Skip's Candy Corner Fudge: Assorted Flavors

I just returned home from a couple of weeks in New York, and while I wasn't able to get out as much as I would have liked -- 'cause, y'know, lupus is the gift that keeps on giving -- I did manage to see Net, my "Sister from Another Mother" in New Jersey.  And I can't thank her enough for taking me out to Peddler's Village, just over the New Jersey border in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  We had a fantastic day overall, but certainly one of the highlights was a visit to Skip's Candy Corner.





You know that expression "kid in a candy store?"  Yup, that was me.  Actually, think "overly hyper and caffeinated-up food blogger with a debit card" -- that would be more accurate.  But good grief, Skip's (and to be honest, Peddler's Village overall) has so much stuff that I'm lucky that I didn't see it all. As it was, I was debating whether or not I really had to pay the rent...and that's not because the prices were tourist-trap outrageous (which, by the way, they were not), but because I literally could have taken 90% of the store home.

So I decided to think about the things I had to have, and then come back before we returned to New Jersey (and sadly, we dawdled so long elsewhere that they closed before I got back).  Hmmmmm, hard decisions!  Just feast your eyes on the yumminess pictured below....













Drooling yet?  If you aren't, don't complain to me -- complain to a psychiatrist!

Once again I have Net to thank: she knew she had to take some fudge home and made her purchase in advance -- and we ended up talking to the fantastic woman who was manning the store at that time (I am so sorry I didn't get her name -- honestly, I was so overwhelmed by the all the sugary goodness surrounding me that I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have).  Well, as she explained to me, all of Skip's fudge is made in house.  And to make a long story only somewhat less long, she ended up sending me home with some fudge for review!



As you can see below, she gave me five different varieties to sample.




So, without further ado, I shall start the review with...

Salted Caramel Fudge:



This is the one I thought was going to be my favorite, as you all know about my current obsession with anything salted caramel. This one has a layer of caramel sandwiched between two layers of chocolate fudge, and is topped with large flakes of salt. And yes, I was right, it is my favorite.  The fudge is rich with just a little bit of grain to it. The caramel is of the more solid varity, and while it pulls apart easily with some some stringing, there certainly no oozing -- and I think thats really the only way it could be done in this instance. I don't imagine a caramel that was fluid would work well here. The caramel has a nice buttery note to it, and I would have happily eaten it all by itself.  Probably the best fudge I will ever have!  The only thing I would have changed is salt flakes on top.  Mind you, I liked them -- but I think a sprinkling on the caramel as well would have pushed this square to the point where its goodness would be outlawed.  Hell, it's pretty close to that point now!


Amaretto:



I always think of this flavor as being one of those classic fudge flavors. I don't care how many times I have had it before; I am having it again. This one has a thin layer of chocolate fudge atop a thicker layer of the amaretto flavored fudge. The chocolate is top notch...but it's the amaretto layer that's the star for me. It has a cool, smooth melt on the tongue, and it is easy to imagine it is this close (*holds thumb and index finger a hair's breath apart*) to being poured from a liquor bottle.



The only thing I didn't love about this square was that it is dusted with cinnamon. While it makes the fudge look pretty, I just do not care for the combination of the flavors.  No problems, though -- the cinnamon is only on the very top, so it was easy to work around.


Peanut Butter:



Okay, whenever I get fudge at Disneyland it is always the Tiger Butter (which is what they call peanut butter). Not surprisingly, Skip's has outdone this flavor as well. It has equal layers of chocolate and peanut butter fudge. The chocolate is fab, but it's the peanut butter that I loooooo-o-o-oove. It tastes as if the nuts are fresh and just roasted. It's perfectly smooth with just enough salty tang.  Fantastic!


Rocky Road:



Yes. it has marshmallows...which pretty much means Enough Said!  Well, all right, I have to say more than that.  The thing about Rocky Road that I always seem to forget until it's too late is that it also has nuts. I know that sounds stupid, but I usually just eat the marshmallows and work around the nuts. In this case, I forgot to ask which kind they used -- but I am pretty sure it's walnuts.  And once again Skip's used chocolate fudge, folded into which are mini marshmallows and huge chunks of nuts.



