Walgreens Premium Ice Cream

Drug store ice cream is one of those American institutions that seems to be dying off as the generations go by. I remember as a kid peering through the glass ice cream case at the local Thrifty's Drug, and begging my mom to buy me a scoop.

At Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego, there's a Long's Drugs that has a soda and ice cream counter, complete with bar stools and a soda jerk.

These days, I've been getting a lot of my junk food at Walgreens. I continue to find their store brand of munchies to be of a quality that rivals or exceeds many of the popular brands, but priced really cheap. Read my previous review of their sunflower seeds, which so far are the best sunflower seeds I've had.

I couldn't resist buying a couple of pints of Walgreens brand of premium ice cream. They were priced at "2 for $3.00", which is a pretty good deal, considering a pint of ice cream from Ben & Jerry's, or Haagen Dazs, will run you $5.00 at many grocery stores.

For this review, I'm eating their Waffle Cone flavor, which is plain ice cream with pieces of chocolate-coated waffle cone, chocolate-coated peanuts, chocolate bits, and swirls of caramel.

Of course, it's not as good as Ben & Jerry's, but then again I didn't expect it to be. But it's still pretty good, and still very satisfying, considering the low price. It has a very light and creamy consistency, which isn't bad. Though, I prefer heavier ice cream. When I picked up a pint of Walgreens Premium, I first wondered if there was anything inside the container because it was so light.

Walgreens is no newcomer to ice cream, the drug store chain has been making their own since 1912. But this is the first time I've ever had their ice cream. Because of the price point, I'll be buying more. They have several more flavors, about eight in all, but sorry I didn't note all the flavors.

They also have a larger line of regular ice cream, which I'll be trying out also. And if you absolutely have to have some Ben & Jerry's, Walgreens carries that too.

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Clemmy's Ice Cream

Clemmy's Ice Cream of Rancho Mirage, CA, announced today that it has become the first company in the history of the mankind to offer an ice cream that is both "all natural" and "sugar free".

And seeing how important that is, I thought it necessary to mention it here.

The company recently started up, and is offering five flavors...

• Vanilla Bean


• Chocolate


• Coffee


• Toasted Almond


• Chocolate Mint Swirl

The frozen confections are sweetened with Xylitol.

The company justifies its claims by saying that while many other products claim to be "sugar free" they actually still contain some sugar. Clemmy's is apparently absolutely and completely, 100%, sugar-free.

Clemmy's will be available in limited distribution at the end of March in quart-sized containers. If you own a store, and you'd like to sell the stuff, contact the company at its website...

http://www.clemmysicecream.com/

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Dreyer's American Idol Ice Cream

The Dreyer's, as well as its sister brand Edy's, has launched a series of limited edition, light ice creams under the "American Idol" co-brand.

The five new flavors is trying to raise awareness of the brands' slow-churned light ice cream line.

Flavors include...

• Cheesecake Diva - creamy cheesecake light ice cream, decadent brownie bites with fudge swirls.



• Cookies N Dreamz - chocolate light ice cream filled with crunchy pieces of chocolate cookie.



• Mint Karaoke Cookie - mint light ice cream with chocolate cookies.



• Most Orange-inal - creamy vanilla light ice cream with swirls of orange sorbet



• One Split Wonder - rich banana light ice cream with swirls of fruit and fudge

To help promote the limited edition flavor line, the two American Idol Season Six finalists Melinda Doolittle and Chris Richardson will be traveling around the country on a 20-city U.S. tour to eat the new ice cream in front of adoring fans, and tell them all how much they love eating it.

For more information on the American Idol ice cream, visit...
http://dreyers.slowchurned.com/idol/

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Baskin Robbins New Ice Cream Flavors

Baskin Robbins today announced four new limited edition flavors, as part of its new focus on the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday.

Here are the flavors (with descriptions written by Baskin Robbins)...

• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Sundae: A perfect combination of SuperFudge Truffle and Very Berry Strawberry ice creams layered with hot fudge and strawberry topping, topped with whipped cream and a cherry, and drizzled with dark dipping chocolate.



