Two Chocolates from Häagen-Dazs

Our fourth featured ice cream review comes from a name you've probably heard: Häagen-Dazs.  Contrary to what might first pop into your head, this isn't a European deliciancy but another brand from the Nestlé-Dreyer's company.  They sent us two freebie coupons and instead of choosing more novelties, your Chocolate Priestess wanted to stick with the scooped ice cream for these last three Saturday Sacraments this month.  I chose two pints that we had never tried before, so you are experiencing with me for the first time, Sisters and Brothers.

First up, one of the "five" line which means this is ice cream made from just five ingredients in this case skim milk, cream, sugar, cocoa, and egg yolks.  Using the skim milk actually helps reduce the total fat content about 31% compared to their premium varieties.  I wanted to do the "Milk Chocolate" one as a good basic chocolate flavor we could compare the second pint to.  In this photo you can see that we got the entire pint into two of our cute bowls -- we were a bit piggy I confess because my prior experience with Häagen-Dazs says this will be good. This bowl you see had 385 calories made of 12.25g saturated fat, 122.5mg cholesterol, 113.75mg sodium, maybe 1g fiber, 35g sugars, 10.5g proteins, with 10.5% daily iron, 14% daily vitamin A, and 26.25% daily calcium.  EEK to the calories and fat!  Good thing I ate very well and biked today, huh?

It has a decent cocoa scent but overall very creamy fragrance; both get a bit stronger as I let it melt a bit.  Yes, that's right, I like to let my ice cream melt a bit.  I've even been known to make ice cream soup!  Back to this ice cream right here in my white cone bowl.  The cocoa taste is much stronger when I take a bite and let it melt, going from creamy to more intense.  The cold doesn't dull it as much as it often does with cheap or artificial chocolate ice creams but temperature always affect flavor.  I say let it melt in your mouth to get the maximum cocoaness.  There are no added ingredients so this is just smooth and simple and sometimes that is great.

The second pint I used the coupons for was the "Chocolate Peanut Butter" which we've never had before and that surprised me since we often like that flavor combination.  I know this is going to look so bad when you see the nutritional value for this bowl but actually we split it into three bowls tonight because we knew it was premium and our housemate also likes the peanut butter and chocolate combination. So this bowl of mine has 408.3 calories made of 11.7g saturated fat, 105mg cholesterol, 99.2mg sodium, 2.3g fiber, 25.7g sugars, 9.3g protein.  See, still not as good as the previously nutritionally but if I wasn't trying this for all of you, Sisters and Brothers, I'd only have this premium ice cream maybe three times a year at birthday and often then I go for lighter varieties.  So how is the ice cream?  It has a strong peanut butter scent with only a light cocoa undertone.  The ice cream itself is basically the "five" variety by taste and by ingredients.  The peanut butter swirl is mostly solidly and a bit crunchy though it melts at a similar pace as the ice cream does.  The cocoa in the ice cream holds its own against the peanuts and the result is that I am pleased and feeling much cooler by the time I'm finished.

Now some of you may be judging me. How is this being moderate?  Well, let be blunt. Just a few years ago it would have been nothing for me to sit down and eat the entire pint on my own in the course of an hour.  That I slow down, that I share, that I think, that is what The Chocolate Cult has helped me do.  Is it perfect? Am I perfect?  I've never claimed to be, I am merely trying to lead us on a path toward Moderation and Purposefulness when it comes to Chocolate.  To do that, I have to recommend the "five" variety more strongly that the premium but in terms of chocolate flavor and content, they are equal and they are more than worthy of Sacramental status.

So there you have it, Sisters and Brothers.  Do you agree with my assessment of these two products from Häagen-Dazs?  Do you have other flavors you think we should try here on The Chocolate Cult?

Finally did you enter our GIVEAWAY yet this month to get your own ice cream in August?