From the beginning of time, mankind has been predisposed to mix things together. If this is good, and this is good, wouldn't they be better together? After enjoying pints of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chocolate Fudge Brownie months prior to this, I'm ready to finally taste the flavor that combines these best-selling classics.
According to Ben & Jerry's lore, this simple concept is how their time-honored Half Baked was born: The insider story on this flavor was the code name, Drakes Mistakes, Drake Wallis is the St. Albans plant manager. He came to work and reported that he was a scoop shop over the weekend and witnessed people ordering two different flavors in the same dish. The bread and butter of the B&J's lineup, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chocolate Fudge Brownie, are both strong sellers and can be found in nearly every store in America. Vanilla ice cream with gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough sounds delicious. Chocolate ice cream with fudge brownies sounds breathtaking. But combine the two, and you've got something truly special.
Having just reviewed both of the two inspirations to this carton, I'm well aware of how amazing each of these are on their own. I knew Half Baked was in my immediate future, so I resisted the temptation to mix the two prematurely. Seeing as how Ben & Jerry's was the the originators of the cookie dough flavor, I'm well inept at how incredible their raw cookie dough is and their fudge brownie bites are some of my favorite. The quality and taste of their chocolate and vanilla ice creams are plenty capable to showcase this dynamic duo of mix-ins.
After tossing the lid aside, I encounter exactly what I expected, but my excitement didn't dissipate. A complete carton of each hadn't been enough to subside my cookie dough cravings and or my fire for fudge brownies, but now I had found my fix and was ready to spark up. My spoon collected a substantial scoop of raw dough and brownie bits dripping with vanilla and chocolate ice cream. As mentally prepared as I thought I had been for what was about to take place on my palette, I wasn't. Ben & Jerry's describes this as, "Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Creams with Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Fudge Brownies," but as a consumer, you can never prepare for this much benevolence in one bite.
The two ice creams merge together in perfect harmony. Cookie dough masses the size of marbles tried to make their way into nearly every bite. Sporting a sugary, gritty texture, these are stuffed inside from top to bottom. Despite claims of a half and half combination, the dozens of dough pieces make it seem otherwise. But this pint doesn't lack bricks of brownies either. These fudge-filled bites are in every nook and cranny the dough manages to miss.
Not everyone has the same taste buds. A favorite dish for one person may be an abomination to another, but that's not the case with Half Baked. 99.9% of people will love this. If someone is asking you for a recommendation, you certainly can't go wrong pointing them towards a pint of Half Baked.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: A
