REVIEW: Publix Premium Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Sensation (Limited Edition)

Before Publix could even phase out their holiday limited edition lineup, new, unannounced options have infiltrated my Publix freezer section. Appearing to rip off the idea from Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby flavor, Publix Premium's Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Sensation follows a very similar recipe. Although they've dumped the malt vanilla base for their own rich chocolate ice cream, they've incorporated the same milk chocolate coated pretzel balls, sans peanut butter filling, as well as peanut butter ripples. Hopefully that'll be enough to offset the creepy joker on the front of the container.

Fortunately for us, where Ben & Jerry's version comes in at 340 calories per serving, this tips the scales at only 220. As I begin to scoop some of the dense chocolate ice cream into a bowl, the abundant pretzel balls and large flowing layers of peanut butter bode well for this flavor's fate. With such an incredible amount of mix-ins, it's difficult do grab the base by itself. When I finally manage to sample some, my first impression of the chocolate base comes from the overall mildness. This chocolate ice cream isn't overly rich or dense, just a nice combination of thickness and flavor to accentuate the accompanying ingredients. The peanut butter ripple makes it's way through every nook and cranny the fudge covered pretzels seem to miss. The stiff swirl was among the densest I've ever seen. So thick in fact, that at some points the layer seems to have been spread with a knife. Although most peanut butter swirls are impressive, this is far superior to the ones found in Breyer's Blasts Peanut Butter & Jelly and Reese's Chocolate.

Although they lack the peanut butter filling of the ones included in Chubby Hubby, these fudge covered pretzels come in at the perfect consistency. After the milk chocolate coating melts away, the soft pretzel provides a crunch that drowns out all other noise, leaving a nice mixture of cocoa and saltiness to finish off the flavor of each bite. When dripping with chocolate ice cream and surrounded by a substantial swirl, this trio outperforms most generics and comes close to knocking off it's big brother from Ben & Jerry's. Especially considering the much lower calorie count, this could certainly serve as a sufficient stand-in when Chubby Hubby isn't readily available and you have a hankering for peanut butter, chocolate and pretzels.

Where I Found It: Publix Super Markets
Grade: A

READER REVIEW: Bob's Review of Handel's Caramel Pretzel Crunch

As soon as I opened this pint, I knew Handel's had hit a homerun. I've never seen a caramel swirl so profound just on the top of a pint as I have in this one. The pretzel chunks were the size of Graeter's chocolate chips and the base was very thick. The caramel base pretty much reminds me exactly of 2nd St. Creamery's Copper Kettle Caramel, which was one of the best pints I've ever had.

Upon the first few bites, the swirl continued to get thicker as the pint went down to the point where you're just eating globs of caramel. This is honestly the best caramel ice cream I've ever had and the combination of the salty pretzels and swirl just put this pint over the edge.

Words cannot explain how well Handel's perfected this pint. It will be a caramel lover's dream. If you have access to a Handel's, I would not hesitate to pick this up at all. This was truly one of the best pints I've ever had.

Where Bob Found It: Handel's (Pittsburgh, PA)
Bob's Grade: A

REVIEW: Turkey Hill Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzel (Limited Edition)

As you’ve probably picked up on by now, I usually travel with a cooler on some of my long business trips where I know I’ll be passing by supermarkets and scoop shops I wouldn’t normally have access to. At the same Food Lion that I was able to score Ben & Jerry’s latest release, Scotchy Scotch Scotch I also found a limited edition Turkey Hill flavor I’d been dying to get my hands on: Pennsylvania Dutch Pretzel. Turkey Hill manages to keep this combination of brown sugar flavored ice cream with choco pretzels and a pretzel swirl to a mere 190 calories per serving. The pretzel swirl contained in Candy Bar Pie (which still remains exiled to scoop shops after its release in pint form was pushed back) was one of my favorites, so hopefully Turkey Hill’s version can be just as effective.

