Ben and Jerry's Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts
When I found the Non-Dairy Ben and Jerry's in my local Wegman's store in Northborough, MA, I was screaming, "Look Derek!!!! They have it!" I thought I might faint right there in the aisle. Since Ben and Jerry's announced that they were releasing dairy free flavors made with almond milk, I have been searching and searching for it. Derek and I picked up two flavors for me, and one for him. I chose the Chunky Monkey and P.B. & Cookies, and Derek chose Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
To give you a little back story, I wasn't always lactose intolerant. Thanksgiving 2012, I became very sick after eating our family meal. Derek had to bring me home from Black Friday shopping, thinking that I had the flu or food poisoning. Weeks later, when I didn't get better, I went to the doctor. The doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist. I met with the gastroenterologist in early 2013. On the first visit, I was sent for blood tests, including gluten. The doctor told me that in the mean time, I should try going dairy free.
I stopped eating dairy, and immediately started feeling better. All the other tests came back negative, and my doctor confirmed that I was lactose intolerant. I was devastated. Ice cream was one of my most favorite foods, and I ate a little every night. Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey was my favorite.
Now, some people who are lactose intolerant can take a pill and eat ice cream, or eat it without a pill and bear the stomach pain. My lactose intolerance is so severe that I can't do either. So for the last 3 years, I have had to to settle for fake ice creams, non of them being very good.
So, when I pulled into the driveway tonight with all of my new non-dairy Ben and Jerry's, I was elated. I even said to Derek, "you know, this is the best thing that's happened to me since the wedding!"
The first flavor I tried was the Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Derek and I both tried this one. Though it had a bit of a different consistency than real ice cream, less creamy, it was still very enjoyable. The chocolate was velvety, and the brownie pieces were rich in fudgy flavor. It is definitely the best chocolate ice cream substitute I have had. Derek said the taste was spot on to Ben and Jerry's chocolate ice cream, just that the texture was a little different.
The second flavor I tried was Chunky Monkey. This was the flavor I was most excited about trying, as this was my favorite ice cream before I was lactose intolerant. When I heard Ben and Jerry's was doing non-dairy flavors, I assumed they would be simple chocolate or coffee. When I found out that Chunky Monkey would be a flavor, I was floored.
The Chunky Monkey flavor was the best I tried among the three. In fact, I could not taste the difference between the non-dairy and the dairy versions, from what I remember anyway. The banana flavoring was very present, and this flavor was very creamy. There was a good amount of chocolate chunks and walnuts.
If someone were doing a blind taste test of non-dairy chunky monkey, there is no way they could tell it was dairy free. In fact, I got up off my couch, and went to the freezer to check the carton to make sure I hadn't accidently grabbed one that was not dairy free.
The third flavor I tried was P.B. & Cookies. This flavor was very rich and creamy, probably the most creamy of them all. There were huge chunks of cookies in the ice cream, and the peanut butter flavor was delicious and not too over powering. There were literally chunks of half chocolate cookies sandwiches in my pint. It was no weak version of a beefed up cookies and cream! I loved it!
I am very pleased with Ben and Jerry's non-dairy frozen desserts. They taste just like real, dairy ice cream. I'm so excited about keeping this frozen treat in my freezer. I am saving the forth flavor, exclusively dairy free, Coffee Caramel Fudge for next time. I can't wait to try it. I hope Ben and Jerry's continues to make non-dairy flavors!
0 comments: