Whenever I have to sit through a boring lecture on a school day, my eyes tend to drift towards the clock cause it feels as though time stands still due to a lecturer’s monotonous droning. All I can think about is, can the weekend come any quicker?! Such a dilemma requires a solution. So what if there was a reward for surviving a torturous class, a motivator to encourage me to endure just a little longer before I head home to said reward that’ll help end my day on, let’s say, a sweet note?
The answer to what the reward is my friends, is Ben & Jerry’s 3 all-new sundae flavours, where they declare with the help of the new sundaes, you can transform any day into a Sunday, or should I say Sundae! The three new flavours include “Dulce De-lish”, “Caramel Café”, and “Choco-latte Cheesecake”, and these flavours have been made available since June!
Are you getting a sugar rush from the excitement yet? Then allow me to dive right into my thoughts on the new sundaes so you can decide whether getting the sundaes for yourself is the right choice!
Choco-lotta Cheesecake
First up is Choco-lotta Cheesecake, a flavour that promises to be packed with chocolatey delight—every inch is smothered with chocolate, from its whipped ice cream topping to the bottom of the tub!
Now that sets my expectations high because making a fully chocolate-flavoured ice cream indulgent without making me feel sick is a tall order. I’m no longer the kid I was before, who could shovel spoonfuls of chocolate without feeling like it’s too much. And adding the cheesecake, a notoriously rich cake, means it’ll be the ultimate indulgence, so hopefully, it’ll be indulgent in a good, not bad way!
Opening up the tub, from the top view, you can already tell Ben & Jerry’s had fulfilled their promise of the sundae being chock-full of chocolate as the chocolate fudge was practically close to overflowing as it encircled the sundae itself.
The whipped ice cream topping is also littered with round chocolate chips. Take a closer look, and you’ll notice a broken chain engraved onto the chips’ tops. This symbol refers to the cocoa used as part of the traceable Open Chain variety, meaning the cocoa farmers are not exploited for their labour in farming Ben & Jerry’s cocoa!
Most will say not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, the sundae was full of promise with its perfect swirl and generous hot fudge drizzle. But tasting the sundae is the only way to determine whether it’s to my liking, so that’s exactly what I did.
You can never go wrong with the combination of chocolate and cheesecake, and Ben & Jerry’s successfully delivered in this department. However, I found the cheesecake flavour less prominent than I expected. I hoped the cheesecake would add a creaminess, but my tastebuds couldn’t make out much of the infusion. This wasn’t a big deal to me, but it might let down fans of a strong cheesecake.
As for the taste of chocolate, it was nothing short of decadent and luscious. The crunch of the chocolate chips and the sweet hot fudge drizzle also helped intensify the chocolate richness, making this sundae a must-try for any chocoholic out there!
Dulce De-lish
Next up is Dulce De-lish, a sundae that guarantees to be as dulce (meaning “sweet” in Spanish) as it sounds. If you can’t get enough chocolate, Dulce Delish is another chocolate-filled sundae. Taking a scoop into the irresistibly smooth whipped-topped ice cream reveals a decadent chocolate sundae decorated with gooey caramel swirls.
Again, chocolate and caramel are a dream team, a tried-and-true winning combination. At first glance, though, the sundae’s top appeared more chocolate than caramel. Personally, there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the look of it, but it would have been helpful if there were more distinctive ingredients or features, as it looked a little too similar to Choco-lotta Cheesecake. But that’s just a minor, nitpicky point, so I’ll get on with its taste!
Once you take a bite, the caramel swirls leave a cara-melt-in-your-mouth sensation on the tongue. Scooping it up revealed the caramel bars as promised, which made my heart sing. Paired with the chocolate, it’s nothing short of heavenly.
Although the caramel did help in differentiating Dulce De-lish from Choco-lotta Cheesecake as both are chocolate-heavy sundaes, the chocoletiness was a little too similar. However, as someone who enjoys a good chocolate and caramel pairing, this sundae was ultimately a win for me. This sundae truly lived up to its name, so I can definitely vouch that it’s as dulce as promised.
Caramel Café (Non-Dairy)
The previous two flavours are absolutely delightful, but for those who prefer or need a non-dairy flavour, Ben & Jerry’s got you! When put next to Dulce Delish, these two flavours might sound similar in their components, but there are huge differences both in taste and what’s in the sundae!
While Caramel Café contains caramel ingredients just like Dulce Delish, it has other delightful components like coffee and marshmallow swirls, making it an ice cream shop and a café blended into one sundae.
Just by opening the tub, you’ll find a whipped, cream-coloured ice cream topping with laces of caramel and sea salt chocolatey chunks nestled atop the sundae.
Once I had a bite of the sundae, I could taste the caramel biscuits along with the marshmallow swirls and sea salt chocolatey chunks. The sea salt not only contrasted nicely with the rich chocolate and caramel, but its saltiness also enhanced the sweetness of the ice cream itself.
If you’re worried that Caramel Café’s non-dairy aspect might throw you off, I’m here to report that this wasn’t an issue at all. In fact, I had forgotten that this sundae was non-dairy! It tasted milky and creamy like any ordinary ice cream; hence, Caramel Café has successfully convinced me to try more non-dairy sundaes and ice cream options in the future!
Sadly, I couldn’t detect much of the coffee taste. It might be because the caramel and creamy notes overshadow the coffee, but regardless, this was still my favourite sundae of the three, as it’s the lightest and dreamiest flavour.
Ben & Jerry’s Sundaes
Say goodbye to dreary weekdays and hello to Ben & Jerry’s Sundaes! Grab yourself a pint of any of the three new Sundaes to make any day a Sunday. They are now available at all major supermarkets and convenience stores, with a complete directory of where-to-buy online.
For more information, you can check out Ben & Jerry’s official website or their socials on Facebook and Instagram.
Photos by Pauline Caoile of the DANAMIC Team.