Similar to the base used in their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Turkey Hill uses brown sugar instead of a standard vanilla. Once again, the slight flavoring of molasses does wonders for the overall taste and as usual, the consistency of Turkey Hill’s ice cream is ideal for a premium ice cream. The chocolate covered pretzel pieces (while a small percentage were soggy) provided a crunchy texture with a rich, chocolate finish. There were also enough of them that they managed to make their way into almost every single bite. The last component, and my personal favorite part of this limited edition flavor, was the pretzel swirl. This was neither sweet nor savory, but instead balanced somewhere in between with just enough flavoring to let you know it was made of pulverized pretzels. The real crowning achievement of the swirl was the unique, gritty texture it added. With that said, this is definitely a limited edition worth trying if you happen to run across a carton.

Where I Found It: Food Lion
Grade: A

REVIEW: Edy's Sunny Salted Caramel Pretzel (Limited Edition)

After making sure I’d reviewed the two current limited edition flavors from Edy’s, Pumpkin Patch (Slow Churned) and Peppermint Wonderland, I saw an unfamiliar face sitting amongst the holiday cartons. Seeing as how the temperature in North Carolina had dropped significantly this week, I saw this is a sign to reminisce on summer with this container of Sunny Salted Caramel Pretzel that had somehow lost its way. Edy’s Grand interpretation of the salted caramel craze also incorporates a little crunch by blending together vanilla ice cream with a salted caramel swirl and pretzel pieces.

Like many other options from Edy’s, the calories are kept low, and in this instance, to a mere 150 calories per serving. I’ve learned never to expect greatness from the consistency or flavors contained in the majority of Edy’s ice creams, but they’re always dependable for a simple, yet creative, low calorie option. Not lot can be said of the light vanilla base aside from its sweet, simple flavoring and quick melting tendencies. The salted caramel swirl is one of the better ones offered by Edy’s, and ranks pretty highly as far as saltiness goes in ice cream. Some manufactures play it safe, while Edy’s and others really let the sodium levels soar.

In an attempt to add some texture, they’ve also thrown in pretzel crumbs, as I would call them. These small, poor excuses for pretzel pieces are some of the smallest I’ve ever seen and are barely visible even in my high-resolution pictures. Despite their miniature size, they still serve their intended purpose of adding a little crunch to some bites. Even when all three ingredients are included in a single scoop, the result is still average at best.

Where I Found It: Walmart
Grade: C

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby (Original Version)

I can always go for a little crunch in my ice cream, so I remained adamant about tracking down one of Ben & Jerry’s best. Although this offering isn’t limited or exclusive, Chubby Hubby had eluded me for months. Fortunately on my latest trip to an independent super market in my area, I was able to procure a pint of the fudge covered peanut butter filled pretzels in vanilla malt ice cream with fudge and peanut buttery swirls. The touch of malt included in the vanilla ice cream is something I’ve yet to see from a Ben & Jerry’s flavor, so I’m looking forward to sampling this unique base.

At a belt-busting 340 calories per serving, perhaps that’s a good thing Chubby Hubby isn’t readily available in my area. Pulling off the all-black top exposes a lightly colored ice cream with stripes of both swirls and plenty of those chocolate-covered pretzels manage to poke through the top. Although it’s hard to secure a scoop void of any mix-ins, I manage to snake my spoon around enough to sample the vanilla malt all by itself. I’m not sure what the inspiration was behind incorporating malt flavoring, but I’m certainly glad they did. The result is slightly reminiscent of the taste you’d get from a classic diner milkshake, and one that is a step above the standard version.

After agreeing with the inclusion of malt, I’m ready to move on to the swirls. While most of their flavors only feature one, Ben & Jerry’s has opted for both a fudge and peanut butter variation in their Chubby Hubby. The fudge swirl remains in liquid in consistency and brings a rich, chocolate taste. The peanut buttery swirl is firm, remains rigid and brings a salty contrast to the other sugary ingredients. While the two sauces and the ice cream could hold their own, Ben & Jerry’s isn’t finished. They’ve also included one of their more complex mix-ins to finish off this flavor.

