REVIEW: Häagen-Dazs Coconut Macaroon (Limited Edition)

I've always wondered exactly how commercials and marketing work on the human mind. Very rarely do I find myself purchasing a product based solely on it's advertisements. The majority of time that commercials are controlling the television waves I'm aimlessly scrolling through my iPhone until the channel returns to the normal scheduled broadcast. But for some reason I found myself sucked into a well orchestrated Häagen-Dazs commercial a couple of weeks ago. Soft piano music, claims of incredible ingredients and majestic mergers of flavors left me yearning for some of their elegant ice cream. The lineup from Häagen-Dazs had been a bit hit or miss so far, but I've always been intrigued by those limited offerings hiding in those lavender cartons.

Their Blueberry Crumble and Spiced Caramel Biscuit were brilliant spokespersons for their limited edition lineup, so I continued my exploration through the purple pints. This time I went with Coconut Macaroon which Häagen-Dazs describes as, "inspired by centuries-old recipes spanning from Europe & Asia, our coconut macaroon ice cream is made with soft, chewy coconut macaroon cookies folded into delicate coconut ice cream." Only available February to September, my time line to try this flavor was closing quickly.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the coconut macaroon ice cream or the coconut macaroon cookies. I've only had a few different macaroons in my life and they weren't coconut. Wikipedia writes, "A macaroon (/mækəˈruːn/mak-ə-roon) is a type of light, baked confection, described as either small cakes or meringue-like cookies depending on their consistency. The original macaroon was a small sweet cake consisting largely of ground almonds similar to Italian amaretti." Tearing off the top unmasks a manilla looking layer of ice cream with a small amount of macaroons making their way to the top.

The ice cream possessed the consistency that Häagen-Dazs is known for. Smooth, succulent and creamy. The coconut macaroon base boasted a nice mixture of vanilla and coconut. I used to think I was crazy about the latter, but this base became boring just a few bites in. Maybe I'm not just not as captivated by coconut as I originally thought I was. But maybe the morsels of macaroons can mystify me enough to recommend this. At first glance, it's not looking promising. Nearly a quarter of the way through the pint I've only found a few fragments. The bits of macaroon biscuits remain crumbly and flaky when I found larger lumps, but I can't really recognize any distinctions of coconut. They remind me more of sugary shortbread snacks.

I'm not even sure being a advocate for coconut would assist in deriving satisfaction from this Häagen-Dazs selection. Careful combing of the flavor profile are required to pick up even the slightest clues of coconut. The minimal amount of macaroons seal the fate of this flavor. I appreciate the attempt by Häagen-Dazs to bring another delicacy to consumers across the globe, but I urge others to sleep on this one.

Where I Found It: Super Target
Grade: C

READER REVIEW: Winston's Review of Haagen Dazs Coconut Macaroon (Limited Edition)

Haagen-Dazs always makes a rich, creamy dessert; I’ve generally been more than satisfied with them in the past. Therefore, when I stumbled across “Coconut Macaroon” at Super Wal-Mart, I couldn’t resist. Like many of my past favorites, this dessert contained cookie pieces embedded in a rich, premium base. Further I’m a big fan of coconut macaroons; I had to try it.

The base in this desert is incredible: a rich, ultra creamy foundation, as one would expect from Haagen-Dazs, with moderate (just perfect) coconut notes, and a minuscule, pleasant tart undertone. The base is definitely the best coconut base I’ve had, as it’s much richer and creamier than Talenti’s Caribbean Coconut, and isn’t plagued with those annoying strings of Coconut. I must add that I have not tried Graeter’s Coconut Chip, but will soon.

The macaroon pieces are absolutely delicious and provide the perfect texture contrast to the astounding base. These soft, chewy cookie pieces provide strong macaroon flavor and are littered everywhere in the pint. The flavor and texture contrast between the base and these cookies is just as pleasing as any premium cookie/cookie dough and premium base match up.

Reading over the Ice Cream Informants review of “Coconut Macaroon”, I feel that his low count of cookie pieces detracted from the overall experience; they play a huge part in the enjoyment. In my mind, Haagen-Dazs created a virtually perfect dessert for a niche market with coconut macaroon. Still, though, I’m convinced that many people that are indifferent to macaroons and coconut will thoroughly enjoy this dessert, as it’s so loaded with cookies, cream and sugar that anyone even moderately disenfranchised with coconut wont’ be able to resist a second scoop.

Where Winston Found It: Super Walmart
Winston's Grade: B