When it comes to readily available super-premium ice creams, Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's seem to be the front runners. From time to time these two companies even have competing flavors, sporting nearly the same exact ingredients inside. One of Ben & Jerry's more popular pints, Americone Dream, combines a caramel swirl and fudge covered waffle cone pieces inside their vanilla ice cream. Häagen-Dazs also uses waffle cones as inspiration inside their Caramel Cone flavor, which balances a creamy blend of caramel ice cream and rich caramel swirls with the sweet crunch of chocolate cone pieces to create a sweet, harmonious bite. Americone Dream was able to secure a high score, so how would Caramel Cone compare?
Containing a hefty amount of calories with 320 per serving, the smooth, caramelized sugar ice cream that finishes with dark cocoa melting into crisp buttery waffle cone sure sounds worth the added density. Although their classic vanilla would have worked well, the decision by Häagen-Dazs to utilize their caramel base could prove to be the deciding factor. Tearing off the red lid and peeling back the plastic displays a khaki colored ice cream with bits of chocolate and hints of the caramel swirl hiding beneath. As soon as my spoon hits the initial layer, the thick feel of super-premium ice cream is confirmed. Finding it hard to dig very deep due to the large pieces of chocolate covered waffle cone, I manage to collect some of the caramel ice cream for further examination.
The caramel ice cream is a near-perfect consistency, melting away slowly in my mouth, leaving behind a sweet, buttery aftertaste. The caramel base and ribbons of actual caramel are the same ones used in their Dulce De Leche flavor, with the simple addition of the fudge covered cone pieces. Considering the fact that the only thing I really found wrong with the aforementioned flavor was the lack of an additional mix-in, these complex chunks of cone should succeed in filling that void. As I found in Dulce De Leche, the combination of thick, caramel ice cream with the substantial caramel swirl are delightful, but the large, abundant waffle cone pieces are a real game-changer.
The rich, fudge outer coating break apart from the cone slowly, adding a nice chocolate flavor to the caramel ice cream. These waffle cone chunks are large, remain crunchy throughout and add a great texture to accentuate the other caramel components. Considering Caramel Cone is created by Häagen-Dazs, who typically seem to be cautious with their ingredients, the quantity and size of this particular mix-in is surprising, but welcomed. The blend of buttery caramel ice cream, thick caramel swirl and chocolate-covered cone pieces leave me no choice but to give Caramel Cone the nod over Americone Dream.
Where I Found It: Super Wal-Mart
Grade: B
