Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Peppermint Crunch

Ice cream review by John

Score: 4 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

This latest flavor from Ben & Jerry's starts with a base of chocolate ice cream, then mixes in a fudge and peppermint ribbon, and into the concoction adds plenty of little crunchy balls of minty chocolate cookie.

I almost gave this one a Score of 3.5 out of 5 scoops, but then I realized this ice cream is better than that even though it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Don't get me wrong, this is a quality ice cream, it's just I felt the chocolate was too strong.

How can chocolate be too strong? Sounds crazy, right. Well, in this instance, there are two factors in my opinion: 1.) though the label says the ice cream involved here is chocolate, it seemed a little darker and richer to me than Ben & Jerry's usual chocolate base ice cream, and 2.) this isn't supposed to be only a chocolate ice cream, but also a peppermint one, and my taste buds told me the chocolate was too strong to allow much of the peppermint flavor to get through.

That doesn't mean none of the peppermint flavor comes through, because it does, and I'll freely admit that those who like their minty flavorings in lighter doses will likely be thrilled with this ice cream. But for those of us who like our minty flavorings to have a big kick, this ice cream left a little to be desired.

Let me reiterate: This is not a bad ice cream, not by any means. Chocolate fans should unite in their love for Ben & Jerry's latest. Just don't expect it to be overly strong in the peppermint department.

I mentioned the chocolate ice cream seeming stronger than usual, and that was a draw for me. The fudge and peppermint ribbon added a nice little twist, and some zing, to this flavor. And I truly loved the little minty chocolate cookie balls because not only did they come in abundance, but they kept their solid crunch factor, which is not something I can always say when cookies are added to ice cream (though Ben & Jerry's seems to have this trick down quite well in all their flavors).

So, if you're a chocolate lover and want to try something new, give this ice cream a try. If you're a peppermint fan, you'll still likely enjoy this treat. For those who are simply Ben & Jerry's lovers, you've got one more great flavor to add to your list.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey

Ice cream review by John

Score: 4 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Banana ice creams sometimes throw me off because to my taste buds the banana is too powerful, blocking out the taste of anything else mixed in. That's not the case here, I'm happy to report, so no need to worry on that front.

What you've got here is banana ice cream with pieces of walnuts and little chunks of chocolate fudge.

As can be expected from Ben & Jerry's, this is quite a smooth ice cream. And the fudge and walnut chunks have a perfect mixture; in other words, there's enough to add a little flavor and texture, but not enough to knock out the banana flavoring.

I think Chunky Monkey is a fine ice cream by itself, but I also think some fine additions might be a little hot fudge on top, maybe also some whipped cream (the real stuff, not that garbage spewed from a can). You might even add a cherry on top, and then you'd almost have a banana split.

However you decide to eat this ice cream, it is most definitely worth your time to try.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Cake Batter

Ice cream review by John

Score: 3.5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Oh, yeah! When I first heard about this ice cream, I knew I just had to give it a try. Not only is yellow cake with chocolate frosting my favorite cake of all time, but I remember as a kid licking the spoon free of cake batter when my mom was finished using it while baking.

Unfortunately, this ice cream sounds a little better than it actually is. No, it's not awful, not by any means. But I think perhaps I had too high of expectations.

Yes, this is yellow cake batter ice cream with a swirl of chocolate frosting. Yes, it's pretty darn good. But no, it's not perfect.

How is it not perfect? Well, the base of yellow cake batter ice cream is kind of weak in flavor. Oh, there's flavor there, but it's not all that strong. I don't expect such flavor to take up the entire experience of tasting this ice cream, but I did expect it to have a little more oomph. The chocolate frosting swirl is also a little casual, in my opinion. Again, I think I expected something stronger, something more.

The big question, however, is: would I try this ice cream again. Yes, most definitely, but I'll have lower expectations next time.