This fudge is so fresh, and the marshmallows are still perfectly moist and gooey!  Marshmallow heaven!  And though I don't usually like them, I also tried the nuts (oh, what I will do for a review!).  They are quite crunchy and taste as fresh as the marshmallows -- if you like nuts in your fudge, you will surely love these.   So, my own personal nut caveat aside, this one is yet another winner.


Maple Nut:



Last but not least, I am once again digging into a nut fudge. I absolutely love pretty much any maple candy. Unfortunately (at least at the time of my visit) the only maple fudge they had with it was this one...and it also contains walnuts. But thats OK, because I know that a lot of people love nut candy, so here you guys go...



If you are looking for a chocolate-free fudge, look right here. The maple flavor is bright and sweet. It reminded me of the topping on maple doughnuts or those maple syrup candies you can get in New England (talk about things I love).  It was absolutely, incredibly good.  Even with the nuts, I didn't want to share this one with anybody else.  (The nuts by the way are huge and crisp. Walnuts lovers should go crazy over this.) 

All in all, there is no shortage of great things I could say about Skip's and their fudge.  But don't think I am just torturing you guys with things only locals can get hold of.  Skip's will ship their goodies to you anywhere in the U.S. -- and perhaps even outside the U.S. as well.  Check out Skip's website for more info.

I cannot wait to go back in few months!

iSee: Lobster Claw Machine

First, let me apologize for the crappy "Cops" style camera work. I am still getting used to my iPhone, and it shows. With that in mind, if I had the opportunity to re-shoot this, I would.  But I don't, and I thought it was really unique, so therefore we will all just have to deal with my crappy camera work.

At the Andretti Indoor Kart Racing & Games in Roswell, Georgia, they have the most unique claw machine since "Toy Story." For $2.00, you have the chance to win yourself a live lobster! The tank didn't have any info on it as to the weight of the lobsters -- but based on entirely too many years of being a server at Red Lobster, I would say that they're about 1.5 lbs. I asked the server how often people really won, and she said that the lobsters often end up meeting the claw.

So, if you're in the Roswell area and feel like catching your dinner without actually having to brave sun, bugs, and lack of air conditioning...this is definitely something to check out!

New feature!

First, my thanks to you once again for my having to take a break. It has been a hard time for the family because the loss of my aunt was sudden and unexpected.

Regardless of what happens in life, the Web still sails on and there are posts to write.  A new feature that I am trying out is called iSee.  iSee is going to be short Youtube videos featuring food, or interesting food-related items or places that I see in my wanderings. All videos will be safe for work and I hope you like them. Please let me know what you guys think!

Yet another hiatus due to family matters...

I know, it seems as if every time I try to make a comeback something bad happens.  And once again, yes, something bad has happened.


Unfortunately, there has been an unexpected death in my family (my step-aunt, to be specific).  I  will be away from home for a while, probably a little over a week, to attend her funeral and be with the family. But I will return to this blog as soon as possible, I promise.


Thank you all for your patience with me.

Gigi

Dole Real Fruit Bites: Apple Chunks

Yogurt covered fruit snacks are one of those things I really like, yet never remember to buy. So when the nice PR people behind these Dole snacks sent me a box containing three new varieties, I was pretty excited.

I decided to start with the Apple Chunks because I don't think there are enough apple snacks out there. (The other flavors coming up are Pineapple and Mango) The Apple Chunks Real Fruit Bites are sold in bags of six individually wrapped packets with 90 calories each. (Although if you look at the website, it is listed as 80 calories per packet -- so I don't know what happened there.)



There are roughly a dozen individual bites in a packet. The bites are nicely sized -- about the dimensions (and shape) of chocolate covered peanuts. They're lightly coated in vanilla yogurt, with little speckles of whole grain oats.



