. The chunks are huge. I don't really see any rinky dink pieces here. Now, here comes the dilemma. The Stone Ridge bits were basically generic Reese's peanut butter cups. We've all had Reese's before, so take it down a notch, and you know what I mean. Ben & Jerry's can't go this route for a few reasons.

1. they are all natural and Reese's are not
2. they never do corporate tie-ins like that
3. these are probably locally sourced to boot
   

So, Ben & Jerry's had to track down something natural and I know just how to describe it: You know how someone will try and treat you to those "fancy" peanut butter cups you find in candy shoppes and other places. It'll be a small bag, no wrappers or individual packaging. You always hope they will taste better than the last "fancy" ones you had, but they always wind up tasting the same way --- diluted, or should I call it too milky..... I've loved Reese's peanut butter cups since I was a kid. They're a little gritty, have the perfect chocolate to peanut butter ratio, and they are, I don't know, would crisp be the right word? Probably not, but it's close.

The Ben & Jerry cups are like every other fancy pb cup. They are very smooth, too smooth in fact. It almost seems like they take peanut butter, mix it with milk, and then pour it in the cup. The chocolate is never the same either. Call me plain, call me simple, but it's very hard to top a Reese's. As much as I'm a big fan of all natural, this is a major sticking point for me.

Maybe I should talk about the ice cream itself. Well, it tastes like peanut butter, but it's nothing to write home about. It reminds me of the homemade peanut butter ice cream I made awhile back, and while I consider my creation good for me, I can't say I was expecting a similar texture in a B&J flavor. I'm sure it has something to do with the fat content of peanut butter and how it changes the way you would typically make an ice cream, but it just wasn't working for me. Maybe if the peanut butter cups had been more salty and gritty, it would have been a nice contrast to the ice cream, but instead it's all kind of boring to me.

It's always weird putting down a Ben & Jerry's flavor, it's just that I hold them to the highest of standards and expect perfection in every pint. No, it's not fair, and I know there are plenty of people who love this quality product, I just think it could be better.

On Second Scoop: Just to clarify, this is a respectable, tasty ice cream, it's just not where I want to be when it comes to pb cups. I've always liked the creamy ice cream vs salty peanut butter combo, and you just don't get that here.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1/2 cup (108g) Servings Per Container 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 340	from Fat 200
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g	35%
- Sat Fat 11g	57%
- Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 55mg	18%
Sodium 125mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 29g	10%
- Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
- Sugars 24g
Protein 6g
Vitamin A 8%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 15%	Iron 4%