Considering I usually choose chocolate over vanilla and brownies over cookie dough, I was even more excited about Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie than I had been for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. After bringing this one home and skimming through the information on the back of the carton, I found even further proof that Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are genuinely nice guys. The large, square-shaped brownies Ben & Jerry’s usually use in their ice cream comes from a company that is really making a difference in their community: Greyston Bakery.
According to their website, “The Greyston Bakery is the nationally leading "Brownie Company". We produce the best tasting, highest quality brownies at a great value to the consumer. Greyston Bakery is a leading model for social enterprise building a coalition with employees, community and shareholders. We properly compensate our employees: fair/living wage, health benefits, and direct participation in the profitability of the company. We train, promote from within, and mentor our employees, who we source from the local community. Greyston Bakery, through its profit generation, is a substantial source of revenue for the Greyston Mandala, supporting affordable childcare for community, affordable housing for homeless and low income families, and affordable healthcare for persons with HIV." With the top to this 260 calorie per serving, super-premium ice cream removed, I was immediately greeted with a luscious looking chocolate base and a huge chunk of brownie sitting right on the surface.
I’ve never considered Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice cream superior to other super-premiums, but it always seems to able to get the job done. Even though it’s a simple, straightforward flavor, their chocolate base has a rich, dry finish when compared to others. While I find this particular foundation a bit lacking, the brownies are far more important to the fate of this flavor and it doesn’t take long before they make themselves readily available. These aren’t your standard, cube-sized brownie impersonators you find in most pints of ice cream. These are much larger in size and pack a lot more potency.
My first experience with a brownie from Greyston Bakery was a memorable one. These heavenly hunks of baked chocolate are rich, chewy and the absolute perfect accompaniment to a super-premium, chocolate ice cream. Although the combination can be overpowering at times, chocolate lovers will choose to ignore that small detail. I pull out brownie after brownie, all dripping in chocolate ice cream, until the whole pint is empty. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream making ability and the top-notch brownies from Greyston were able to achieve an A-grade with ease and introduce me to one of my new favorite mix-ins in the process.
Where I Found It: Ingles Market
Grade: A
