When the Ice Cream Informant posted notice that Blue Bell was releasing a new flavor for September, called Malt Shoppe, I knew I was going to be all over it. Blue Bell describes Malt Shoppe as a tasty chocolate malt ice cream loaded with milk chocolate-covered malted milk balls. Pretty simple, but as a life-long fan of both malt balls and chocolate malt milk shakes, I was excited when I came across a tub of this concoction a few days before the official September release date.
Dipping my spoon into the tub, I quickly realized that one important aspect of this ice cream was going to be positive: It is indeed loaded with malt balls! From the moment the spoon cracks the surface, it will likely collide with one of these malt balls, which litter the ice cream top to bottom. Better still, these are real chocolate-coated malt balls, not flakes or pieces of them. Fully-formed and round, these treats abound, and they taste excellent, just as if someone were to pour a box of malt balls into a tub of ice cream. The balls are not as large as movie theater candy malt balls, but that is no loss, as they are plenty big enough to pack both a rich malted center and a nice coating of chocolate. Equally impressive is the chocolate-malt ice cream. Blue Bell wisely uses a milk chocolate foundation and combines this with a rich malted flavor. When you eat a spoonful that has no malt balls (and these are few and far between!), it does taste like an old-fashioned chocolate milk shake. This chocolate malt base has nice synergy with the mix-in malt balls, creating a pleasurable sensation on the taste buds.
One thing I found out about malt shoppe is that it melts pretty quickly! So if you don't want to end up drinking it with a straw, do not let it sit out for very long. With that caveat, it is clear that Blue Bell has come up with a winning flavor. If you like malt chocolate and malt balls, then you should hasten to try this as soon as possible.
Where Steve Found It: Walmart
Steve's Grade: A