And besides, it's still a pretty good ice cream.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Clusterfluff

Ice cream review by John

Score: 3.5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Clusterfluff from Ben & Jerry's starts with a peanut butter ice cream, then adds a marshmallow swirl with a peanut butter swirl and little pieces of caramel clusters. Sound delish, right? It pretty much is.

I'm not normally a big fan of peanut butter ice creams even though I love peanut butter and peanut butter candies. The reason for this is because I usually feel peanut butter ice creams are too strong in flavor, overshadowing anything else that might be mixed in. That is not the case here. Ben & Jerry's has got their base of peanut butter ice cream just right, very smooth with a little sweet peanut butter flavor, but no so much that you can't taste the other elements found within Clusterfluff.

I usually feel much the same about marshmallow when added to ice cream, that it's too overpowering, but again, that is not the case here. In fact, this might be the best addition of a marshmallow swirl to any ice cream I've ever tasted. I'm not sure, but I'm thinking maybe the addition of the peanut butter swirl helps with this, blending the marshmallow and peanut butter together in a perfect unison that gives you the effect of both but without either taking over.

The little caramel clusters are okay, but I found them a little disappointing. They're not quite crunchy, not quite soft, sort of in the middle. And the caramel flavor I felt was a big generic, sort of like cheap caramel candies. I know Ben & Jerry's can do better with their caramel.

Over all, I found this a pretty good ice cream, but it's not a favorite. And there's nothing wrong with that. Ben & Jerry's puts out several others that are favorites of mine. Besides, all of us have different tastebuds, and I'm sure Clusterfluff is a favorite to someone out there.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Blueberry Cheesecake

Ice cream review by John

Score: 4 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

This treat combines two of my favorite things, blueberry and cheesecake, so you might think it should score a perfect 5 out of 5 scoops. Unfortunately, it does not, but it's still a pretty good ice cream.

Why not the perfect score? To tell it like it is, because the blueberry flavor here is too strong, pretty much overpowering all other flavors in this ice cream. If Ben & Jerry's would knock back the blueberry a little bit, this would help to elevate this treat to the next level.

Much like one of my favorites, Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake, this one includes that scrumptious graham cracker swirl which is like a piece of heaven in your mouth. If you like graham cracker flavoring, then you need to try these ice creams.

The majority of the ice cream here is a mixture of cheesecake and blueberry, which works well enough, but as I mentioned, the blueberry flavor tends to overshadow everything else.

Ah, well. Not every ice cream can be perfect. This one is definitely a step in the right direction, but a little tweaking could make it better, in my opinion.

Schweddy Balls a new flavor from Ben & Jerry's

Yes, Ben & Jerry's has come out with yet another new flavor, this one titled "Schweddy Balls" and named after a famous Saturday Night Live skit starring Alec Baldwin, Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer. If you're old enough to remember this skit, you'll also remember just how hilarious it was.

I've yet to try this new flavor, but it comes with a vanilla base and a hint of rum, as well as fudge-covered rum and chocolate layered malt balls. Sounds good to me!

If you'd like to see the original SNL skit, check out this link at Hulu.

Or check out this video below about the new Schweddy Balls ice cream.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack

Ice cream review by John

Score: 4 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Hate to say it, but this one did not live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, it's still a pretty good ice cream, thus my score, but ... I don't know, I think I expected something ... better?

What you've got here is your basic vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and potato chip clusters that are covered in chocolate fudge. Sounds awesome, right? So what could go wrong?

Frankly, it's those potato chip clusters covered in fudge. They're just not all that great. They're like little salty pieces of cereal, sort of, and it just didn't work for me. It's one of those things where the idea sounds better than it really is. Those chip clusters aren't awful, and the fudge covering helps, but sometimes they're a little soft, almost soggy, and I can't abide that in anything having to do with potato chips.

