Ice Cream

Hello, my name is Mary Beth, and I am an addict.  I admit that I am powerless over ice cream.  I've been needing to get this off my chest for a while now, but since one of my readers made this request, I figured it was time to come clean. 

Ice cream is the perfect dessert.  Period.  It can be enjoyed on its own, enhanced with pretty much any food in your pantry, or it can be the enhancer for other, lesser desserts than can't stand on their own.

I consider myself a professional reviewer of ice cream.  I can spot a good bowl when I see one.  I don't discriminate based on flavors, toppings, or brands, and I definitely don't let the temperature/time of year affect my judgment.

So here you have my top 10 flavor countdown, in order of deliciousness:  


10. Publix Peanut Butter Cup - The discounted ice cream section can still deliver greatness.  These peanut butter cups explode in your mouth.  I may or may not have been known to eat them out of the carton and throw the plain vanilla down the drain.  Hence the low rating, but still delicious. 

9.  Blue Bell Cake Batter - The folks over at Blue Bell know something the other guys don't.  It's like the Apple of the ice cream industry.  Staying leaps and bounds ahead of the competition, producing flavors others only dreamed of, but at a high price-point.  And somehow they managed to match this amazing flavor found only at Cold Stone.  Genius.

8.  Marble Slab - Word to the wise...never move within walking distance of a Marble Slab.  Your bank account will suffer.  My favorite combo was amaretto or sweet cream combined with strawberry or blueberry, and cake as the topping. Don't knock it till you try it.

7.  Ben and Jerry's Phish Food - Marshmallow and caramel swirls. Enough said.

6.  Homemade Peach - Frannie, you do it right. Often imitated, never duplicated. Perfect amount of flavor and creaminess. Gotta give credit to my roots.  Only hesitations for a higher rating are preparation time and icy leftovers.

5.  Edy's Slow-Churned Peppermint - Warning: seasonal!  This is reason enough to count down the days until Christmas. If you find this in a store, buy the entire supply. It will be gone when you go back. Probably to my freezer.  And props to Edy's Slow-Churned...all their flavors are yummy. Very light and soft, but reducing your carton size? Really? Did you think I wouldn't notice?

4.  Yoforia - I didn't think I'd be the sucker who jumped on the organic fro-yo craze, but this stuff is worth selling your soul. An entire wall of delicious flavors, fix-it-yourself, and pay-by-weight.  And I'm pretty sure they told me it's calorie-free, or something...

3.  Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla (with Reeces Magic Shell) - Let me put your doubting minds to rest...YES, this tastes like homemade! I don't know how they do it over at Blue Bell, but they do.  And no, I'm not a vanilla type of person.  That's why this selection is 30% about the ice cream and 70% about the most amazing topping ever created.  If you haven't tried Magic Shell since elementary school, please, return to your youth.  You won't regret it.  They also have Heath bar which is a close second.

2.  Blue Bell Cookies-N-Cream - A classic that Blue Bell has absolutely perfected.  3 reasons:  1. You won't find bigger cookie chunks out there. I dare you.  2. The cookies actually taste like Oreos, not like those knockoff Big Sixties they served in youth group.  3. You never end up with one of those faulty cartons that's mostly vanilla. Talk about disappointment.

1.  Blue Bell Cookie Dough - Clearly, my top choice had to come from the BEST ice cream brand.  Some may criticize this as a #1 selection. I welcome any haters to try the monster cookie dough balls found in this deliciousness and tell me if they aren't the best you've ever had.  And not only is the cookie dough delicious, the vanilla and chocolate chips are the perfect base for Reeces Magic Shell.  It's like 2-n-1.  Actually, its 3-n-1 because you get cookie dough, which is a dessert in and of itself. 

What have I left off?