Ben & Jerry's -- Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream

My first post on the Double-Double was lunch, so here's a special post for dessert. I don't typically partake in fancy ice creams like Ben & Jerry's (too expensive) but I was moved to buy a pint of the special promotional flavor "Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream" after seeing the ice cream shamelessly and hilariously plugged on a nightly basis by Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report.

...I bought the next six pints of Americone Dream after eating my first pint. My goodness, what a wonderful creation. I didn't need any other convincing beyond my first few spoons full. I have since become hooked on what is now the only ice cream I buy. It appears that it is here to stay and is no threat of being placed in the flavor graveyard, and as long as it is among the ranks of the living I will be a happy customer.

Americone Dream is deceivingly simple: it is made up only of vanilla ice cream, caramel swirl and chocolate covered waffle cone bits. This last ingredient was a stroke of genius--after all, the best part of eating an ice cream cone is when you get to eat the cone and the ice cream together--but it is the caramel swirl that won my heart when I first tried this flavor. It is the x-factor that supports the flavor over the much bally-hooed waffle cone bits. The consistency of the caramel is very soft, gooey, and stretchy, not solid or the least bit chewy. Each pint has several small pockets filled with caramel that is rich enough to stand out among the vanilla and the waffle cone, but not so overpowering that it becomes a caramel-flavored ice cream. The softness of the ice cream, the gooeyness of the caramel and the crunchiness of the ice cream all compliment each other perfectly to create the perfect texture for someone who is looking for an ice cream with more going on than just one flavor. For optimal enjoyment, let the ice cream sit out for a few minutes so it gets a nice, soft texture.

A word to those single-flavor lovers however: if you are turned off by the "ice cream with X mixed in" formula that has made Cold Stone Creamery and Ben & Jerry's such huge hits, you may be happier with a pint of regular 'ol chocolate than with Americone Dream, which I could easily see traditionalists describing as "busy." If you are feeling daring however, do try this flavor and see how it suits you.
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Ben & Jerry's Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream, $1.88 @ Wal-Mart