As I often do on my business trips into Publix territory, I packed a cooler and some ice in hopes of scoring some of their recently released, limited edition flavors. Sure enough, not only had they rolled out most of their holiday inspired lineup, I was also able to locate a carton I’d been wanting ever since seeing it as part of a reader’s Freezer Find. I’m always pleased by the creativity of some of the limited edition flavors from Publix Premium, but an intricate combination of toffee ice cream with ribbons of caramel and dotted with praline pecans and milk chocolate caramel turtles seems sounds like more than enough to keep my taste buds occupied. The bear careening down the mountain on a snowboard made of toffee and praline pecans also continued the tradition Publix has made of including wacky artwork on their cartons.
Even with an overly complicated ingredient list like the one we have here, Publix is still able to contain their creation to only 180 calories per serving. As soon as my ice cream scooper removed the first layer, I knew I was in for a treat. Flowing swirls of golden caramel, quarter sized milk chocolate caramel turtles, and tons of praline pecans make themselves readily available to be put in my bowl. The component I was most excited to try, the toffee base, was also the most interesting. My first bite wasn’t overly reminiscent of toffee, but instead meandered more towards the taste of marshmallow. Regardless, the result was successful in providing a great start to yet another winner from Publix Premium.
Caramel Mountain Tracks really came alive once the mix-ins came into play. The entire carton featured flowing rivers of caramel that lasted from start to finish. These thick stripes were sweet, buttery and continued inside the caramel turtles. These large candies featured a rich, milk chocolate shell that easily broke away to release even more of the sweet syrup. The finishing touch to this flavor, the praline pecans ended up being my favorite aspect. These sugary nuts provided just the right amount of sweetness and crunch to elevate this flavor to the top tier.
Where I Found It: Publix
Grade: A
