I tend to stick with limited edition or exclusive options when I’m purchasing a pint of Haagen Dazs, but following a Reader Review I received last week, I had no choice but to break my habit. Before seeing what was inside the carton, I had routinely ignored their White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. If I had taken the time to pick up the pint and read the manufacturer’s description on the back, I would have had been convinced to try this much sooner. Haagen Dazs writes, “A truly exquisite ice cream inspired by fine chocolate truffles. We begin with pure white chocolate ice cream and swirl in satisfying chunks of chocolaty fudge truffles and a tangy raspberry ribbon.” The white chocolate base, a seemingly obvious concept, is something rarely used in ice cream and even more so when talking super premium offerings such as this one.
Like many of their others, White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle comes in at 280 calories per serving, but only contains 3.5 servings in a carton compared to the 4 servings found in most others. After peeling off the plastic seal, the first layer is mostly light in color besides the large concentration of raspberry sitting right on top. The carton has me expecting a mellow, buttery white chocolate livened up by tart, jammy raspberry ribbons that end with chewy, chocolate fudge truffle chunks and this was just as advertised. Even though the base isn’t overly sweet, the rich, smooth taste of white chocolate translates into an excellent flavor for ice cream. The small bits of fudge truffles make their way into nearly every single bite and bring about another element of chocolate to the equation. They also melt down much slower than the surrounding ice cream, which means every bite finishes with a few pieces left over.
The last component, the tangy raspberry ribbon, is included in high amounts and slices through the pint from top to bottom. Haagen Dazs isn’t shy with the sourness of this swirl and allows it to cut through the smooth chocolates used. I was just as much a fan of this flavor when the raspberry wasn’t involved, but it was just as effective when it was. White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, although not limited or exclusive, was one of the best I’ve had from Haagen Dazs and deserves some respect when talking super-premium ice creams.
Where I Found It: Super Walmart
Grade: A
