It took longer than expected to track this pint down, but because of the not-so-great reviews I had been reading from fellow bloggers, I was okay with the added wait time. I don't have much experience with nougat outside of the occasional 3 Musketeers candy bar, so it seemed a bit odd as an ingredient inside ice cream. Although I'm completely content with the standard caramel and marshmallow swirls Ben & Jerry's utilize, I've seen their knack for knowing what swirls work well inside their base ice creams.
The other component used in this flavor, the wafer cookies, are much more familiar for me. As a kid, orange cream wafers used to always inhabit our pantry, but every once in a while the strawberry or chocolate variety would show up in there. The soft, crunchy combination of flavors and textures inside that little cookie makes a lot more sense to include in an ice cream than nougat. Tossing the top aside, I prepare to dive deep into nougatty swirlyness and chocolate wafer crunchiness.
Using the same sweet cream base as Imagine Whirled Peace, I'm excited to see this over the standard vanilla. Although it's not terribly different, it's a nice change of pace. Working around the visible glob of nougat and multiple wafer cookies poking through the top, I dig my spoon into a pint of Ben & Jerry's for the first time in a while. I always tend to forget how nice the denseness and consistency of their ice cream can be after coming off a Ben & Jerry's hiatus. This base is such a simple concept, only slightly sweeter than it's vanilla counterpart.
Grabbing the splotch of nougat swirl on the end of my spoon, the consistency has an odd, almost gum-like feel. The thick, stringy swirl is matched up with an overly sweet taste that only vaguely tastes of the nougat I remember. The unordinary ingredient is abundant, but unlike other swirls from Ben & Jerry's, that's not necessarily a good thing. When combined with the sweet cream base, this is one of the strangest swirls in production.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, I began to run across the fleet of fudge covered wafer cookies. Having recently had the Toffee cookies in Imagine Whirled Peace, I have high expectations for the soft wafer cookies to which I have a childhood connection with. But these aren't the standard fare I used to have as a kid. These are coated in rich chocolate that gives way to the familiar crunch of a wafer cookie. The richness of the outside, coupled with the soft, chewy interior only further prove my point that Ben & Jerry's should start incorporating more cookie pieces inside their pints.
The fragments of fudge covered cookies ended up being the saving grace for this flavor. The sweet cream and the cookies came together to create a pleasant combination, but the nougat swirl sets this flavor back a few points. If it weren't for my nostalgic connection to the wafers, this wouldn't have passed the test.
Where I Found It: Super Wal-Mart
Grade: C