• Chocolate Chip Truffle Shake: An irresistible blend of SuperFudge Truffle and Chocolate Chip ice creams and chocolate syrup. Topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.



• SuperFudge Truffle ice cream: A super indulgent Chocolate Fudge ice cream with chunks of chocolate ganache and toffee truffle pieces.



• Love Potion #31 ice cream: White Chocolate and Raspberry ice creams swirled with a raspberry ribbon and loaded with raspberry-filled cups and chocolate chips.

That last flavor is not new, the company releases that every Valentine's Day.

The limited edition flavors are also available as shakes and sundaes.

Learn more about Baskin Robbins new chocolate Valentine's Day offerings...
http://www.baskinrobbins.com/Spotlight/lovechocolate08.aspx

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Coconut Curry Ice Cream

A Luxembourg-based frozen confection maker, Luxlait, offers some really strange flavors of ice cream and sorbet.

Among them is "Coconut Curry. And by all accounts, it seems like it actually contains indian curry seasoning. It actually sounds like it could be tasty. I love Indian cuisine, and have tried some of popular Indian style desserts, and something like this seems curiously palatable.

The company also offers some other eye openers...

• Olive Sorbet


• Wasabi Sorbet


• Roquefort (cheese) Ice Cream


• Lavendar Ice Cream

Check out all of their flavors...
http://www.5diamonds.lu/

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Green & Black's Organic Ice Cream

UK-based Green & Black's is expanding their confectionery offerings from just chocolate bars in the United States to include organic ice cream.

They have three different varieties currently available in 1 pint (473ml) tubs:

Chocolate (made with fresh cream & bittersweet dark chocolate)

White Chocolate with Strawberry (made with fresh cream and real strawberry swirl)

Vanilla (made with fresh cream & real vanilla bean).

Official website

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Haagen-Dazs Caramelized Pear & Toasted Pecan

Haagen-Dazs has a new limited edition flavor out called, "Caramelized Pear & Toasted Pecan".

It's described as pear-flavored ice cream base, with chunks of caramelized pears and pieces of toasted pecans.

The new flavor was the result of Haagen-Dazs' 2007 Flavor Search, naming Leslie Zoerb as having submitted the idea.

The company says the new flavor is available in stores today.

Source: Haagen-Dazs

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Simpson's + Ben & Jerry's = Duff & D'oh-Nuts

In yet another The Simpson's Movie tie-in (there's the remodeling of 7-11 stores across the country as Kwik-E-Marts and the associated merchandise), Ben & Jerry's announced their extremely limited edition ice cream to celebrate the occasion.

The new flavor called Duff & D'Oh-Nuts will be a combination of chocolate and cream stout ice creams with glazed chocolate donuts thrown into the mix.

You may remember Ben & Jerry had characters vaguely based on them in the episode D'Oh in the Wind where Seth & Munchie ran a profitable organic juice business (that Homer proceeded to wreck).

You can only get the ice cream at the Springfield, VT celebration of movie premiere on Saturday, July 21, 2007. D'Oh!

See full article at Burlington Free Press.

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Dora the Explorer Ice Cream

New from Breyers Ice Cream is their Dora the Explorer variety.

It's a combination of strawberry sherbet swirled with low-fat banana ice cream, with Dora the Explorer graphics. The package claims that it's an excellent source of vitamin C.

A 1.75 quart carton retails for $5.29.

Visit Breyers online at: http://www.icecreamusa.com

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Perry's Ice Cream - New Flavors

Perry's Ice Cream has introduced some new flavors under their "light" variety of ice cream...

• Light Cappuccino Fudge - light cappuccino ice cream with swirls of cappuccino fudge and fudge chunks


• Light Neapolitan - vanilla, chocolate, strawberry


• Light Peach Cobbler - light peach ice cream with peach-cinnamon-nutmeg swirls, peach pieces and cinnamon pie crust pieces


• Light Peanut Butter Cup - light chocolate ice cream with peanut butter swirls

All but the Peach Cobbler variety are said to be gluten free. Perry's "Light" line of ice creams offers 1/2 the fat of their normal line.