Okay, enough bitching! What about the good stuff? Well, the vanilla bean ice cream is pretty good quality, and then there is the swirl of salty caramel, and this is where this ice cream truly shines. I'm a huge fan of salty caramel, and Ben & Jerry's does not disappoint on this point. No, it's not the richest caramel I've ever had, but it's pretty darn smooth and tastes oh-so-creamy in my mouth. The swirl is a fine concoction of salty and sweet flavors combined.

To back up just a little, for all my complaints, this ice cream is worth trying. It might even turn into one of your favorites, even though it's not mine. For its unique qualities, and because after all it's not that bad an ice cream (hey, 4 out of 5 scoops is still pretty good), I can suggest this ice cream to anyone.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's half baked

Ice cream review by John

Score: 2.5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Considering this is basically a mixture of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream and Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, two ice creams that are not favorites but I still enjoy, you might think this particular ice cream would go over well with me.

But it doesn't.

Though I'll admit I'm not a hundred percent sure it is the fault of Ben & Jerry's. I've tried this ice cream several times from different stores, though all in my region, and every time this ice cream has been very dry, almost powdery, reminding me somewhat of powdered chocolate milk mix. Maybe this ice cream simply has that kind of texture, but I'm wondering if a bad batch was delivered to my area or if something else is going on because normally I at least like Ben & Jerry's ice creams.

Also, the chocolate overwhelms here, leaving the vanilla practically nonexistent in the flavoring. Also, the cookie dough is swamped by the chocolate and the fudge pieces, so you can't really taste them either.

All in all, this is one Ben & Jerry's flavor I'm not likely to try again anytime soon, though I might consider it the next time I'm traveling away from home.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie

Ice cream review by John

Score: 3.5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

I can't quite call this a favorite from Ben & Jerry's, but it is still a darn good ice cream. What they've done here is start with a base of Boston Cream Pie ice cream, then add some small flakes of chocolate fudge, mix in some chunks of yellow cake and finally swirly around some pastry cream.

All of it comes together into a pretty good mix. But I have some quibbles.

First, the pieces of fudge are tiny, so tiny I could barely taste them at all. Second, while all of the ingredients here are quality and taste well enough on their own, the mixture didn't quite work for me. It wasn't that it tasted bad, just that the combination of all these flavors didn't quite mesh. How to explain this? The various ingredients here worked against one another, leaving a final flavor that was sort of like Boston Cream Pie in that is was sweet, but overall I couldn't taste much of anything other than that vague sweet flavor. Too much of a mixture for me, I suppose.

I think an improvement would have been to have one of the elements here to be a little stronger. Larger or more robust fudge flakes would help, as possibly would stronger-flavored cake pieces. It might also help if the flavoring of the base ice cream was just a little less overpowering, drowning out the flavors of the other ingredients.

Still, a quality ice cream and worth trying.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Bonnaroo Buzz

Ice cream review by John

Score: 4.5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

I am not a big fan of coffee ice cream. Nor do I like malt ice cream. Whiskey caramel is not a favorite. And English toffee is one of my least favorite candies.

Guess what? This ice cream includes all of those, and it ROCKS!

That's right, Bonnaroo Buzz from Ben & Jerry's is a mixture of malt and coffee ice creams with a whiskey caramel swirl and pieces of English toffee. By all rights, I should not like this ice cream, but it I love it.

I'm big on textures in my ice cream, and here there is plenty of that with the chunks of toffee throughout. I always like caramel, though usually not with a whiskey bent, but here it works, providing a creamy sweet smoothness that takes this treat to a higher level. And while I normally don't care for malt or coffee ice creams, Ben & Jerry's has combined them to perfection, giving a hint of each flavor but neither one being overpowering.

And in case you're wondering, this ice cream is named for the Bonnaroo Mustic & Arts Festival held annually in Tennessee. This festival has been done proud by this Ben & Jerry's flavor.

If you've not tried this ice cream, rush out and do so. If your local stores do not carry this ice cream, then by all means beg them to get it. You'll relish this fine treat.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake

Ice cream review by John

Score: 5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Yes, I'm an ice cream snob, but when it comes to strawberry cheesecake or strawberry cheesecake ice cream, I'm an even bigger snob.

