Up until recently, I wasn't even aware that culinary related holidays even existed. All of a sudden however, the national media has starting claiming holidays in recognition of all sorts of things. I caught wind of National S'mores Day (August 10th) earlier this week, so I decided to participate with a pint of super-premium ice cream. Ben & Jerry's takes chocolate ice cream with fudge chunks, toasted marshmallow & graham cracker swirls to create their S'mores flavor. I've had plenty of these actual sweet sandwiches over the years and they typically translate into a great inspiration for ice cream. Ben & Jerry's writes, "We don't know about you, but memories of campfires past always tend to rekindle our cravings for s'mores, glorious s'mores. So we just had to pack this ice cream all the graham-crackery, marshmallowy & chocolate stuff that makes s'mores so glorious. Now you can rekindle your cravings whenever, no campfire required."
Ben & Jerry’s graham cracker swirl is one of my favorite mix-ins of all time, so I was excited to tear into this 260 calorie per serving, super-premium ice cream. With the lid removed, the first layer shows a dark brown base with tons of the toasted marshmallow swirl sitting right on top. Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice cream acts much as it always does: slightly overpowering and really rich. The high butterfat base also means the chocolate takes a while to melt down, which gives even more time for the thick ice cream to overtake the other ingredients. The fudge fragments add little in the way of taste or texture, and stop my spoon on numerous occasions.
The two swirls contained inside this pint of S’mores really save the day. The toasted marshmallow swirl is stellar. It’s light, fluffy and the toasted touch sets it apart from a standard marshmallow by giving it some added flavor for an authentic s’mores feel. The graham cracker crust swirl gives this creation the finishing touch by involving a gritty texture and the taste of honey. A bite containing all four ingredients, albeit rich, was a rather tasty interpretation of s’mores ice cream. Although it wasn’t quite an A, Ben & Jerry’s provided a better than average way for me to celebrate my first National S’mores Day.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