Their aroma isn't strong, but it is pleasant. Think of sweet and floral apples, and just a little hint of the vanilla yogurt. (It would make a pretty good Yankee Candle!)



As for the taste? The yogurt gives a slightly tart bite that pairs well with ripe, sweet apple. A truly good combination!

The oat flavor was a lot stronger in some chunks than others. On the strongest pieces, it was like having a mouth full of uncooked, solid apple-flavored oatmeal. I much preferred the pieces that had less oats in them (as I am not a huge fan of oatmeal to begin with). But if you love oatmeal, this would be a definite selling point.



The texture is interesting. While not hard or crunchy at all, at the same time it was not mushy or like a jelly candy. I think the best way to describe it would be to say that the texture is firm and almost papery. Imagine an apple that had been cut and left out long enough that the surface moisture was gone, but had not yet turned brown (and thus mushy). I realize that probably sounds strange -- but it's one of those things where the more you eat them, the more you want to eat them. I could see these being tasty in cereals (hot or cold) and even over ice cream.

Yep, these are really good. If you see them, you ought to give them a try.



PURCHASED FROM: Sample from company

CALORIES: 90 calories per packet

ADDITIONAL INFO: Contains sulfites, milk and soy. Ingredients processed in a facility that handles tree nuts, wheat, and other cereal grains.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: dole.com

Freeze Dried Ice Cream

This review is admittedly aimed at my eight-year-old self who would have thought freeze dried ice cream was just the shiznit. Well, I am no longer eight, but I still picked up this package of freeze dried ice cream in a NASA-themed gift shop at Houston's George Bush International Airport. Sadly, the shop was almost entirely aimed at kids -- and not big kids like me --- but hey, never let it be said that I let pouting get in the way of a possible review! Doing research on the history of freeze dried ice cream (AKA what can I learn from Wikipedia in three minutes or less), it was interesting to note that all these fantastic little packs of ice cream that can be found at gift shops the world over -- and that all proclaim their contents to be genuine astronaut ice cream -- are really only about as accurate as I am when I tell my nephew that I am in fact cool.

Freeze dried ice cream as we know it was developed for the Apollo missions, but actually it ended up flying only on Apollo 7 in 1968. It apparently wasn't very popular, and by the 1970s they were able to send real ice cream up. So yeah, this is "space ice cream" in the sense that it made one single voyage. Kinda in the same sense that I was considered cool once back in 1996, and that for about five minutes. Obviously, this is not filling me with hope. Is it sad to admit, pre-tasting, that I wish the gift shop hadn't been sold out of the ice cream sandwich? The thing is I never, ever eat Neapolitan ice cream in real life. Blame my parents for being too cheap and/or lazy to buy actual good flavors. It's not that I don't like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry alone; I just don't like them together.



So how was my space treat?

The little brick was surprisingly thick. If you have a small group interested in trying it, there's plenty to be shared. It is also surprisingly lightweight for its size -- and surprisingly fragile. As you can see, it shatters like glass quite easily. The texture reminded me of a very dry, very dense meringue that sort of liquefies on your tongue...and yeah, that effect was kind of cool (although the novelty quickly fades). Obviously the "ice cream" is not as creamy as even the lowest of the bargain brands of ice cream, but it does have a vaguely dairy-like mouthfeel. The three flavors varied, so we will talk about them individually:



Strawberry: Had a pleasant berry flavor that actually came off as natural. However, the dairy notes were just plain funky. It reminded me of milk that had been left out too long but had not quite turned yet.

Vanilla: I think this tasted more like "residue of chocolate" than vanilla. Again, the dairy was just funktastic -- even more noticeably than it was with the strawberry. That's probably because there was no real flavor to mask it.

Chocolate: It tastes like freebasing cheap chocolate syrup. Not bad -- but only in the sense that it was the most edible of the three flavors. The chocolate was strong enough to hide the nasty dairy taste.

