A few weeks ago while I was at an apartment pool with a few friends, I heard the familiar tune of the ice cream truck pulling up to the entrance. Children flocked to their guardians with open hands begging for a few bucks to buy some relief from the summer sun. Many of the parents obliged and soon a line began to form on the side of the truck. This scene stirred up some of my own ice cream memories as a kid. Whether in the school cafeteria or from the ice cream truck that would occasionally stroll through our suburban neighborhood, I used to treat myself with many of the various popsicles and prepackaged ice cream cones. As I peered from a far at the selections on the outside of the truck, the Good Humor bars seemed to stand out the most; specifically the Chocolate Éclair and Strawberry Shortcake.
Fast forward a week and I found myself looking at some of these same bars I used to enjoy as a kid in my freezer aisles. Although it was a complete toss up as to whether I would go strawberry or chocolate, I ultimately settled on the 6-pack of Good Humor Chocolate Éclair Ice Cream Bars: cake-coated artificially flavored vanilla light ice cream and a chocolate-flavored fudge center. At only 150 calories each, these seemed like a great idea to have around. Anyone could fit one of these into his or her daily allotment of calories and even two wouldn’t cause a major setback. After removing one of the bars from box, the white plastic wrapper gives no signs of what sits inside, but as soon as I rip it open and pull out the bar by the wooden stick, memories come rushing back.
Seeing as how this bar features a soft, pliable light ice cream, you’re safe to dig right in without the threat of cracking any teeth in the process. The exterior of the bar has been rolled in what Good Humor refers to as cake coating, but feels more like soft cookie crumbs. These little morsels give each bite an interesting texture and compliment the richness of the over-sweetened ice creams inside. The chocolate is rich and overpowers the vanilla for the most part, but I could care less. I didn’t buy these for well-balanced bases. I can’t kid myself by saying these are competitive with the super-premium pints I typically review on this blog, but as far as nostalgia is concerned, I still enjoyed these immensely. I’d gladly donate 150 calories for one of these any day.
Where I Found It: Ingles Markets
Grade: C