And this one makes the grade, making it a personal favorite.

The actual ice cream here is strawberry cheesecake flavored, and it's got the expected high quality from Ben & Jerry's. But there's more than just the ice cream. There are sizable slices of strawberry to be found here, and they are quite fresh tasting, bringing an added layer of texture to this treat. But where this ice cream really shines is with the addition of a graham cracker swirl.

Did I say "graham cracker swirl?" Yes, I did, and it is one of the best swirls to ever be included in any ice cream ever made. It's smooth yet slightly crunchy, all at the same time. And it's got a fantastic mix of sweet with a hint of salty, as any good graham cracker should. This stuff is so good, I almost wish Ben & Jerry's would sell a container full of it by itself.

If you love strawberry cheesecake and ice creams flavored as such, do yourself a favor and try this. I've yet to find a strawberry cheesecake ice cream that is better. And if you know of one, by all means, let me know, too!

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream

Ice cream review by John

Score: 5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

This is a personal favorite, so I just had to give it 5 scoops.

What's so great about this ice cream? Well, it's named for comedian Stephen Colbert, for one thing. That right there should be enough to get you to try this treat. But for your taste buds, this vanilla ice cream includes a caramel stripe running through it as well as pieces of waffle cone covered in a layer of fudge. If that description won't get you to try this ice cream, then nothing will.

Here Ben & Jerry's is at its best, mixing all that chocolate and vanilla and caramel with the waffle cone to create a concoction just short of heaven itself. The vanilla ice cream base is solid, as is always the case with Ben & Jerry's, and the caramel swirl is a true delight, sweet and creamy. But then there are the waffle cone pieces, which add a slightly crunchy texture. The fudge layering on the waffle cone pieces adds just a bit more complexity, and boosts the chocolate quotient quite a bit.

If you love vanilla, chocolate and caramel, you should love this ice cream. And if, like me, you enjoy textured ice creams, the waffle cone pieces add to the fun.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia

Ice cream review by John

Score: 3.5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Let me tell you right up front, I'm not much of a cherry fan. That being said, I have to add, this ice cream won me over. I didn't expect to like it, at least not much, because I mean ... come on, I've yet to have a Ben & Jerry's flavor that actually sucked.

Anyway, the cherry here is not too strong, which I find is the case in many cherry ice creams, candies and cakes. The cherry flavoring here is light, just enough to give a little of that fruity zing. There are pieces of cherry in this ice cream, but they are small and not enough to imbalance the texture.

You chocolate fans need to pay attention to this one. Yes, there are little pieces of fudge throughout, and they really shine here. Honestly, if someone torn off the label and told me this was a chocolate ice cream with a little fruit added, I would have believed them. That's how strong those fudge shavings can be here.

All in all another excellent flavor from Ben & Jerry's. I can't wait to try another one!

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie

Ice cream review by John

Score: 4 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Imagine the smooth coolness of a York Peppermint Pattie combined with the chocolaty crunch of a traditional Oreo cookie. Only better.

If you can do that, then you'll have an inkling of how good this ice cream happens to be.

This is not an ice cream that's drowning in chocolate, so you hardcore chocolate fans might be a little disappointed, but there's still plenty of chocolate kick that most will be more than satisfied. For that matter, if you're that much of a chocolate fan, you should probably just go eat chocolate ice cream. Right?

Those of you who love mint should be happy with this fine treat, and the cookie crunch adds a level of texture that is too often forgotten in lesser mint ice creams. That mixture of crunchy texture and smooth mint is one of the big appeals to this frozen dessert, taking it a step or two above most other mint ice creams.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie

Ice cream review by John

Score: 4 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

Chocolate fans are going to love this one. Ben & Jerry's is known for some pretty darn good ice cream flavors, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie is no exception. The chocolate here is one of the better ones from the larger brands, with enough creamy texture to keep any chocoholic satisfied and enough actual chocolate flavoring to satisfy the taste buds of sweets fans. Mixed in with all that chocolaty goodness are chunks of fudge brownies, most about the size of a small dollop of cookie dough. In my experience, there's enough of the fudge brownie chunks that just about anyone who loves chocolate and brownies should be pleased.