Yeah, I think I know why the astronauts held out for the real thing. It was fun to try, although I certainly won't be rushing to try more (or even finish this package).



PURCHASED FROM: Random gift shop at George Bush International Airport, Houston, Texas

PRICE: $3.99

CALORIES: 110 calories per 3/4 ounce package

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: luvyduvy.com

Pepsi Next

Pepsi's new soda for 2012 -- Pepsi Next -- actually makes me feel like I'm time traveling back to roughly 2004; way back in the earlyish days of the turn of the century. (And now I am making us all feel old...sorry.) Back then both Pepsi and Coke debuted products that were not quite "diet" colas, yet not quite full calorie colas either. Remember those? Their lack of specific gender, if you will, made them strangely androgynous and hermaphroditic in a way -- kind of like what Justin Bieber would be if he were a beverage.

Well, the Pepsi Edge of yesteryear has evolved to become this decade's Pepsi Next. Pepsi Edge had 70 calories per can (or 12 ounces). and was sweetened with a blend of high fructose corn syrup and Sucralose. Its "benefit" was that it was supposed to taste more like regular Pepsi while not having all of the calories and carbs of the regular version. Pepsi Edge was discontinued in 2005 (as was Coke's competing soda, C2 -- and later that year both Pepsi Max and Coke Zero were launched, and are still going strong today). Apparently, sales were sluggish, and the most common comment I remember hearing at the time was "If I wanted a diet soda I would just drink one."

Anyway, here we are in 2012 with Pepsi Next. It has 60 calories per can (or 12 ounces) and has what could be a boy band worth of sweeteners -- four total. HFCS, Sucralose, Aspartame & acesulfame potassium are all combined in the hopes of making it taste more like a full calorie soda, but with less calories and carbs.

At least as far as the numbers go, it succeeds. A 12 ounce serving of regular Pepsi has 150 calories and 41 grams of carbs. The issue is -- how many people will this really appeal to? I am admittedly a diet soda drinker (and when I drink regular Pepsi, it is the Pepsi Throwback...sooo worth the calories!), so I don't mind the flavor of diet sodas. But I have noticed that my friends who only drink "regular" tend to dislike the artificial flavor that sweeteners give. If it gets past the "why?" factor, it will of course be the taste that makes or breaks it.

So how does Pepsi Next taste?



It does seem to have a cola taste that is closer to regular Pepsi than Diet Pepsi. (I haven't had Pepsi Max in so long I can't remember it sizes up). There is also a distinct lemony note, even though no such thing is listed on the label. It's more noticeable than that of Pepsi/Diet Pepsi as a rule, but not as strong a lemon as Pepsi Twist had. (And where can I sign a petition to bring that back?!) On one hand, I like the idea of a lemony cola. What I don't like here is that the lemon note is pleasant at first, and then dissolves into a nasty chemical aftertaste.



The carbonation is also dialed down. (It does make an impressive head when poured into a glass, but that head collapses in literally three seconds.) I know a lot of people will like that, because it makes it easier to guzzle without thunderous elephantine belching like I imagine Kim Kardashian does when the cameras are turned off. (Cease and Desist letter in 3...2...1...) For me this is neither a breaking nor a selling point. It's not a bad soda; it just doesn't rock my world. I could be wrong, but I'll give this a year, tops, on the shelf. I just don't see there being enough of a market for a half-cal option. Personally, I would rather just have a smaller portion of Pepsi Throwback.

Be sure to check out these reviews from The Impulsive Buy and Grub Grade.



PURCHASED FROM: CVS

PRICE: $1.25

CALORIES: 100 calories per 20 ounce bottle.

ADDITIONAL INFO: Contains phenylalanine.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: pepsiusa.com

Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Nougat Crunch

Ben & Jerry's is on fire lately. I swear they must be reading my mind, because when it comes to this year's batch of new flavors, absolutely everything has sounded good to me.

