Friday, February 7, 2020

Haagen-Dazs Soft Dipped Vanilla Ice Cream Bars


[2020-2022] Wow, did I just write 2020? It's kind of weird, no, very weird. It just kind of hit me as I started my first review for the 2020 season (my 13th season of reviewing ice cream). Anyway, new stuff is starting to hit my local Stop & Shop which means lunchtime is review time.

Haagen-Dazs Soft Dipped Vanilla Ice Cream Bars
vanilla ice cream with soft chocolate truffle coating

Unlike a regular bar, the coating on the soft dipped is a little bit sticky (notice it's stuck to the wrapper a little bit... and after this picture, also stuck to my finger... and then my phone)

Well, the soft dip shell serves it's purpose and does not break when you bite in to it....

WAIT WAIT WAIT, I just realized why the bar felt so familiar when I was trying it earlier today. There was something familiar about the rubbery-ness of the shell as if I had had it before... and just this moment as I was typing, I realized why. These bars are using the same tech that you find in those Mickey Mouse ice cream bars. Oh Nestle (who runs both Edys/Dreyers and Haagen-Dazs), you just couldn't help yourself could you? Basically they made a fancier, darker version of the mickey coating and used it for a H-D product.

Well, that changed the direction of this review. I guess soft dipped is going to be there excuse to make lesser ice cream bars. The ice cream inside was still ice cream, but it felt a bit light for a haagen-dazs bar. Mix that with the dark but odd shell and you have a recipe for something that is not really a haagen-dazs product...

Ok, yeah, there's the conclusion of this review. This is not the Haagen-Dazs we know and love. It's not terrible, but it's not them either.

also available in chocolate and caramel varieties

On Second Scoop: The good news is that the bar is less weird on the second trying. The bad news is that if I removed the branding from this bar, you would never guess it's a Haagen-Dazs bar. I think back to something like their pomegranate dark chocolate bars and how clean and wonderful that treat was. That magic doesn't live here.

Verdict?  not terrible
Buy Again?  might try the chocolate version... might.


5 comments:

  1. Wow, very good to know. I may well have been lured into a regret-buy, but your review caught me before these have even turned up in my local stores. Hoping the new ruby cacao Trio is more up to "Haagen Dazs standards." Haven't seen that around here yet either, though. Please report if you've tried it!

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    1. I tried the ruby cacao trio pint and it was very interesting...the flavors of chocolate, sweet cream, and pistachio was like nothing I've had before..its def worth buying

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  2. My Stop & Shop has both the ruby cacao Trio flavor as well as the mini ruby bars, so I'll be going back soon enough to try them (in a perfect world anyway)

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  3. Yeah? Cool, I'll put the review on the to-do list.

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  4. Updating myself now: I just found and tried the Ruby Cacao Crackle Trio, and I agree completely with Danielle-- it was entirely unique and nothing like any ice cream I've tasted before, and the pistachio is way earthier than others I've had. It actually took me a few bites to figure out that it all was damn delicious! My only real complaint is texture-- for some reason, I've found that the bases in the Trio pints are icier and less creamy that in HD's other flavors. Not sure what gives.

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