The list of flavors I’ve reviewed from Blue Bell has grown to be a long one over the past year and half, so besides a few base-only options, I’ve almost tried them all. A few of the stores in my area have made a habit of stocking a seemingly random selection of Blue Bell pints. Naturally, I always browse through to make sure I’ve covered everything I can and earlier this week, it paid off. I was able to get my hands on one of Blue Bell’s ice creams that I’ve been on the lookout for: Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream.
I immediately think back to my A-rated experience with a similar flavor from Haagen Dazs and hope Blue Bell can even come close to the Walgreens exclusive, Pralines & Cream. This combination of praline sauce swirled into a creamy vanilla ice cream sprinkled with praline-coated pecans has less butterfat and more overrun than the competition and is able to come in at a reasonable 180 calories per serving. The first layer isn’t quite as impressive as the Haagen Dazs version, but still shows plenty of mix-ins running through the vanilla ice cream.
The vanilla used in Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream is the “fourth vanilla” that isn’t available individually like some of their other vanilla bases. It’s smooth, simple and straightforward, but should serve as a great way to showcase the pecan praline components. The thick stripes of praline sauce are sweet and work perfectly with the larger sugary pecans sprinkled in. A bite containing all three ingredients can’t quite overthrow the super-premium pint from Haagen Dazs, but served as a worthy substitute when going to Walgreens is out of the question.
Where I Found It: Walmart
Grade: B
