Following the recent success of new flavors like Italian Cream Cake, Caramel Turtle Cheesecake and Lemon Bliss, Blue Bell continued their trend of releasing a new flavor every month. July brings us Rockslide Brownie: a dark chocolate ice cream with brownies, marshmallows, almonds, pecans, walnuts and caramel sauce. Like many of the others, this ingredients list is lengthy. I've had each of these elements in other Blue Bell flavors, but this combination sounds particularly promising. I usually have to invest in a half gallon when seeking out the latest releases, however, I was able to find Rockslide Brownie in a smaller sized portion. The sub-two-dollar price tag made the decision to grab a pint of this an easy one.
The amount of mix-ins inside July’s new release results in an ice cream that contains 200 calories per serving, but still reasonable considering the chocolate, brownies and marshmallows inside. Removing the gold-rimmed lid reveals a first layer that’s light in color for a dark chocolate ice cream and shows no signs of the influx of ingredients hiding just below the surface. The dark chocolate ice cream is slightly more complex than their standard chocolate and immediately gives Rockslide Brownie a different feel than many of their other offerings. The accompanying caramel swirl is thick, buttery and works particularly well with the dark base. The trio of nuts all adds their individual taste and texture, much like they do when included in a real pan of brownies.
Coming into this review, I assumed the brownie bits would the star of the show. To my surprise, the marshmallow pieces were able to outperform the only component contained in this flavor’s title. The squares of brownie were dense, full of chocolate flavor and provided a rich, brownie aftertaste to any bite they were included in, but the marshmallows managed to outshine them. These long-slices of mallow were bright white in color and brought about the super soft, chewy texture I was looking for to round out this flavor. Although marshmallows have made their way into Blue Bell ice cream before, I remember them rarely having this much impact. I had somewhat expected an A from this most recent release, but there was still something missing that kept it from achieving a top mark.
Where I Found It: Super Walmart
Grade: B