Chocolate Nougat Crunch is a sweet cream based ice cream with fudge-covered wafer cookies and a chocolate nougat swirl. I am one of those people who loves nougat; be it the soft, fluffy style that you find in candy bars, or the harder Italian-style that has nuts and/or fruit in it. Admittedly, I like the softer style more (and once again, with my recent jaw surgery, soft is all I can have for a while). So I lucked out, because the soft kind is what is used in this ice cream.



Digging into this pint you'll notice that the sweet cream base is indeed both sweet and creamy (imagine that!), and I like the nice, mellow vanilla-ish flavor it leaves in your mouth. What I don't like about it is that once you have had a few spoonfuls, it gets lost in the stronger nougat flavor. I would have liked the base to have been stronger, but it is still tasty.

What I really loved about this pint was the swirl. The day Ben & Jerry's can't make a kickass swirl is the day I stop eating ice cream...but it looks like that ain't happening anytime soon! The swirl is almost like eating a fluid version of a Milky Way bar. It's chocolately, and not surprisingly, it has a nice sweet thing going on. I think On Second Scoop nailed it perfectly when they said it was sort of like chocolate marshmallow (read their review here). Best of all, out of the several pints I have had, all of them had generous pools of swirl!



As for the fudge covered wafers: First, if you are expecting, say, a 'Nilla wafer -- don't. The cute little fudge covered wafer squares reminded me more of sugar wafers, minus the creme filling. I actually think I prefer this type of wafer over something more cookie-like. The texture of the wafers seemed to vary from really crispy, to some that had softened a bit -- kind of like a cake-style ice cream cone does when you get down to the bottom. The wafers are slightly sweet, but don't really have much flavor of their own.

The fudge: if you've ever read one of my reviews where Ben & Jerry's fudge covered anything, then you know that I am not a fan. I regard it as a necessary evil. I know most people don't mind it, but it has yet to win me over. Apart from that, however, no worries -- this is a really good ice cream overall.

So far this really is a great year for Ben & Jerry. I am really loving the lineup! Be sure to also check out The Impulsive Buy's review here.



PURCHASED FROM: Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE: $3.49

CALORIES: 250 calories per 1/2 cup serving.

ADDITIONAL INFO: Allergy information: fudge covered wafer pieces have been manufactured on shared equipment that also processes peanuts and tree nuts.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: benjerry.com

Oreo Birthday Cake Cookie: Limited Edition

I have to thank Jim for his review of the Oreo Birthday Cake cookies, which sent me out on a multi-store hunt to find my own bag. I finally found them at CVS when picking up my prescriptions. Yeah, drugs and cookies...I feel like I should be watching an episode of Weeds. Once I finally had my cookies in hand, I had one other hurdle to jump: the fact that I am still unable to eat anything other than soft food. But I am a trouper! By golly, I was not about to let a little thing like a messed-up jaw keep me away from cake batter flavored Oreos.



OK, so I cheated a little. I don't like to phone in reviews, even if it is only a small portion -- but in this case I decided there was a loophole I could exploit. You see, it is only the creme of the cookie that is flavored with cake batter...and that's pretty soft, right? The actual wafer of the cookie is the classic chocolate Oreo we all know and love. Yes, the cookie is crispy, chocolaty and just like every other Oreo cookie you have ever eaten in your life. (Except that while one side has the classic Oreo design, the other has a birthday candle and the legend "OREO 100" on it.)



Once you have the bag open, out wafts the wonderful sweet scent of yellow cake batter. Even my cats wanted in that package after they smelled the cookies. (No, I didn't let them!) The inner creme, as mentioned, is the real star here. I opted to try it with both a dry and a milk-soaked run. For the dry run, I twisted the top cookie off and did the classic Oreo cookie lick.



When you twist off the top cookie, you are treated to the sight of the sprinkle dappled cream. I was worried that this was going to be one of those things that smelled better than it tastes -- but once again, Oreo delivered. I loved the slight crunch that the sprinkled added. The sweetness of the hint of vanilla tasted even better to me when I dunked the cookie. (I am one of those people who soak Oreos to soggy deliciousness.) So how was it, you ask?