Perry's Ice Cream is distributed to grocery stores in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and the New England area.

Visit Perry's Ice Cream at: http://www.perrysicecream.com

Previous articles about other Perry's Ice Cream products...

• Perry's Piece of Cake Ice Cream Bars - Jan 7, 2006


• Perry's Ice Cream - New Varieties - Mar 29, 2006

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Alden's Ice Cream

Alden's Ice Cream claims to have a range of gourmet ice cream products made from all natural and organic ingredients.

The Eugene, OR-based company goes on to say that its ice cream contains no pesticides, no artificial ingredients, no antibiotics, no genetically modified ingredients, and no hormones. But it does contains saturated fats ranging from 5g to 9g per serving, depending on the flavor.

Flavors include Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Strawberry, and Cookies 'n Cream.

The "organically farmed" and "certified USDA organic" ice cream is available in the USA in a 48 oz. resealable carton priced between $5.69 and $5.89.

The company's website doesn't provide a store locator. Probably available in stores around Oregon, however. Visit their website: http://www.aldensicecream.com/

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Ben & Jerry's Ritz Cracker Ice Cream

The folks at Ben & Jerry's announced the winner of their "Do us a Flavor" contest, where people submit their ice cream flavor ideas.

The winner is Tasha Callister of Jacksonville, Florida who submitted her flavor called, "Puttin' On The Ritz", described as a mouth-watering blend of Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel and Ritz Cracker Swirl with Chunks of Chocolate Covered Sandwiches.

She claims it's based on something her grandmother did, by roasting cubes of caramel on sticks over a campfire, then smushing the soft stick stuff between a couple of Ritz crackers.

Runners up were...

• "Mojito" by Timothy Link of Troy, ID -- a blend of lime ice cream with a light swirl of brown sugar, a touch of white rum and sprinkled with mint.



• "Wackie Chan" by Kerstin Karlhuber of Brighton, MA -- a mouth-watering blend of sweet cream and ginger flavored ice cream, chocolate-covered fortune cookie bits and a fudge swirl



• "Apricotabra!" by Reina Chilton of Tempe, AZ -- a magical mix of creamy vanilla bean ice cream, juicy chunks of apricot and extra dark chocolate, swirled with a tart apricot preserve drizzle



• "Italian Renaissance" by Robin Thorneycroft of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada -- an invigorating mix of amaretto liqueur ice cream with cherry chunks and sliced almonds

The worst ideas of the bunch were...

• "Gorgonzilla" - pear sorbet, Gorgonzola cheese nuggets, walnuts and grapes - described as "something you would have after a steak meal"



• "Lemon/Cayenne" - vanilla/lemon swirl with lemon cream and cayenne pepper



• "The Armand" - sauteed pears with reduced balsamic vinegar in a cream cheese flavored ice cream



• "Whatz Up Black Olive" - chunks of black olive in vanilla ice cream



• "Curious Avocado Experiment" - avocado ice cream with lemon creme swirl, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chunks

I'm not sure why "Lemon/Cayenne" was considered to be among the worst, that actually sounds kinda good. I don't know about black olive ice cream though.

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French Vanilla Cappuccino Ice Cream

Blue Bell Creameries introduced a new flavor in their premium ice cream line - French Vanilla Cappuccino. The new flavor is described as "coffee ice cream blended with French vanilla ice cream and a whipped topping swirl". The new flavor is available in 1/2 gallon containers and can be found at retail locations that sell Blue Bell Ice Cream.

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Breyers Organic Ice Cream

Breyers Ice Cream has jumped onto the "organic" fad with the introduction of a new line of organic ice creams. Breyers Organic Ice Cream is now available in four flavors - Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Fudge.

The one-quart container retails for $4.99-5.99 and is labeled "USDA Organic-Kosher Dairy".

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Ben & Jerry's American Pie

Ben & Jerry's has a new flavor out called, "American Pie", which also happens to be a politically motivated flavor as well.

