Mid-July is the messy, hot heart of summer. The days are long, the sunshine is generous, memories of those last weeks of the semester have long faded away, but the upcoming fall semester still seems years away. Right now, there seems to be only summer in every direction.
In my case, I'm dying in the Pennsylvania sun, dreaming of cool fall days ahead in Vermont. To survive this summer heat and pay a little homage to the second home I am missing, I ran out and bought way too much Ben and Jerry's for one person, and rated each flavor.
Chunky Monkey
I started my taste test off right with a classic.
What's under the lid: "Banana Ice Cream with Fudge Chunks & Walnuts"
This pint manages to be so simple, yet so flavorful. The banana ice cream hits you with some intense sweetness from the first bite and then those chocolate chunks and walnuts come in with a nice, bitter note to balance things out.
Throughout the tasting I found myself quietly whispering, "I just need that one chunk!" while desperately mining for chocolate that was just out of reach. It might have been a little sad.
Overall: B
Salted Caramel Core
Next, I tried this flavor from Ben and Jerry's line of Core ice creams.
What's under the lid: "Sweet Cream Ice Cream with Blonde Brownies & a Salted Caramel Core"
This is a truly beautiful pint of ice cream. The moment you peel off the lid, you get an eyeful of that sweet and salty caramel center. Somehow, the caramel stays perfectly gooey and smooth while the ice cream is solid; I assume it can only be achieved through hippie ice cream magic.
The real key here is not to dive head first into that caramel, which can be a little overwhelming. Instead, scooping from the outside inwards, ensures a perfect balance of sweet ice cream, chewy blondie, and the rich caramel core.
Overall: B+
Phish Food
Things started to get chocolaty with my next pick.
What's under the lid: "Chocolate Ice Cream with Gooey Marshmallow Swirls, Caramel Swirls & Fudge Fish"
When it comes to ice cream, "less is more" does not apply. While the previous ice creams were good in their own simple ways, this one was the first that felt overwhelmingly stuffed with ingredients in the best way possible. The ice cream was rich, the marshmallow was silky, and those fudge fish were cute as ever. Phish Food will never let you down.
A portion of the proceeds from this flavor goes toward helping to clean up Vermont's Lake Champlain Watershed. Today, I stuffed my face with ice cream while helping to preserve one of my favorite places in the world. What could be better?
Overall: A
Pecan Sticky Buns
This flavor caught my eye with its snazzy "Exclusive Flavor" lid...and I couldn't be happier it did.
What's under the lid: "Buttery Brown Sugar Ice Cream with Pecans, Sticky Bun Dough & a Cream Cheese Frosting Swirl"
This may seem like a bold claim, but this is probably the best ice cream I have ever had in my 20 years of life. This flavor is surprisingly cozy and would be perfect for snuggling up on the couch with on a winter night. The brown sugar and cinnamon flavors made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside while the dough chunks and cream cheese frosting served as the perfect additions to the sweet and spicy cream. Ridiculously amazing. My life is changed forever. 10/10 would eat the whole pint.
Overall: A++
Boom Chocolatta! Cookie Core
The follow-up to my dream flavor seemed to fall flat.
What's under the lid: "Mocha & Caramel Ice Cream with Chocolate Cookies, Fudge Flakes & a Chocolate Cookie Core"
I really wanted to like this flavor. On paper, it has all the makings of an amazing ice cream. Maybe it was because I had just experienced Ice Cream Nirvana with Pecan Sticky Buns, or maybe it was because I was trying to eat seven ice cream flavors at 9 a.m., but this just failed to impress me. The ice cream itself seemed to lack flavor and seemed boring. However, I will say that the cookie core was amazingly crispy, yet easy to scoop.
Overall: C+
Half Baked
How could this ice cream be anything but flawless with such classic flavors? For any lover of cookie dough or chocolate fudge ice creams, this provides the best of both worlds in one little happy package.
Overall: A
The Tonight Dough
What's under the lid: "Caramel and Chocolate Ice Creams with Chocolate Cookie Swirls & Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Peanut Butter Cookie Dough"
This flavor is like Half Baked's beefy cousin. With a similar overall concept to the classic, Jimmy Fallon's modern creation kicks things up a notch. The ice cream is delicious, if not incredibly overwhelming. Each and every bite is a bit different than the last as cookie pieces and gobs of dough combine to make a unique flavor masterpiece. Crazy, yet wonderful.
Overall: A+
Whether is is 9 a.m. on a July morning, or 9 p.m. on a February night, you can't go wrong with Ben and Jerry's, no matter what flavor you choose.
