Review: Breyers, Klondike, Reeses, and Popsicle Treats

I have an apology. I love getting samples. I love sharing samples with friends. I then have a bad habit of taking a while to actually write about the samples.

It's not that I don't want to. I do. Here's the thing. This blog, though it's a passion of mine and Tina's, isn't a paid gig. While we love samples, they don't put supper on the table -- well, once in a while we like to consider ice cream our supper, but it can't be all the time! So long story short, it's a hobby for us, and sometimes (all too often) it gets put on the back burner and then sometimes a post gets misplaced until I find the photos on the camera. So Breyers, Klondike, Popsicle and Reese’s, thanks for the treats and sorry for the delay in this post.

A few months ago, the rep for Breyers, Klondike, Popsicle and Reese’s sent us some lovely treats. We broke open the treats during one of our monthly playdates with our daughter's friend Rebecca and her parents.

My favorites were the Breyers Blasts. As Breyers describes the line, the ice creams feature "delicious mix-ins from America’s best-loved candy and cookie brands blasted into every bite." I love love love Oreo ice cream. I usually get it in vanilla or cake base, but I actually really liked the new twist on an old treat with a chocolate base. So my favorite of the bunch was the Oreo Ice Cream.

Husband was a huge fan of the Whoppers Ice Cream. I don't think he was thrilled when the rest of us dipped into the carton -- less for him! As he tasted the first bite he said "It's like Whopper Ice Cream and then there are actual Whoppers in it." Deep, husband, very deep thoughts. But it was. It was a perfect marriage of a Whopper (or malted milk) base dotted with actual Whoppers.

Fifteen month old Rebecca also gave the Whopper's Ice Cream glowing reviews. As her mom said, "Rebecca, who only likes strawberry [ice cream] now officially likes malted milk ball [ice cream]...sans milk balls." So she liked the flavor, just not the chunks. Chunks might be a bit much for a toddler. Either way, Rebecca, who is most definitely a picky eater, chose to include Whopper Ice Cream into her discerning list of foods she will eat. Husband will be hiding that ice cream next time Rebecca comes to visit.

While I wasn't a huge fan of the What the Fudge? Brownie Sandwich, the rest of the gang was. "It's like soft cookies, except they're soft when frozen. It's magic!" "The right combination of gooey and gooey." "Double gooey -- so good!" "Gooey goodness." "Like gooey brownies right out of the oven except their cold." 'Nuff said.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups fantastic. Ice Cream is fantastic. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups + Ice Cream = Super Fantastic. Quote of the evening: "Where's mine?!...oooooooooh!"

The Jolly Rancher Awesome Twosome Popsicles weren't shared that night because I think we reached our limit on treats! But, I tried those on my own. They brought back fond memories of fifth grade, where Jolly Ranchers were the candy of choice that year. I'm not a huge popsicle eater (I prefer ice cream when I go into the freezer for a frozen treat) but these popsicles made me happy in taste and in memories!

The samples I got in the mail didn't disappoint and I certainly felt like hostess of the year as I brought the treats to the table! Thanks Breyers, Klondike, Popsicle and Reese’s!

P.S. This isn't really relevant to this post, but as I was gathering the links for this post, I saw this little thumbnail of a sundae that looked super yummy. The I followed the link and there were lots of little thumbnails of sundaes that look super yummy.

An awesome Ciao Bella guilt-free Sorbet Bar

A perfect treat on a 100 degree New England, or anywhere, day! Ciao Bella does it again with their Blueberry Passion Sorbet pops. Somewhat tart and super refreshing. I was very psyched to have these in the freezer yesterday when it hit 103 degrees. What's even better is that I felt no guilt eating it. It's simple... all natural Blueberry sorbet swirled with all natural Passion Fruit sorbet. Love it and it was honored with Self Magazine's "Best Fruit Pop" award in their 3rd annual Healthy Food Awards lists being dairy and fat free and a lonely 70 calories. Love it even more! The photo of my bar is a little sad because they didn't survive the heat all that well, or the delivery (thanks Ciao Bella for sharing with us!) so it's actually missing part of the bar along the bottom (see pic of it on box below...much bigger) but I had to share what's inside the box because these are super good and look yummy too. There are 3 to a box and definitely a decent size. 

Fudgesicle Triple Chocolate Low Fat Bars....& FREE coupons

Yup we're still here. After a crazy summer we are getting back into the swing of things. And yes, the winners of the Eagle contest to follow soon (sorry for such a lag and we SO appreciate all who entered).

Awhile back our good friends from Popsicle sent us some coupons to try some of their awesome frozen treats. And the good news is is that they also sent some for our readers too which is super nice of them (more on how to get them for yourself soon). So what to try...well I have a daughter who just loves Popsicle anything but even better she is just like Mom and loves anything chocolate so we were so psyched when we saw the Fudgesicle Triple Chocolate Low Fat Bars. The box contains three different kinds of bars...White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Milk Chocolate. I think I am getting old because I so love dark chocolate (as they say its an acquired taste!) and I've never seen them in a frozen bar like this so we had to try. Plus I seriously overdid it this summer so even better that they are Low Fat because this option is probably the best bet these days :(

First taste..me with the dark and she with the white. Very yummy. I definitely prefer the dark version over the white. It has a rich flavor but not very strong. I guess they have to be kid friendly (crazy enough my 5 year old prefers dark chocolate too though) and the white was just okay to me but my daughter loved it. I think I am just used to your traditional fudgesicle taste and this departs from it a bit. All in all I have to say I would get these again. Especially for a sweet treat that does satisfy without being over indulgent.

