A year of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream
Fen and myself were very fortunate to have one year of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and rightfully I think I should do a grand summary of the flavors which I ate this year. Here are my comments of the 12 flavors which I tried. They are ranked according to my preference. (1 being my favorite flavor)
1. Strawberry Cheesecake
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream with Strawberry & a Thick Cookie Swirl. This one is one of the rare flavors without chocolate and nuts. What I really like about this is that it is not too sweet and it cookie swirl resembles the butter shortbread in a cheesecake. The smoothest of the ice cream also makes it a good alternative to cheesecake itself.
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Vanilla Ice Cream with chunks of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. This flavor is actually very close to the other 2 flavors (Half baked and A Cookie Affair) I preferred this one over the other 2 as the Cookie is more distinct and there were generous chocolate chips. This is similar to eating cookies and cream with cookie dough.
3. Triple Caramel Chunk
Caramel Ice Cream with Swirl of Caramel & Chocolatey Covered Caramel Chunks. Ben and Jerry's is typically rich and chunky, this one is a must for Caramel lovers. It is caramel, caramel and caramel.
4. Chubby Hubby
Fudge Covered Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels in Vanilla Malt Ice Cream with Fudge & Peanut Buttery Swirls. This one is a little closer to a peanut butter flavored Ice Cream. What I liked about it is the Crunchy Fudge Covered Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels. It is liken to having cadbury crunchie in the ice cream.
5. Phish Food
Chocolate Ice Cream with Gooey Marshmallow, Caramel Swirls & Chocolatey Fish. Initially I felt that the chocolate bits which resembles a fish was too hugh but slowly I grew to like it. The combination of caramel and chocolate ice cream was good. This was topped with the crunch from the chocolate.
6. Clusterfluff
Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Peanut Buttery Swirls, Marshmallow Swirls and Caramel Cluster Pieces. This one is similar to eating peanut candy. One thing to note is that it is nicer when it is fresh as the Caramel Pieces are crunchy. After leaving in the fridge for sometime, the pieces become soft.
7. Chunky Monkey
Banana Ice Cream with Fudge Chunks & Walnuts. This is an all time favorite for many. Banana is not as rich as opposed to the other chocolatey flavors,
8. Half Baked
Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Creams Mixed with Chunks of Chocolate Chip cookie dough & Fudge Brownies. The first impression I had was that it was like eating the choco-vanilla cone at Mac with bits of cookie and brownie. I kind of preferred the more pure version of cookie dough. i.e. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
9. A Cookie Affair
Vanilla Ice Cream with a Chocolate Cookie Swirl & Chocolate chip Cookies & Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. I kind of preferred the half bake kind of cookie rather than this version. It is a little like the ordinary cookies and cream.
10. Dublin Mudslide
Irish Cream Liqueur Ice Cream with chocolate chocolate Chop cookies & a Coffee Fudge Swirl. Used to be my favorite but this time I could not feel the liqueur and it was just too sweet for my liking.
11. New York Super Fudge Chunk
Chocolate Ice Cream with white & Dark chocolatey chunks. chocolatey-covered Almonds & Pecans, Walnuts. You must really like nuts to like this. Almost every other scoop had a nut - almond, pecan or walnut.
12. Chocolate Macadamia
Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Creams with Fudge Covered Macadamia Nuts. This one is not too sweet and generous with Macadamia Nuts.
Well that raps up my Ice Cream feast for 2011. Of course, as you can see that my preference is bias towards caramel and cookie. Hence you may not agree with my pick but hope it helps when you are considering which yummy flavor to pick when you are at the supermarket. Following a year of Ice Cream, I think my new year's resolution must be to lost weight. Happy New Year to all readers and thanks to the folks at Unilever for a fantastic year of Ice Cream tasting.
