Just a few days after reviewing Edy's limited edition Mint Cookie, I decided to sample their former Samoas flavor, which is now referred to as Caramel Coconut Cookie. Since the Tagalongs variety was exiled once the new names came into effect, this was the only other limited edition offering available from Edy's. Previously infused with authentic Girl Scouts Samoas cookies, which are coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut, and striped with a dark chocolatey coating, the ones found inside this new generic interpretation are based on the same concept. At first glance, Caramel Coconut Cookie seems to only utilize a vanilla ice cream as the foundation, but upon further inspection, Edy's has also involved their caramel ice cream.
Coming at the same 160 calories per serving as Mint Cookie, the feel as I transferred some into a bowl is identical. The lightly shaded bases aren't dense enough to resist the edge of my ice cream scoop, but it's hard to ignore the large pieces of coconut covered cookies and fudge swirl I keep uncovering. All the ingredients are so intertwined that not only can the two individual bases not be tasted by themselves, but the fudge and cookie components work their way into every bite. When the vanilla and caramel ice creams combine, the caramel flavoring becomes dominant, but that's okay by me. Edy's caramel is one of the better low calorie bases I've come across. Although some of the fudge ribbons were significant, these were few and far between, and mostly rippled through each bite with little effect.
The coconut-covered cookie pieces had been smashed up more than I had been hoping for, but they were still able to accomplish a lot with both taste and texture. The coconut brings about a unique flavor and feel from the sweet pulp. The cookie releases a buttery flavoring when chewed, as well as adding some crunch to the equation. When a bite contained both bases, the fudge swirl and a big chunk of cookie, the Samoas cookie inspiration really excelled, but otherwise, could still only be so good considering it's non-premium status. Although I prefer this over Mint Cookie, they're comparable in terms of overall performance.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: C
