Thursday, December 27, 2012

Twix Ice Cream Review


[Note: this flavor is now a light ice cream, my review here]

Brand: Mars
Name: Caramel Ice Cream
with Twix brand Cookie Bars

Product: REAL Ice Cream
Base Flavor:  Caramel
Swirl:  Fudge
Mix-ins: Twix Bits & Caramel
X factor?  Twix
Sealed?  Outside
Size: Pint - 16oz 

Today's breaktime special is Caramel Ice Cream with Twix brand Cookie Bars, or as most of us would probably call it, Twix Ice Cream. Alright, time for some live blogging! I break the outside seal and remove the lid. I take a big whiff of a rich burnt caramel smell.... I am ready!

Hehehe, that's a neat little chocolate swirl greeting me, plus we've got tiny little puddles of caramel (and yes, we've got a nice assortment of ice crystals unfortunately). I take my first bite and wow, the burnt caramel taste is very strong. The first few bites are very gritty, but we could chalk this up to working through freezer burn (this pint is from a Stop & Shop not known for being gentle to their freezers). Let's proceed.

There are two Twix bits in this shot, a broke one on the far left and a whole one on the far right, so hopefully you can see they are small and milk chocolate covered. They do have that typical Twix crunch which is pleasant but not crazy hard. You can also see the very thick fudge swirl in a few spots. It's very dark (colored) and really nice if you can get some. Sure, I don't get what exactly a rich fudge has to do with Twix but hey, I still really like it.

I really want multiple Twix balls in every bite.... "But Dubba, I see a ton of them in this shot?" Well, it's a fine looking ice cream, but this shot might trick you as sometimes there are soft (non-Twix) chocolate bits about. The purely chocolate bits don't really add flavor or texture change. For us hard core Twix fans, it is a little bit of a let down.

Also, the little random puddles of caramel swirl are nice, but I need more. They are tiny and scattered and did I mention you rarely see them? Actually, I'm not even sure how much flavor they add considering how flavorful the base is. I guess I could see the caramel adding a nice smooth texture break to the overall treat, but it's just not happening today.

You know, this would be an easy pint to just blow through in search of more swirl and more Twix. I just really dig this swirl. It's thick, fudgy, yet not crunchy, tough or dry. I just wish there was more of it (though that might lessen the caramel experience).

As I get further down, I'm hitting random mixins that distract you from the base... and now half the pint is gone, so apparently I've enjoyed myself (despite how back and forth this review might seem)

On Second Scoop: I've been looking forward to this all day. I got a nice amount of chocolate on the very first bite to help set the mood. That rich thick swirl is at it again (very much like fudgy frosting). Neat, I just found three tiny Twix bits on my spoon. They are tasty, but they remind me of how I want many more of them. I mean, can you imagine a Twix cookie swirl? It would be epic. If I can't have that, I'm thinking I at least need to have a couple of mini Twix to get my tastebuds in the right frame of mind before I dig in to a pint like this. These aren't huge complaints, merely thoughts as I enjoy my caramel treat. I think we've got a neat flavor here in the often unloved caramel space. Sure, the texture comes across a bit gritty, but considering Twix is gritty, I can't really complain can I? At least we have a replacement for Breyers long lost Twix flavor.

Verdict?  Pretty good flavor
Buy Again?  Yeah, I can see picking this up now and then.


11 comments:

  1. I used to LOVE the Breyer's Twix Ice Cream (the one with a vanilla ice cream, not the later chocolate one). Do you know how this compares to that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. well i didnt have the original, but the twix bits are definitely improved. I guess the big question is: how much do you like caramel?

      Delete
  2. Wow, they must have changed the recipe on this because I had this about eighteen months ago (I was hyped up for it because I LOVE Twix) and was totally disappointed because it was not good. Now that you've had a good experience, I may have to give it another shot and put up a "dueling" review on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. what exactly bugged you last time? I know the texture needs work.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, the texture of the ice cream was really bad. I don't remember there being a lot of flavor to it either.

      Delete
    3. yeah, Mars really needs to work on their textures for 2013. There was definitely plenty of caramel flavor though (though more Twix flavor would be appreciated)

      Delete
  3. The pictures look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  4. WHERE CAN I BUY THIS?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I see it a lot at walgreens (and market basket and stop & shop). it's usually only taking up minimal shelf space, so look closely for it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Also check your local gas stations. I've been to a good amount of them that carry the mars pints.

    ReplyDelete

*** All comments are moderated ***
Expect a delay before they are posted