And for a sweet treat they are not too bad on the calorie count...60 calories, 1.5 g fat, 9 g sugar.


GET COUPONS FOR TWO FREE POPSICLE PRODUCTS!
Leave a comment about your favorite Popsicle product or you must have a great childhod memory of Popsicles that you could share with us. We'd love to hear! Comment by Wednesday, Sept 15th for a chance to win two coupons each for a Free Popsicle product ($4 max value on each). One winner will be chosen.

We need your scoop on these scoops!

Here's the thing: I have three coupons for free Good Humor, Breyers, Klondike, or Popsicle products...they expire at the end of March and I need your help!

Be one of the first to volunteer in the comments section (be sure to include your email address so I can contact you for your mailing address) and I'll send you a coupon.

Your end of the deal? Review your product. Send me a quick email about your feedback on what you chose and how you liked it. Send a picture of you or your friends and family enjoying the treats if you want! We'll post your review and picture for the world to see!

Thanks much!

Taste Testing Part II: Popsicle Shots/Breyers Free Double Churn

Unfortunately my husband isn't as creative as Bethany's with the dry ice but regardless I thought I'd take a shot and have some fun too and then dig right into the treats that Josh over at Unilever was so generous to send us. Check out Barbie...she's waiting for her prince in shining armour to come save her from the ice cream monsters.

Faced with the tough decision of what product to try I thought I'd choose one that was fun, Popsicle Shots, and the other that suited a low cal option, Breyers Free Ice Cream. I don't know about you but after way too many ice cream cones this summer (& margaritas!) I've been leaning towards the calorie conscious options lately. Not by choice really but by the forcing of the button on my jeans. Not pretty, really.

So as you saw in a past post, Bethany and I decided we'd each get a different flavor of the Popsicle Ice Cream Shots to see what these cool treats were all about. I opted for the Cookie Dough flavor and here's what they were like. Well ya know when you break a stuffed animal apart or your dog chews it open and all little foam pebbles fall out....well that's what these shots look like. Very interesting..and cool and airy. They are definitely different and not something I would spoon up if I am craving a rich scoop but something I would get for the kids or a party. I actually used them like sprinkles on my daughter's ice cream and she thought it was so fun and loved them. As Bethany stated too, they were a bit frozen so the flavor didn't come through as I had imagined...next time I will let them sit for a few minutes as you should do with any ice cream. All in all...they are okay but a Mom is not the target audience for these so I think its okay they are not at the top of my list..because my three year old sure got a kick out of them.

Next in the icebox, Breyers Free Double Churn Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream. So I generally will not go for a light option for the fact of if I am going to eat ice cream then go for it. But as I stated, one too many cocktails and cones this summer has led me to the low cal options(won't last long believe me). I will admit I was very skeptical about an ice cream that was Fat Free and Sugar Free. BUT wow this ice cream is super creamy and has great flavor....of course, its Breyers. Yes, it does have a little bit of that fake sweetener after taste but honestly if I hadn't seen the package I wouldn't have ever known. I would definitely buy this again. The texture of the chocolate ice cream is creamy and smooth and it offered chunks of brownie throughout that had wonderful flavor. I'll keep this one on the grocery list.

Thanks again Josh and Unilever...its was great to try new frozen treats and something I'd go back for.

Who Invented the Popsicle?

Ah, the popsicle. It's always pretty much been a part of childhood. Except, like most things, there was a time when it wasn't. But we can thank a child for bringing us this refreshing treat.

The popsicle was invented in 1905 by an eleven year old boy, who, as was common in the day, mixed soda powder and water with a wooden stick for a refreshing drink. The child, Frank W. Epperson, seemed to be a bit forgetful like I am, and left the unfinished drink outside overnight. When he finally came to retrieve it the next day, it was frozen.

It seems little Frank kept his new treat mainly to himself until almost two decades later, when he realized the possibility of the demand for this frozen treat.

Though he originally called it the "Epsicle," Epperson eventually "changed the name of his treat to "Popsicle," after his children’s frequent requests for "Pop’s ’sicle," and applied for a patent." (Popsicle History, http://www.popsicle.com/history/)

We had a contest a couple of weeks ago, and three people answered correctly. Congrats to Ruth, Jennifer, and Arianna for submitting the correct answer and winning a coupon for a free box of frozen treats from Breyers, Popsicle, Klondike, or Good Humor.

Reminder: to celebrate our hundreth post we are having a raffle of some full value coupons for frozen treats and a few other extras...To enter, email us or comment here at our hundreth post by next Wednesday, October 1 and tell us your favorite thing about Scoopalicious. *Please be sure to include an email address we can contact you at in case you win!*

The history of the popsicle is from the Popsicle website, in their Popsicle History Section. The photo is taken by Dain Hubbley who is represented on stock.xchng.

