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| Image Courtesy of Care's Kitchen (Found on FlickR) |
This complicated creation gets its inspiration from a pie that typically features a chocolate or pretzel based crust, is filled with layers of creamy filling, and topped with broken bits of various chocolate-coated candy bars. As the guy packing my pint pulled this stuff out of the large carton he had hiding in the freezer, it looked highly involved. Each heaping scoop he forced into the pint was chock full of mix-ins and the design closely resembled the actual dessert. I’d imagine that the factory made pints that we’ll be seeing in September will be a bit more uniform than mine, but regardless, it’s obvious that Ben & Jerry’s intends for you to get a nice dose of each ingredient in every bite.
This dense mixture of candy bar ingredients comes in at 280 calories per serving, which isn’t too bad considering a peanut butter ice cream is used. Since it would be nearly impossible to taste the base by itself, I go full throttle from the get-go. Some may have a problem with the fact that so much is going on inside Candy Bar Pie, but that doesn’t hinder the the overall taste in the slightest. Besides the visible flakes of fudge scattered about, all the other components have seemingly meshed into one. The result is a flavor that has a gritty feel thanks to the two pretzel swirls, and when combined with the rich peanut butter ice cream and dark splotches of chocolate nougat, hits nearly every texture imaginable in ice cream.
Although Ben & Jerry’s always chooses top-notch mix-ins to throw in with their peanut butter ice cream (i.e. What a Cluster and Peanut Butter Cup), they’ve really found some complimentary components with these. The fudge flakes remain small enough to melt down quickly and provide a rich chocolate finish. The chocolate nougat doesn’t add all that much, but the mild flavoring definitely doesn’t hurt anything either. For me, the contrasting pretzel swirls were the highlight of Candy Bar Pie. I couldn’t really pinpoint which one I was getting at a given moment by just looking, but the burst of sugar or salt flavor mixed with the gritty texture ended up being my favorite aspect. Ben & Jerry’s was intentionally targeting those who enjoy sweet and savory in this ice cream, and considering how partial I am to this combination, I can’t wait for Candy Bar Pie to make its way into stores this September so I can rescoop.
Where I Found It: Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop
Grade: A
