Although most of Blue Bunny's products fall slightly underneath what I consider to be premium ice cream, some of their selections still seem to pretty solid. A few weeks ago at my local Wal-Mart, I stumbled across their limited edition, White Chocolate Caramel Cluster. The thought of a white chocolate base with chocolate, caramel and peanut candies had enticed me into picking up a carton. Unfortunately, the overall result was a bit of a letdown. When I wandered back into Wal-Mart earlier this week to grab a few things, I noticed that their Chocolate Caramel Cashew was now sitting in the slot where White Chocolate Caramel Cluster once had. This latest limited edition is made up of silky chocolate ice cream loaded with chocolate flakes, honey coated cashews and a caramel sauce. As soon as I arrived home, I popped off the patented lid-lock tab and peeled back the top to investigate further.
Despite the fact that I usually prefer high quality to high quantity, the lower calorie count contained in many of Blue Bunny's products is a welcomed sight when you're watching your weight. The 160 calories inside Chocolate Caramel Cashew are much easier to fit in someone's diet than some of the 250 plus calories found in most super-premium pints. My first reaction came from the silky chocolate base, which was one of the lightest shades I've seen from any ice cream featuring cocoa. The coloring approached a grey and was only broken up by a few of the cashews and chocolate flakes sticking up through the top. My first bite of the light and fluffy base scooped out easily and the taste was less intense than other similar low-calorie, chocolate offerings. The flavors found in your run of the mill chocolate ice cream are usually artificial and overly rich, but this lived up to its silky description by remaining smooth.
All of the other ingredients are small in stature, but provide complimentary flavors and texture to the overall theme. The fudge flakes are thin, slightly crunchy and build on the richness of the chocolate contained in the ice cream. The cashews are soft, easy to chew, release all their honey-roasted flavors when chewed, and were my personal favorite. Chocolate Caramel Cashew finishes with small stripes of caramel sauce, which always seems to compliments a chocolate base. Blue Bunny’s most recent release isn’t going to win any awards for creativity or performance, but wasn’t a disappointment either.
Where I Found It: Super Wal-Mart
Grade: C
