As I move forward in my gastronomical journey through the ice cream cosmos it seems that I see the same selections over and over. There's about a dozen offerings from Ben & Jerry's that you can count on being in nearly every grocery store across America. I've tried to stop ignoring the flavors that built the solid Ben & Jerry's foundation. I felt like I've tried nearly everything but the Everything But The.
Described as, "A Collision of Chocolate & Vanilla Ice Creams mixed with Peanut Butter Cups, Heath Bar Chunks, White Chocolatey Chunks & Fudge Covered Almonds," this seems to be jam-packed with a plethora of goodies. Although I was excited to indulge in this abundance of chocolate covered candy, this was certainly one of those ice creams that had a ceiling. Using proven ingredients like these are almost a guaranteed good time, but it won't be able to blow anyone away. Tearing off the top to this treasure chest of candy, I'm left looking at mostly chocolate ice cream with a few morsels of cavity-causing chocolate coming through to the top layer.
I'm well aware of how tremendous the tag team of Ben & Jerry's chocolate and vanilla can be and this is no exception. Their seems to be a higher concentration of chocolate ice cream, but being a believer in Ben & Jerry's chocolate base, I have no quarrels with the ratios they utilize. I typically savor a pint of ice cream, slowly working my way through and really tasting each individual component. When you sit down with a pint of this stuff, you really have no choice. With the bevy of candy bits, you can't move your spoon very far without hitting an impedance in your path. You have to hold out until some of the ice cream begins to melt and some of this crushed candy softens a bit before you can really do any real damage.
The peanut butter cups are certainly the most ample of all the mix-ins. And the largest. Excavating one of these monsters can be a real feat. Around a dozen of these peanut butter cups are halved and shoved deep down in the swirled ice cream. Creamy peanut butter sitting inside a cover of rippled, rich chocolate can never be a bad thing. Then came the onslaught of white chocolate chunks and fudge covered almonds. I wouldn't normally be a proponent of white chocolate chunks, but because of the influx of milk chocolate in the other components, I don't mind much. They aren't my favorite, but fits nicely in this case. The fudge covered almonds are among the best I've had in any ice cream, and that's saying a lot since I typically try and avoid flavors including nuts. Their super-soft, slightly crunchy consistency is a nice addition. The least liberal of all the included candies were the Heath Bars.
This flavor flails about in all different directions. The ice creams, candy inside, and fillings inside of the candies are all assorted. The swirls of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, the chocolate and peanut butter of the cups, the fudge and nuttiness of the almonds, the white-chocolate chunks, and the caramel toffee of the Heath Bar. Not only did they cover every chocolatey component, they also touched on all textures. The ice cream was cool and smooth, the peanut butter cups provided a rich, creamy consistency, the almonds are chewy, the white chocolate is a slow-melting mass, and the toffee totes some much needed crunch. They leave no stone unturned. For the indecisive ice cream consumer, this may be your best bet.
Where I Found It: Publix Super Markets
Grade: B