From the bottom to the top, these pillow-shaped pretzels fill in all the spaces the dueling swirls manage to miss. These peanut butter filled, fudge coated pretzels provide multiple tastes and textures. The rich exterior melts down quickly, followed by the familiar crunch and salty flavor from the pretzels. The core finishes with peanut butter, a near-perfect parting gift. With the exception of a few soggy pretzels, I couldn't get enough of these. Any flavor that has a better than average base, some solid swirls and a crunchy mix-in tends to do pretty well on this blog and this is no exception. This will be my new fix when I'm looking for something sweet, salty and crunchy.

Where I Found It: Harris Teeter
Grade: A

READER REVIEW: Bob's Review of Ben & Jerry's Candy Bar Pie (Scoop Shop, Hand-Packed Pint)

Now that it's September, we can all look forward to Ben & Jerry's Candy Bar Pie (once banished to scoop shops) hitting shelves soon. Although I've only had the hand packed pint from a scoop shop, it was one of the best Ben & Jerry's experiences I've had and I'm expecting the pre-packaged pints to be even better. Until then, here's another review from Bob who recently picked up a hand-packed pint from a Ben & Jerry's scoop shop in Pittsburgh.

I recently had the luxury of visiting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I cashed in the opportunity to get my hands on the scoop-shop exclusive, Ben & Jerry’s Candy Bar Pie. After having a double scoop and going back now for the full pint it was a world of difference in taste, mix-ins, and overall swirl. Right off the bat the only downside was the lady really short changed my pint and only gave me 3 out of 4 servings, but that does not impact the review one bit.

The top shows you that is has the fudge flakes present, peanut butter ice cream with fudge flakes, chocolate nougat & sweet & salty pretzel swirls is what is thrown into the mix here and you can honestly see the chocolate nougat and swirls present all over the place. What is amazing is how those swirls really give you a salty texture as you plow down through the pint, which is awesome. You get the savory taste of peanut butter and the sweet taste of the pretzel and if they had small pretzel chunks in here, this would be beyond epic to be honest with you.

The peanut butter ice cream is the same rich base used in What a Cluster and reminds me of the interior filling of a Reese’s Cup. I would have to say the peanut butter is a little more profound than in Peanut Butter Jam Session, so What a Cluster would be the best way to compare this (even with the marshmallow and caramel swirls in that pint). The fudge chunks and chocolate nougat are abundant and work their way into nearly every bite. This is perfect for someone like me who prefers the mix-ins to be on the heavy side. The sweet & salty swirls compared to my two scoop sample was much more profound. The amount of salty aftertaste with the richness of the peanut butter was a perfect sweet and savory combination that hits the best of both worlds, which was pretty hard to find in either of the scoops earlier. Even when I did manage to scoop some, the other peanut butter, nougat and fudge components effectively overpowered the little bit I had gathered. Overall the hand-packed pint was a major upgrade from the two scoops I encountered previously. I was very satisfied with this pint and it could be my third or fourth favorite flavor from Ben & Jerry's next to What a Cluster, Oatmeal Cookie Chunk and Everything But The. It's very hard to tell but I think Candy Bar Pie may get the edge due to the sweet savory combo which is truly fantastic. Hopefully next time I get a pint of this, it will be filled to the brim!

Where Bob Found It: Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop (Pittsburgh, PA - Forbes Ave.)
Bob's Grade: A

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry's Candy Bar Pie (Limited Batch)

Following our trip up Vermont to the Ben & Jerry's Factory back in April of 2013, we've been looking forward to the transition from offering Candy Bar Pie exclusively at scoop shops to becoming readily available in a prepackaged pint. At that point, this flavor was slated to hit shelves sometime in September-December of 2013. Unable to wait any longer, we tried a hand packed pint from a Ben & Jerry's scoop shop in June, which received high marks across the board. September, October, November and December came and went without any signs of Candy Bar Pie as flavors like Scotchy Scotch Scotch seemed to take precedence. Finally, 8 months after its scheduled release, we finally have this Fairtrade peanut butter ice cream with fudge flakes, chocolate nougat, and sweet and salty pretzel swirls in our hands.

