Monday Munchies – Ben & Jerry’s Two Wild & Crazy Pies

Just in time for the Fall we get a new flavor for Ben & Jerry’s line of SNL Batches.  And SNL Batches should be a great thing.  But much like some sketches on Saturday Night Live, the execution of some these flavors leaves a little to be desired. 

Gilly’s Catastrophic Crunch lived up to its name, while Lazy Sunday lived up to its inspiration. 

So, how will Two Wild & Crazy Pies stack up?

I haven’t really written much about it, but I’m a huge fan of pie.  I have an aunt who can whip up a mean strawberry rhubarb pie.  Trader Joe’s has a wonderful peach raspberry pie.  Whole Food can always be counted on to have a quality pie for sale. 

I miss living in Las Vegas, because there was literally a Marie Callender’s across the street where I would stock up on their semi annual pie sale.  And while I love fruit pies, I’m equally down with cream pies. 

Which brings us to Two Wild & Crazy Pies.  It’s described as coconut cream & chocolate cream pie ice cream with a chocolate cookie swirl.  Sounds pretty good, right?  As an ice cream it’s a solid flavor.  It’s a chocolate ice cream base with coconut shaving and chocolate cookie swirl for texture. 

Well there are a few things wrong with it. 

First off, is the name.  “Two Wild & Crazy Pies” gives you the idea that you’ll get both coconut cream pie ice cream and chocolate cream pie ice cream in equal portions.  That wasn’t the case with the pint I picked up.  It was easily 70% chocolate cream pie ice cream.  And as everyone knows, chocolate has a tendency to overpower other flavors, and that’s certainly the case here.  The coconut cream pie ice cream is barely present in terms of either flavor or visually. 

While I know that some chocolate cream pies utilize the chocolate cookie crust, I prefer the traditional piecrust.  So the fact that there weren’t bits of piecrust included in this flavor was disappointing.  

I know I’ve said it before, but it looks more and more like these SNL Batch flavors are an excuse to get rid of some excess ingredients that Ben & Jerry have stocked up in warehouses.  It’s brilliant branding on Ben & Jerry’s part.  But Lorne Michaels may want to up the quality control on these flavors, because they’re beginning to taste the like ice cream equivalent of a “rebuilding year.”