Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Turtle Cheesecake

I used to work at a certain factory known for cheesecake.  It was quite the fun job.  One of the perks was getting “dead” cheesecake, which was cheesecake that wasn’t perfect enough to be sold to the masses. 

Basically I ate cheesecake every day I worked for a year.  Needless to say I’ve rarely eaten it since.  I’ve exhausted my appetite for cheesecake.  It’s done.  Over. 

Still, when I saw Turtle Cheesecake at the Scoop Shop, I knew I had to at least try it out. 

 Part of the reason for my interest is that I’m a huge fan of turtles.  I love the animals.  I love them when they’re teenage and mutant.  But I really love the candy.  The first time I tried them out I fell in love with them.  They’re such a well-balanced treat.  They’re just beyond bite-size, but they have everything in perfect portion.

So I wondered a couple things.  How would turtle translate into ice cream?  How would Ben & Jerry approach it?  Would it be worth the $6.50 I’d be paying for the pint? 

Well, the ice cream is described as cheesecake ice cream with pecans, fudge flakes and caramel swirl.  So they’ve got the turtle bit right. 

Despite my being done with cheesecake, the actual ice cream is good.  It captures the cheesecake flavor perfectly, in that it’s not particularly sweet, and sweetness is always a danger when getting ice cream. 

The pecans are awesome.  I feel that pecans are completely underused in society.  Sure they’re in pie, but they should be more widely used.  And they are a hit in this ice cream.  They add the crunch and the savory kick that really puts the flavor over the top. 

The fudge flakes aren’t really flakes, but rather chips.  Still they work nicely with the cheesecake ice cream.  And the caramel swirl gives some sweetness, without overdoing it. 

Everything is present in good quantities, so you’re guaranteed to get the turtle experience in every bite.  It’s a really good flavor and hopefully it’ll make it out of the Scoop Shop and into your local freezer aisle. 

It’s definitely worth tracking down, if you’re in close proximity of a Scoop Shop as the summer drags on.