The first layer of this 300 calorie per serving creation shows plenty of the tiny fudge flakes and even some of the pretzel swirls sitting right beneath the surface. As we've seen in flavors like Peanut Butter Cup and What A Cluster, Ben & Jerry's peanut butter base is rich, full of flavor and seems to only get better with more mix-ins. The fudge flakes add a crunchy consistency along with some complementary flavoring from the chocolate, but the swirls are really what set this flavor apart from others.

Chocolate nougat has been used by Ben & Jerry's before, most notably in the underwhelming flavor known as Chocolate Nougat Crunch, but for some reason the light, sticky swirl works far better with a peanut butter base. The real highlight of this limited batch pint however comes from the sweet and salty pretzel swirls, something we haven't really seen from Ben & Jerry's before. The granulated texture along with the sweet and salty flavoring goes perfectly with the other ingredients and secures Candy Bar Pie a slot towards the top of our rankings. You'll want to check this one out before its limited status runs out.

Where I Found It: Walmart
Grade: A

REVIEW: Skinny Cow Salted Caramel Pretzel Ice Cream Bars

Soon after trying the limited edition Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches from Skinny Cow, their Salted Caramel Pretzel Ice Cream Bars caught my attention. These were officially described as low fat vanilla ice cream topped with layers of luscious caramel and crispy, salty pretzel pieces—all enrobed in decadent chocolatey coating, and since it's nice to have some lower calorie options in the freezer, I decided to give these a go. Each box comes equipped with 5 individually wrapped bars that come in at just 160 calories a piece.

After unwrapping the first bar (and everyone after that), I was a little disappointed to see that the caramel filling had broken through the chocolate exterior and had adhered itself to the packaging. Once the wrapper had been disposed off, I cracked this bar open to see exactly what sat inside. I found a center made of bright white, vanilla ice cream holding up a thick layer of caramel that had been sprinkled with salty pretzel crumbs and then covered with a thin, chocolate outer coating. The simple, fast-melting, low-butterfat, vanilla base for this bar certainly wasn’t the highlight, but didn't ruin anything either.

Each bite of this bar began with the initial crackling of the chocolate coating that was followed by the temperature change from the cool vanilla filling. The taste and textures of the ice cream came through the strongest first, but soon melted away to leave way for the buttery caramel stripe that had been sitting on top. The sticky swirl broke down just prior to the chocolate, which added some richness to the backend before being overtaken by the pretzel pieces. These not only act as the finishing textural difference, but their salty taste cut the sweetness of the other components. While these were small and made with low fat ice cream, I'd still suggest these for someone watching their food intake. Skinny Cow has pinpointed the calorie conscious consumer and have been putting out some new, creative, options for those watching their weight.

Where I Found It: Walmart
Grade: C

READER REVIEW: Bob's Review of Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby

First of all let me say that going into this review I can’t believe I have passed this up for numerous times. Maybe it’s because the calories were high (340 a serving) or because I was blind on the Peanut Butter Pretzels, but regardless its time to give this a crack. Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby is vanilla malt ice cream with peanutty fudge-covered pretzels with fudge & peanut buttery swirls. Now is that a mouthful or what? This has practically everything I enjoy minus some cookie dough, but besides that beggars can’t be choosers. Lets get right into the review and my thoughts on this pint.