What are the downsides? Not many, but there have to be some otherwise I would have given this ice cream a perfect score of 5 out of 5 scoops, right? To tell the truth, there aren't really any downsides here, it's just that I have had better ice creams, ice creams that were smoother and full of even more chocolaty goodness than is found here. But that being said, most of those better ice creams tend to be your higher-market ice creams which are not always that easy to find. Most grocery stores, however, will carry Ben & Jerry's, and many will carry this particular flavor, so you shouldn't pass this one by if you are in the mood for chocolate and you're not shopping at a specialty establishment.

Truly, this is one of the better chocolate ice creams available. So give it a whirl. You won't be disappointed.

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Ice cream review by John

Score: 3.5 out of 5 scoops

Company: Ben & Jerry's

This is one of the finest cookie dough ice creams around, but I still found it somewhat lacking. The ice cream part, here a vanilla, is quite creamy and smooth and full of flavor, as are nearly all Ben & Jerry's products. There are little bits of chocolate pieces throughout, almost more like a chocolate chip ice cream than a cookie dough ice cream. And then there are, of course, the expected chunks of cookie dough, here looking and tasting like chocolate chip cookie dough.

All of that sounds great, right?

Well, it is good, I'll give it that. But great? Not quite. I found this to be a somewhat bland ice cream from Ben & Jerry's. Perhaps it's because this flavor is one of the older flavors from the company, and the more modern Ben & Jerry's flavors tend to have so many more gobs of goodness to them, and richness and variety and complexity.

Please do not misunderstand. This is a quality ice cream. But it feels like something is missing. Maybe some nuts or some chocolate syrup or a caramel swirl ... something. As is, I found it just a notch above plain.

If you search for this ice cream in the stores, it is labeled "Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough" in the pint and quart sizes, but it's simply called "Cookie Dough" in the single serve, 3.6 ounces size.

Bonus trivia: Did you know Ben & Jerry's created the very first chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream?

Ice cream review: Ben & Jerry's Fair Goodness Cake!

Ice cream review by John
Score: 4.5 out of 5 scoops
Company: Ben & Jerry's

As the name implies, this ice cream is made with only Fair Trade Certified ingredients, apparently a growing trend with the Ben & Jerry's folks. Whether you have interests in Fair Trade foods or not, it works here.

This ice cream is another delightful addition to the Ben & Jerry's list of frozen goodies, though this is only a "Limited Batch" so who knows how long it will be around. Hopefully for a good, long time, because this is truly excellent ice cream.
But I can hear you screaming now, "What flavor is it?!?"

Okay, okay. It's chocolate ice cream with pieces of German chocolate cake and a swirl of coconut caramel.

Makes your mouth water just reading that, doesn't it? And it should. This stuff is a-w-e-s-o-m-e!

If you are a fan of other Ben & Jerry's chocolate varieties, you are in for a special treat here. I'm not sure if it's because of the Fair Trade ingredients, but the chocolate in this Ben & Jerry's flavor is more creamy and rich than other flavors, bordering on the smoothness of a Häagen-Dazs chocolate.

And as with most Ben & Jerry's flavors, there is no dearth of the cake pieces and the coconut caramel swirl.
Speaking of that coconut caramel swirl, it brings an extra creamy sweetness to this ice cream, on that is rich but not so much as to make you pucker. In other words, perfect.

The pieces of German chocolate cake are also a nice addition, being plentiful enough to add texture and an extra depth to the chocolate flavoring.

FLAVOR TOP NOTES

chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, hints of caramel

FLAVOR FINISH NOTES

slight coconut flavor and texture with even more chocolate