This flavor caught my eye because the name isn't very descriptive and I wanted to know more about it. Reading the label, Blue Bell describes Happy Tracks as a creamy vanilla ice cream loaded with chocolate-coated peanut butter cups and a dark chocolate fudge swirl. Wow! Sounds like some good stuff, so here we go!
Peeling back the lid revealed what appeared to be a vanilla-fudge swirl ice cream, but to my disappointment I did not notice anything looking like a peanut butter cup, one of my favorite pleasures in life. However, as soon as i started digging i struck pay-dirt, as the entry of the spoon was impeded by several hard objects. Soon enough, I was confronted by a maelstrom of peanut butter cups enveloped by swirling ribbons of fudge.
"Happy Tracks" is a very satisfying ice cream to anyone who likes chocolate and vanilla and an ice cream chock full of stuff. The chocolate fudge swirls are thick, chewy ribbons and the peanut butter cups are very generously distributed, top to bottom. This ice cream is indeed loaded, the barrage of fudge and cups just does not stop! However, while the peanut butter cups are viscerally satisfying to crunch in to, they are small, and the peanut butter, which has the consistency and taste of a Reese's peanut butter cup filling, tends to get swamped by the candy chocolate in which it is encased, and by the surrounding swirls of chocolate fudge. The taste of the ice cream is much more chocolate than peanut butter, and I would have preferred a more even balance. Still, as the chocolate candy and fudge swirl are both delicious, this is a minor quibble.
And importantly, the heavy dose of chocolate flavor does not diminish the presence and flavor of the vanilla base. Vanilla and chocolate blend wonderfully together, very welcome, as I think Blue Bell's vanilla ice cream is as good as anyone's. So overall, Happy Tracks is exceptionally satisfying. And somehow, you get the flavor-barrage that you'd expect only from a 300+ calories per serving super-premium ice cream for 1/3 less calories. Blue Bell magic!
Where Steve Found It: Walmart
Steve's Grade: A