American Pie is an apple flavored ice cream loaded with pieces of apples and pie crust. But what sets it apart from the rest is that the lid on the carton displays a pie-chart illustrating a message that Ben & Jerry's wants to point out to every American.

The message is part of their newly launched "Federal Budget Priorities Campaign". It's a media campaign where the executives at Ben & Jerry's want the federal government to cut military defense spending and spend more more on entitlement programs.

The popular brand, which has long been associated with left-wing causes, reestablishes its activist history, with references to the War on Terror...

The goal is to heighten awareness of the billions of dollars the Pentagon spends on nuclear weapons vs. a shortfall of spending on basic unmet needs of children. The campaign points out that we have options that won't diminish our nation's ability to fight global terrorism or a foreign foe.

In addition, the company is setting up a postcard writing campaign at all Ben & Jerry's store locations where customers can send a note to Congress urging lawmakers to listen to Ben & Jerry's.

Ben & Jerry's return to social awareness comes on the heels of a publicity blunder, when it pissed off thousands of Irish Americans for launching its "Black & Tan Ice Cream" on St. Patrick's Day, the day when Irish celebrate their heritage. While the flavor was meant to celebrate the famous beer beverage, it instead reminded Irish folks of the atrocities they suffered at the hands of the English. The company later issued an apology after the matter was publicized by Reuters.

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This Sunday is National Ice Cream Day

Don't forget that this Sunday (July 16) is National Ice Cream Day.

It was actually in 1984, that President Ronald Reagan designated the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day, and called for people to observe the day with "appropriate ceremonies and activities."

So, it's not some lop-sided shindig that one company came up with.

That means it's our patriotic duty to pay homage to that great American institution: little boys and girls slurping ice cream cones on a hot July weekend.

I'm making it a point to do so, are you?

Source: International Dairy Foods Association

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Woodlake Farms Organic Ice Cream

Woodlake Farms is a relatively new brand of organic ice cream novelties.

Included in the line are the Ice Cream Bars, described as smooth organic vanilla ice cream enrobed in rich organic milk chocolate coating, and Ice Cream Sandwiches, described as smooth organic vanilla ice cream sandwiched between round sweet organic chocolate wafers.

The brand uses pure Madagascar vanilla with farm fresh organic cream, no preservatives, and no trans fat.

While they're distributed in the USA by Edy's Grand Ice Cream, they're made by Mr. Cookie Face, a line of no-sugar ice cream sandwiches.

Ecomeal appears to be selling them online.

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Godiva Ice Cream - New Flavors

Godiva Chocolatier added four new flavors to its line of gourmet ice cream.

• Belgian Dark Chocolate Mint - Dark Chocolate Ice Cream with Mint Swirls.



• Vanilla Black Raspberry - Vanilla and Black Raspberry Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Chips.



• Cappuccino with Chocolate Hearts - Cappuccino Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Hearts.



• Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Praline - Milk Chocolate Ice Cream with Caramelized Hazelnuts.

They're presented in one pint round cartons with a suggested retail price of $3.69 to $4.19 each.

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Haagen-Dazs Mayan Chocolate

"Mayan Chocolate" is the latest flavor in the line of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

They said they were inspired by the original chocolate crafted by the Mayans more than 2,500 years ago. They take their chocolate ice cream, blend in rich dark Mayan Chocolate swirl, and throw in a hint of cinnamon, to create a magical Mayan offering.

Visit their store locator.

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PET Country Churn Ice Cream

PET Inc. has a new line of ice cream called, "Country Churn", which is supposed to be extra creamy, with half the fat of their regular line.

Varieties include:

• Brown Mule - Vanilla ice cream swirled with a ribbon of Brown Mule chocolate.



• Butter Pecan - Nut flavored ice cream with chunks of butter roasted pecans.



• Chocolate - Chocolate



• Moose Tracks - Vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and Moose Tracks fudge swirl



• Neapolitan - Vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate classic



• Vanilla - Vanilla

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