Taste Testing: Popsicle/Klondike Products

Are you ready for another "What Husband Did With The Dry Ice?" Here is Photo Essay Number Two. The cool people at Klondike/Popsicle contacted Tina and I asking if we would be willing to test some of their products..."of course," we said!

Keep reading until the end for a chance to test your own ice cream novelties!

The ice cream came on Friday, September 5 in a
HUGE box that was probably 3x2x2 feet.
Clearly Ernie the pup was unphased.

I opened it to get my samples into the freezer and
was I glad that I had. The big cooler that was
holding the ice cream was cracked on the top.

The ice cream seemed still frozen, but
unfortunately for Husband, it looked
like a lot of the dry ice had melted away.

First things first. I pulled out the styrafoam cooler I got from our first sample of ice cream cupcakes and poured the dry ice. No boohooing for Kevin. The smaller cooler was brim to the top with dry ice, which means Kevin ended up with more than he had the first time he played with the dry ice from my ice cream samples.

When Kevin arrived home, what we really needed to do was clean because his parents were coming within hours...as I was folding laundry in the other room, I hear an excited Kevin and walk into the kitchen to see this:

Sink filled with dry ice. Wait...

That smoke/steam/whatever it is
looks pretty cool falling over the counter.

Yes, we need to zoom out. The floor is so covered
in dry ice "smoke" that Kevin has to quickly find Ernie
in the haze and pick him up so he doesn't suffocate.
(Ernie is fine, but probably wondering
why he moved in with us)

Ah, yes, it was all over the house...into the dining
room in this picture (Did I mention the in-laws
were due from Arizona in an hour and
the house clutter still needed to be picked up a bit?)

Here is our romantic, steamy
photo of the products in the dry ice.

So, how did we like the treats? Um, yum!

So to the left is an image of the Slim-A-Bear line. The package we got contained both French Vanilla and English Toffee. I was a little hesitant because these are a lower fat treat, with only a hundred calories, but Husband and I were pleasantly surprised with the taste. The French Vanilla were pretty much the original Klondike Bar on a stick and the English Toffee was a sweet surprise -- I loved the toffee ice cream with the chocolate shell that had little chunks of toffee in it. Husband and I shared tastes of each of the bars, because we knew dinner with in-laws was soon approaching and we didn't want to ruin our appetites -- oh, but we really easily could have. These were good! It was all we could do to keep from diving into the freezer. Later on in the weekend, Mother-in-law, who had mentioned she'd like to see some low fat treats on our blog, tested them was also pleasantly surprised. These are definitely on my running grocery list -- a great treat for when I am craving ice cream but still trying to recover from the fatty ice cream from I Scream 2008 (more to come on that in a future post...)

The other product we tested was Cookies & Cream Popsicle Ice Cream Shots. These were so much fun. While I chose to eat mine out of the carton with a spoon, Kevin put his in a beer stein (we don't have any shot glasses) and "drank" them down. The flavor was good. The ice cream (that's the white shots -- the brown ones were cookie pieces) was super frozen and less airy than regular ice cream and kind of squeaked in your teeth. It seemed much colder than regular, scoopable ice cream, but maybe this is because every time I took them from the freezer I dug in without letting them soften/melt a bit. I don't know if this is the Popsicle/Klondike treat I would choose from the freezer section regularly for myself (though I am sure it would be quite a hit with kids so I'll keep that in mind when I have 'em!) but I can see myself once in a while picking out these little shots to mix the ice cream consumption up a bit!

We'll look forward to Tina's follow up post on this subject -- she got some different products in the mail and I'm interested to see what she thought.

Bonus: Who invented the popsicle and at what age? Email us at scoopaliciousblog@gmail.com by Monday, September 22 for a chance to win a coupon for a free package of any Breyers, Popsicle, Klondike, or Good Humor Product.

Happy Fourth of July!

Trying to find some super cool Independence Day Ice Cream treats for you, and it has been quite a struggle.

I found a couple to get you in the mood though...

Thinking frozen treats and red, white, and blue,the first thing that comes to mind is being about seven years old, standing in line at the Washington Monument, and Mom and Dad buying us those rocket pops from a vendor. . What a treat! It certainly made the line go faster (or at least it seemed...) I also remember thinking how cool it was that our popsicle mimicked the monument ahead of us It looks like it is a Blue Bunny treat that we had: Bomb Pop, Jr.: cherry, lime and blue raspberry on a stick! Added bonus? I just found a Blue Bunny coupon! Yay!

On my search for Rocket Pops, I also found them called Firecracker Pops as well as the Blue Bunny Bomb Pops. Though Firecracker Pops aren't exactly the treats we had, but they look pretty close as well -- I am sure though, in 1986, our treats did not have an exploding candy top. I would have remembered that! A search on Google also brought up a listing of tons of recipes to make your own "rocket pops."

I am headed up to Concord, Vermont for the fourth, but if I were home, I certainly would be making these little fellas from BakeSpace. How cute!

Have a great fourth of July -- full of frozen treats!


[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]