As a kid, whenever I was forced to accompany one of my parents to the mall during the holiday season, I used to gawk at the peanut butter and M&M cookies on display at the Great American Cookie Company. If I was on my best behavior, which wasn't often, I'd walk back to the car with one of these giant cookies in tow and a smile on my face. The combination of peanut butter cookie and M&M's chocolate candy happened to be one of the few things that could control my behavior while following my family through the never-ending monotony of department stores. This nostalgic aspect left me with high expectations for my first sample from Archer Farms.
With the lid removed, the lightly-shaded peanut butter ice cream looks completely infiltrated with chocolate chips, only the bleeding candies letting me know there's more underneath. At 220 calories per serving, this is one of the densest ice creams I've found outside of pint-sized portions. Heavy, mix-in filled flavors like this are usually reserved for small, two cup containers. This is confirmed at the resistance provided by the peanut butter ice cream as I scoop some in a bowl. Uncovering a small army of ingredients inside, the chocolate, candy and cookies have me salivating. After taking my first bite of the peanut butter ice cream, it seems Archer Farms has swayed completely towards sweetness. Most of the peanut butter bases I've had in the past all incorporate a bit of saltiness into the mix, even if it's minor, but not here.
The thick ice cream takes a while to melt down, but seems to have a slight gummy texture as it does so, something I've yet to see in such a high butterfat flavor. The texture isn't off-putting, but takes some time to get acclimated with. In addition to the odd texture, the base is so riddled with colorful pieces of chocolate candy coating that it adds another level of texture to the entire ice cream. Everything was going smoothly until I came across the full sized cannonballs of chocolate. Nearly breaking a tooth in the process, the M&M impersonators that missed the chopping station make this flavor a bit dangerous.
Long after the ice cream has melted away, the large candies still remain, taking entirely too long to melt down before they're safe to chew. After nearly losing a molar multiple times, the overall experience was effected. Luckily for Archer Farms, they've covered their tracks with tons of soft, chewy oatmeal cookie chunks. These cookies combine perfectly with the peanut butter ice cream and chocolate candy to reincarnate the popular cookie, as well as this flavor's fate. Relying on the fact that the best flavors include cake or cookies, Archer Farms was able to secure a high score despite nearly sending me to the dentist.
Where I Found It: Target
Grade: C
