Haagen-Dazs Caramel Cone

It is hard to believe it has taken me this long to get around to reviewing two of my all-time favorite Haagen-Dazs flavors. Way back in the day, aka my freshman and sophomore years of college, the little grocery store, Paws-n-go, in the main Wash U dining hall, sold the faux-pints of Haagen-Dazs. (In case you have forgotten, because I don't think Madeline and I remind you enough, Haagen-Dazs containers that look like pints are actually 14ozs). Splitting a Haagen-Dazs with someone was pretty standard for after a tough exam, or a even a long day. During this time of my life, I discovered Haagen-Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle and Caramel Cone. I probably ate these flavors so frequently those two years that it has taken me a while to get excited about them again. 

After purchasing White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle not long ago, my relationship with these Haagen-Dazs classics was rekindled. So now for a review of Caramel Cone.

This flavor is described as A creamy, crunchy combination of smooth caramel ice cream, crunchy chocolatey-covered cone pieces and rich caramel swirls. 

I had totally forgotten this flavor was made with a caramel base. Other ice cream companies would pair a swirl and complicated mix-in with a "neutral" base like vanilla or chocolate. There are multiple problems with this. First, we typically consider chocolate and vanilla as "neutral" base flavors; thus, we don't think about how well they pair with the other aspects of the ice cream. Second, vanilla and chocolate aren't necessarily the best options for a base flavor! Holy moly, Haagen-Dazs. You may think caramel ice cream and a caramel swirl is caramel overload? Nope. The base flavor is such a light caramel flavor, while the swirl is such an intense caramel flavor, they play off of each other well. The caramel swirl is thick, pretty liquidy, but also ooey gooey. It is also the tiniest bit salty. And not salted caramel salty. It is more like how when you bake, you add a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness. 

Lastly, the chocolate covered cone pieces. The chocolate flavor here kind of dominates the flavor of cone, but you get it every once in a while. The chocolate isn't dark or bitter, but it isn't the milkiest milk chocolate ever, which I think is a good pairing for a dark, complex caramel. The cone pieces, texture-wise, vary quite a bit. Some are super crunchy while others are a bit more chewy. I, personally, like the crunchy ones better. 

All in all, I love this flavor, and have for along time. I think the light, subtle, caramel base is the best part about this flavor. If you haven't had this flavor, or if it has been a while, I suggest you fix this soon.