Well, this is possibly the best Oreo ever! Don't take my word for it; this is a limited edition. Go out and get your own bag while it's still available! (Be sure also to check out reviews 0f these cookies at The Impulsive Buy and Foodette Reviews.)



PURCHASED FROM: CVS

Happy Easter!

Dole Shakers: Mixed Berry Smoothie

I have to admit that I'm the first one to say I don't especially like smoothies. I like the idea of smoothies, but basically it stops there. Of course, as I also feel the need to say for around the four millionth time, I am currently stuck with soft foods only. And since I need to eat/drink things other than just ice cream (oh, don't I wish that could be a full diet!), I have to keep looking for new things. Hence...

The Dole Shakers in Mixed Berry. The Shakers are cool in that you don't need to pull out a blender. (Very helpful if you don't own a blender to start with.) You simply add the juice of your choice--the label suggests apple, orange, or don't-listen-to-us-use-whatever-the-hell-you-want. All right, I made that last part up; they used the far less witty "or your favorite juice." But let's actually follow the instructions in "real time" and disregard my need to ignore authority (AKA I do not feel like repeating myself).

So, first you open the cap. Then you're supposed to shake or break up the contents before adding the juice. Inside the container you will find frozen yogurt pellets and red chunks that I assume are the fruit...that, or the yogurt has Ebola Zaire. Either way, it's not pretty to look at (not that this matters).



Now that things have been loosened up, in comes the juice. I used orange juice because it was what I had on hand. You are supposed to add enough juice to reach the handy-dandy little window in the cup (helpfully shown below).



Next up is the "vigorous shaking for 30-45 seconds."

LIARS! PANTS NOT ONLY ON FIRE, BUT HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE AND SHOULD BE BURIED DEEP BENEATH THE NEVADA DESERT FOR THE NEXT 75,000 YEARS! YES, CAPS LOCK AND MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION POINTS NECESSARY HERE, SO SHUDDUP!!!!!

All right, maybe that was a little harsh, but I am grumpy and the above instructions were an epic fail. You see, despite the pre-juice-addition break up, it took more than five full minutes of vigorous shaking to get things fully mixed. (Yes, I did time it.) A decent aerobic workout undoubtedly, but hardly what the instructions indicated. To be fair, I am willing to admit that maybe my smoothie had partially defrosted on the way home from the supermarket and thus turned into something a little more solid than intended upon being re-frozen at home. Entirely possible. But the recommended 30 to 45 seconds just didn't begin to cut it, and I suspect they wouldn't have in any case.

Eventually, after the aforementioned workout, it did thicken up/mix properly and was ready to be put into a glass for your viewing pleasure:



Looks kinda like pink faux-marble, doesn't it? Like that stuff they make bathroom countertops in Florida retirement communities out of, only in liquid form. In any case, the smell was pleasant--just like strawberry yogurt. And regardless of my complaints on the mixing time, I do have to give it points for being pretty darn close to the thickness of a real juice shop smoothie. It was a just a little thinner than a professionally made one...but that was a selling point for me, as I prefer a thinner smoothie anyway.



So how did it taste?

Well, I liked the tangy zing of the yogurt. What I wasn't loving was the berries. Maybe OJ wasn't the best choice to use for a mixed berry smoothie, but it was all I had on hand. (And the label did suggest it, so...) The OJ quickly became the strongest flavor and drowned out the berries until they were merely an aftertaste. Still okay, mind -- but not what I was expecting.

Honestly, this smoothie was better than what I was expecting, and I think that with a different juice it could have actually tasted like berries. I may retry it using a cranberry or cranberry juice blend just to test that theory. (If anyone out there has tried that, what did you think?)