Looking at the opening of the pint you are surrounded with swirls of Fudge and Peanut butter that are on the premise of a vanilla malt ice cream base. Now, Ben & Jerry’s is known to have a better vanilla base than a chocolate base so I already had high standards going into this pint. I was a little curious on how the Pretzels with Fudge and peanut butter were going to be, but in the end you will see I was very pleased with how the Fudge coated pretzels play a great role in the pint because Ben & Jerry's when it comes to mix-ins does not disappoint.

The first bite showed a glimpse of a massive fudge covered pretzel piece and a good peanut butter swirl that coated the ice cream. All in all this was delicious. Usually Ben & Jerry’s has solid mix-ins and sometimes like in Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup or Peanut Butter Cup they are semi-frozen, but it was nice to have a firm but not frozen pretzel that has a nice layer of fudge surrounding it and a good glimpse of peanut butter that complimented the pretzel very well. After the first bite alone my eyebrow rose. I did not get much of the base but as I dug in I would say this held an edge in the basic vanilla base that Ben & Jerry's does offer.

As I dug through the pint it was evident that this pint is not shy on mix-ins or pretzels. It was a minefield of Fudge Pretzels. Every single bite had a huge chunk of pretzel and fudge not to mention a large amount of peanut butter. When thinking of the other peanut butter pints such as Peanut Butter Cup that just has peanut butter cups or Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup with peanut butter cups, this rose well above in terms of taste. Not to mention I would place this higher than What a Cluster, which has a great swirl and a peanut butter base. I think the swirl combined with the vanilla malt base was a great choice and it really hit the spot regardless of the calories. While this may not be peanut butter dominant like What a Cluster, this still gave it a run for its money for a top 5 flavor and I would have to put this right up there.

Where Bob Found It: Wegmans
Bob's Grade: A

REVIEW: Talenti Limited Edition Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel (Southeast Publix Exclusive)

About a week ago, one of our readers submitted a Freezer Find of a new, limited edition Talenti Gelato flavor that hadn’t been seen in stores before. After speaking to a representative, he discovered that Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel is currently only available in Publix Super Markets throughout the Southeast. Although they didn't divulge any further information, I assume the limited availability means that this latest offering is being tested to see how well it sells before making adding this to their normal list of flavors; much like they did with German Chocolate Cake. After scanning the aisles of three different Publix locations, I finally found the one lone pint pictured above that would serve as my first taste of peanut butter gelato. After unscrewing the lid to this 260-calorie-per-serving, super-premium gelato, the first layer looks similar to many of their others; light in color with plenty of darker striped swirls. I consider Talenti’s caramel base as one of the best around, so I’m hoping for the same success from its peanut butter brethren.

Once I let the clear pint sit at room temperature for a few minutes, I scooped out my first bite; free of any of the chocolate swirls or chocolate covered pretzels. Just as expected, the texture and consistency of Talenti’s gelato are top-notch. As of late, it seems they’ve been able to capture the velvety feel better than in the past. All of their recently released flavors, such as Argentine Caramel and Southern Butter Pecan, just seem smoother than many of their earlier options. As far as taste is concerned, the peanut butter gelato is rich and complex. I’ve had plenty of simple peanut butter bases, but this gelato packs more of a sweet, full-bodied punch than its ice cream counterpart. While this may not be quite as amazing as their caramel gelato, it’s not far behind either. To accompany this peanut butter ice cream, they've chosen to add a chocolate swirl and a lot of chocolate covered pretzels. These long, skinny pretzels are more plentiful than most of the mix-ins I’ve seen from Talenti; enough to make their way into nearly every single bite.

