Haagen-Dazs Peppermint Bark Bar
Haagen-Dazs' Peppermint Bark ice cream is the holy grail of peppermint ice cream, and they have really upped their bar game in the past year, so it makes sense that introduced a new, limited-edition Peppermint Bark Bar just in time for peak peppermint season. Haagen-Dazs says,
Our Peppermint Bark Ice Cream Bars start with decadent white chocolate ice cream dipped in thick, dark chocolate then speckled with cool peppermint candy pieces.
I was already skeptical that a peppermint bark ice cream bar could live up to peppermint ice cream, and I was even more skeptical after reading the description. I mean .... would peppermint in the shell be enough? The pieces would have to be tiny and the ice cream-to-shell ratio might drown them out. My worries were for naught because Haagen-Dazs produced a first-rate peppermint bark bar. Who was I to doubt them?!
I really think the white chocolate base is the secret to Haagen-Dazs peppermint bark success. A vanilla base is either too warm and contrasts with the cool peppermint flavor or too cool, making the overall flavor profile too gag-inducingly minty. A peppermint base on its own can be fine, but a peppermint base with peppermint candies is cloyingly sweet. A chocolate base can work, but often ends up tasting like separate chocolate.and.peppermint flavors rather than a nice chocolatepeppermint mix.
As in the ice cream, the white chocolate works perfectly here as well. A vanilla filler would be too bland, but the white chocolate adds just enough complexity to the flavor to balance the chocolate shell and peppermint pieces.
Dark chocolate was absolutely the right choice for the shell. Milk chocolate and dark chocolate would be too similar in taste, but the dark chocolate stands out from the base and also helps to mitigate the intensity of the peppermint. The peppermint pieces are small enough that they give the shell a gravelly texture. Having the peppermint in the shell and not the ice cream diffused the taste of peppermint through every bite.
These have easily become my favorite ice cream treat. š¦š¦š¦š¦/4
Our Peppermint Bark Ice Cream Bars start with decadent white chocolate ice cream dipped in thick, dark chocolate then speckled with cool peppermint candy pieces.
I was already skeptical that a peppermint bark ice cream bar could live up to peppermint ice cream, and I was even more skeptical after reading the description. I mean .... would peppermint in the shell be enough? The pieces would have to be tiny and the ice cream-to-shell ratio might drown them out. My worries were for naught because Haagen-Dazs produced a first-rate peppermint bark bar. Who was I to doubt them?!
I really think the white chocolate base is the secret to Haagen-Dazs peppermint bark success. A vanilla base is either too warm and contrasts with the cool peppermint flavor or too cool, making the overall flavor profile too gag-inducingly minty. A peppermint base on its own can be fine, but a peppermint base with peppermint candies is cloyingly sweet. A chocolate base can work, but often ends up tasting like separate chocolate.and.peppermint flavors rather than a nice chocolatepeppermint mix.
As in the ice cream, the white chocolate works perfectly here as well. A vanilla filler would be too bland, but the white chocolate adds just enough complexity to the flavor to balance the chocolate shell and peppermint pieces.
Dark chocolate was absolutely the right choice for the shell. Milk chocolate and dark chocolate would be too similar in taste, but the dark chocolate stands out from the base and also helps to mitigate the intensity of the peppermint. The peppermint pieces are small enough that they give the shell a gravelly texture. Having the peppermint in the shell and not the ice cream diffused the taste of peppermint through every bite.
These have easily become my favorite ice cream treat. š¦š¦š¦š¦/4
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