Not bad overall. Just expect to do a lot more shaking than the label tells you.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$1.99

CALORIES:
100 calories for the contents alone; 190 calories for the contents plus 6.5 oz of orange juice.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Made on equipment shared with products containing eggs, wheat & soy.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
dole.com

Ben & Jerry's Rocky Road-ish (Limited Batch)

Sometimes I wonder if the Universe just likes to screw with me. Why must I be tortured with a flavor like this and have it be only a limited edition? I only have an apartment-sized freezer; there is only so much pint hoarding I can do. (Or, wait...maybe I could rent freezer space from my scary redneck neighbors. I'm sure there must be a little space in between the severed human heads or whatever it is they store in there...well, it's something to consider.) In any event, I am getting ahead of myself. Let's talk about the ice cream before I run off begging. Long-time readers will know what had sent me over the edge in a moment.

Rocky Road-ish is a toasted marshmallow ice cream, with a toasted marshmallow swirl and fudge covered almonds. (Insert fan girl screaming here.) Hey, my love of marshmallow is legendary! If marshmallow is placed in a product, I will go to the ends of the earth to hunt it down. So, as you might have guessed, that combination makes this flavor like my ultimate wet dream. It's like the frozen version of Julian McMahon showing up at my door wearing only a smile. (Ben & Jerry's was the only ice cream he was ever seen eating on Nip/Tuck.) Even though the character of Dr. Troy was a Cherry Garcia man, Julian is welcome to come and partake of my...okay, enough! This review is running off track, even for me. Just give me a minute and some fresh batteries and I will be right back...

*looks around sheepishly...*

Well, I feel better, where was I? Yeah, the ice cream. In what has become the least embarrassing admission in this review--once again, because of dental work recently done, crunchy/hard foods are off the menu--I could not actually partake in the fudge-covered almonds myself. I can tell you that in classic Ben & Jerry chunk form, they were pretty sizable. (Look people, I am already taking the high road by not making any jokes using the words; hard, mouth, nuts or sizable!) They range from pea-sized to what looked like half of an almond. I outsourced the tasting and was told that the fudge is chocolaty and sweet with that slight grainy texture, and the almonds themselves were very crunchy and fresh.



As for the parts I did try: My first suggestion is to do yourself a favor and leave this pint out of the freezer for five or ten minutes (or maybe do a super fast microwave) before eating. Having eaten more pints of this than I am going to admit to, I can tell you that this flavor is 100X more awesome when slightly melty. Once the texture gets soft, the pint almost becomes like the richest, creamiest soft-serve you have ever had. The flavor of the base is indeed toasty (um, duh! the word is in the flavor description twice for a reason). It reminded me of marshmallows just browned over a fire. It's more about the burnt sugar notes, but it is not overly strong or sweet.



The marshmallow swirl: In the past, I have said I would like to die in a vat of the caramel used in Americone Dream. Well, now I would like to revise that statement and die in a vat of the marshmallow swirl instead. If the ice cream tasted like marshmallows toasted on in open fire, the swirl is all about marshmallows just out of the bag. It's sweeter, and there is a nice mellow (mallow?) vanilla note wafting through. But what just cements it for me is that it is like liquid marshmallow. (Dare I to dream?) I know, from top view, it looks as if the swirl is merely a weird darker patch of ice cream--but as you dig into the pint, everything changes. Think of rich, flowing rivers of marshmallow, instead of, say, the sticky gooeyiness of marshmallow fluff or the spongy cloud of one from a freshly opened bag.

Here's the most important thing: This flavor really MUST MUST MUST go from being a limited edition to a full-time flavor...because my life may truly be meaningless otherwise. (Well, that is just kinda sad...)



Be sure to check out what other bloggers said:
The Impulsive Buy
On Second Scoop
And a blog that is new to me that I am really enjoying:
Ben & Jerry's Fanatic

PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$3.99

CALORIES:
250 Calories per 1/2 cup serving

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains nuts & tree nuts, kosher, awesome

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
benjerry.com