The first few I came across had a rich, chocolate outer shell that melted away quickly and left behind a slightly salty pretzel with an audible crunch. Unfortunately, from them on, nearly half of the pretzels were stale and soggy. The gelato had consistently infiltrated the chocolate coating and had compromised the integrity of the pretzel sitting inside. Considering the effect of the fresh, crunchy pretzels, it’s a shame to see this flavor’s performance be effected by a bum mix-ins. With all the concentration I had been directing towards the pretzels, I nearly forgot about the chocolate swirl. Once again, it left me disappointed. Besides enhancing the pint aesthetically, it doesn’t offer much in the taste or texture categories. I had been extremely excited about the combination of peanut butter, chocolate and pretzels in super-premium gelato, but the mediocre mix-ins really left some serious room for improvement. If Talenti could correct the problem with their pretzels (and possibly ramp up the effectiveness of the chocolate swirl), this would be a real winner. Regardless, with all the chocolate peanut butter pretzels flavors floating around, I still expect to see this option added to their normal rotation sometime soon.

Where I Found It: Publix
Grade: B

READER REVIEW: Kenneth's Review of Talenti's Limited Edition Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel (Southeast Publix Exclusive)

After one of our readers tipped us off to a new flavor from Talenti Gelato, it didn’t take long before we were able to track down a Reader Review for Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel. This limited edition offering is currently only being offered in Publix Super Markets in the Southeast, but may be expanded in the future (I’m guessing it will depend on sales). Kenneth has submitted a few Reader Reviews already, so I trust his opinion on the new flavor. Be sure to check out some of his other reviews over on his own blog: RecapHub.

Sad to say, but Talenti is about as good as premium frozen desserts get here in Stuart, Florida. This isn't to naysay them, Haagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's, but it would be nice to have access to stuff like New Orleans Ice Cream Company, Jeni's Splendid, Turkey Hill and Steve's. Regardless, my relative inexperience with Talenti, combined with news that they'd release a new, area-specific flavor meant only one thing: attentiveness at the store. And surely enough, one visit to Publix proved far more successful than all of my attempts to locate Ben & Jerry's Cotton Candy at Wal-Mart.

Before this, my only exposure to Talenti (and gelato in general) was with Mediterranean Mint, a strange-tasting amalgamation of mint and shredded dark chocolate. What I truly enjoyed about said gelato, however, was the soft and moist consistency. There was never any need to let it sit outside of the freezer; the borderline melted texture was always a constant. Between this and the enticing combination of peanut butter, chocolate and pretzels, my expectations for round two with Talenti were quite high.

Something that quickly caught my eye was the vegetarian claim on the container (amidst others). Sadly for any vegans, the prime ingredient is milk. For the rest of us, there's little guilt to be had. My initial dig is stiffer than I expected, given all the easy scoopings through Mediterranean Mint. Another surprise comes when I obtain a pretzel in this first scoop. As expected, however, these equate to half-stick pretzel bites, which provide an inconsistent texture within the gelato. The first victim is stiff and soft--as if stale, while the second crunches apart far more naturally. Yet others exhibit similar symptoms to the first, which throws the pleasantries of this flavor off.

The actual base is predominantly peanut butter with varying amounts of chocolate coming into play. If you like your peanut butter to taste sweet and milky, then this is the product for you. Talenti provide a top-notch combination of flavor and consistency here. The peanut flavor is so surprising that I begin to think I'm tasting coffee, but the persistent flavor snaps me back to reality as I savor the wondrous flavor and texture. Those who prefer just the right amount of chocolate to complement their peanut butter will definitely find a lot to admire here. For me, when the chocolate doesn't accompany the pretzel bites, it lingers and gives me just enough of what I want to enhance not just the peanut butter flavor, but the overall experience.

Now I'm truly beginning to understand the praise and craze over Talenti. Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel appears to be but one more reminder of the quality Talenti are capable of and, subsequently, bestow upon the public. The only thing holding this particular pint back is the inconsistent consistency of the pretzel bites, which still provide a nice, salty enhancement for both the chocolate and peanut butter flavors. My only other concern would be whether Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup provides the same euphoria of this one, minus the off-key pretzel bites. But from the looks of things, that one incorporates a chocolate base. So if you live in an area that carries this pint and want to see how Talenti handle peanut butter flavored gelato, go ahead and indulge your spirits.

Where Kenneth Found It: Publix
Kenneth's Grade: B