Taylor's Blog

New Halo Top Flavors

Oct

12

• Comments(0) |
• Reply |
• Permalink

Ten new flavors of Halo Top were officially released this past Monday, October 10. I called a bunch of local stores to try and get my hands on them. Before the new flavors were released, my favorite flavor was birthday cake and my second favorite was mint chip.

In addition to expanding the calorie range from a new high of 360 per pint (as opposed to 280), Halo Top reduced the fiber to 12g per new pint instead of 20g in the original flavors. Here are my thoughts on all of the new flavors (except black cherry).

S'mores

Verdict: Tasted good, but not like s'mores. Other Halo Top flavors taste better so I am unlikely to recommend this one.

The first two bites had a fake chemical/sugar alcohol taste similar to Quest protein bars that I didn't notice on subsequent bites. If the pint wasn't labeled s'mores I don't think I would be able to tell its flavor. I didn't taste any marshmallow and struggled to taste any cinnamon or graham cracker. The ice cream had chocolate chips and crunchy bits mixed in for good texture, however, and I tasted a hint of toffee/caramel. Of the three flavors this one seemed sweetest, which may have been overpowering any s'more flavor the ice cream was supposed to have. With the variety of other flavors I don't think I'll be buying this one again.

Chocolate Almond Crunch

Verdict: Chocolate Almond Crunch is one of my new favorites. The ice cream had an addicting, sweet almond and cherry flavor.

I expected Chocolate Almond Crunch to have the same chocolate flavor as their plain chocolate and chocolate mocha chip, but what I tasted was much better! This ice cream was honey-sweet with a lighter color than the regular chocolate. Flavor-wise it had a strong almond and cherry flavor that was simply delicious. It reminded me of the almond cookies served around the holidays. I actually didn't taste much chocolate, but that's OK since I prefer the almond. For the "crunch," almond pieces are mixed into the ice cream. I wish I had another pint of this right now.

Red Velvet Cake

Verdict: The red velvet cake flavor is spot-on and the chocolate dough bites took this up a notch above the likes of S'mores. I would definitely recommend this flavor.

Red velvet cake had an advantage over the others since the packaging and deep burgundy color of the ice cream makes it look extra rich. Thankfully, the flavor is right on target! If you crave red velvet cake, this ice cream will hit the spot. My favorite part was the chocolate dough bites mixed into the ice cream to add a cake-like texture with every other bite.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Verdict: What's not to like about creamy ice cream and cookie dough bites? Tastes more like butterscotch or cream and it doesn't include any chocolate chips, but it's definitely delicious.

I expected chocolate chip cookie dough to be my favorite flavor of the bunch, and it is definitely one of the better ones, but I wouldn't call it chocolate chip. In fact, there isn't any chocolate in the dough bites or ice cream. However, the ice cream has a sweet butterscotch-like flavor and the dough bites are excellent.

Cookies & Creme

Verdict: Excellent. With bits of oreo-like cookies, this flavor is great.

Cookies and cream tastes as good as you would expect! I don't have much to add. Thumbs up.

Oatmeal Cookie

Verdict: Wow! I think this one is my favorite new flavor. The oatmeal adds great texture and the cinnamon-oatmeal flavor is on point.

Oatmeal cookie might be my new all-time favorite flavor. The texture is awesome thanks to the quick/rolled oats blended in and the flavor is perfect with cinnamon sweetness. I don't really like oatmeal cookies, but I love this flavor.

Peanut Butter Cup

Verdict: Tastes like Reese's! I like the chunky swirls of peanut butter. Perfectly savory, salty, and sweet.

As expected, peanut butter cup tastes great. For peanut butter and chocolate fans there is no doubt that this will be one of your favorite flavors. What I like about this pint is the large swirls and chunks of peanut butter vs. the more bite-size chunks in other flavors.

Pistachio

Verdict: Thumbs down. Pistachio disappointed me. It tastes like vanilla with the most subtle hint of fake pistachio flavoring.

Pistachio was a flavor I was looking forward to and consequently the most disappointed in. Flavor-wise this is pretty bland. You're better off with straight-up vanilla.

Sea Salt Caramel

Verdict: Neutral. This is vanilla ice cream with caramel swirls. I didn't taste the sea salt. Other flavors tasted better.

Sea salt caramel is OK. It's basically some flavor of vanilla with caramel swirls. I like that they used caramel swirls, but I would have liked a caramel-flavored ice cream or more caramel and sea salt flavor so that it lives up to its name.

After a week of tasting each of the flavors multiple times, I have to hand it to these six: Oatmeal cookie, chocolate almond crunch, peanut butter, cookies & creme, red velvet cake, and chocolate chip cookie dough. Yep, six of the ten new flavors are must-haves.

Check out the full range of products on Halo Top's website: www.halotop.com.

Halo Top Ice Cream

Aug

22

• Comments(1) |
• Reply |
• Permalink

Seattle temperatures in the 90s makes ice cream an even greater temptation than usual. Seattle has good ice cream. I could go for a cone at Molly Moon's, the Husky Deli, or Kurt's Farm Shop every day of the week. Ice cream every day doesn't fit into a balanced diet, however. Unless it's Halo Top. Packed with protein and fiber, Halo Top boasts an impressive nutritional profile compared to other brands. And they do it without sacrificing taste. Taste is king. Halo Top delivers. Halo Top is so low calorie you could fit two whole pints into your daily calorie goal, but with 20g fiber per pint, you probably shouldn't.

The only drawbacks are its high price and low availability: about $7 will net you just one pint, but you'll still find sold out signs in the freezer aisle. Birthday cake is the flavor to try if you can find it! You'll have to fight me for the last pint at Whole Foods.