Everyone seems to have their own personal memory about the scrumptious pastry known as the cinnamon bun. Perhaps that sweet smell used to act as the alarm clock; waking you from a deep slumber on a Sunday morning. For me, it brings back memories of that beautiful, blue ribbon logo proclaiming the location of a Cinnabon retail store. As a kid, I stuffed my face with these hubcap-sized cinnamon rolls oozing with warm cream cheese frosting on a regular basis. With Ben & Jerry at the helm at this frozen version, I'm ready for wild ride to cinnamon bun bliss. Just the description of caramel ice cream with cinnamon bun dough and a cinnamon streusel swirl has me all hot and bothered.
The sticky, cinnamon swirl had infused with the lid and had no intentions of letting go. After putting some real effort into it, I was finally able to remove the lid from the streusel's icy grip and toss it aside. The captivating smell of cinnamon buns began to rise upwards before I was even able to notice the large pieces of cinnamon bun dough poking through the surface of the caramel ice cream. This is the exact same caramel ice cream used in Triple Caramel Chunk and Karamel Sutra and following my first bite; is just as pleasing as I remember. The thick consistency of the premium base allows the lightly spiced, super-sweet flavors to fully envelop every taste bud before fully dissolving.
The cinnamon streusel swirl is prevalent from top to bottom and enhances the caramel ice cream with a burst of cinnamon-sugar. The sauce sticks to everything it comes in contact with and adds some texture to the smooth base. The simple combination of caramel ice cream and the cinnamon streusel swirl would have been enough to warrant this flavor's name, but Ben & Jerry's secures Cinnamon Buns a place among the best ice creams of all time by adding in cinnamon bun dough. Much like they did with their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Ben & Jerry's can't control themselves when it comes to the amount of dough they attempt to stuff inside. Considering the high volume of uncooked cinnamon buns contained in this carton, the 290 calories per serving seems like a bargain.
The battalion of cinnamon buns remains consistent through the entirety of the pint. These bun bits are soft, chewy and demand your undivided attention. They linger around much longer than the caramel ice cream and cinnamon streusel swirl; releasing a rich taste of authentic cinnamon bun from beginning to end. It's hard to go wrong when given top-notch components like these, but Ben & Jerry's succeeded in effectively balancing out the power among the three. While the actual bits of cinnamon buns outshine the others, the other ingredients were essential in the epic performance of this flavor.
Where I Found It: BI-LO
Grade: A
