Reese's ice cream bars, Kit Kat cones, Snickers pops? Are these frozen confections true to their namesakes? (Getty Images)
Start with one of the most popular candy bars in the world. Tweak the recipe, translate it into ice cream, and the result is a cold, melty mouthful of deliciousness. And the best part? It might take an entire summer to binge through all the cookie- and candy-influenced ice cream confections at your local market.
But these frozen treats inspire more than a few questions. Is a Snickers in ice cream form as good as the one on the candy aisle? Does a Klondike Heath Bar deliver? Does a Biscoff Cookie Bar have the same deep molasses-caramel punch of the cookie itself?
Since there’s no way to know without tasting, we indulged, looking for the most successful efforts at translating the flavors of cookies and candy to frozen confections. As there were far too many options to put in a single story, we limited our tasting to bars (on sticks and not) and one cone-style treat.
The best branded frozen treats deliver all of the yumminess of the original treat, plus a creamy note that turns it into a luscious bite of dessert. Bad branded ice cream treats simply don’t deliver. They may satisfy the sweet tooth, but they taste nothing like the candy or cookie that they are named after.
Here’s the scoop on the most luscious, frozen versions and the sweet impostors that fail to live up to their names. Nutrition information refers to one treat.
Lotus Biscoff Cookie & Cookie Butter Ice Cream Bars
This is the bar is for caramel lovers. The deep molasses-caramel flavor of Biscoff cookies permeates both the ice cream and the thick coating of cookie-pocked chocolate. 310 calories, 21 g fat, 110 mg sodium, 23 g sugar, 2 g protein. $3.56 for three 2.5-ounce bars at Target. (4 stars)
Snickers Ice Cream Bars
Snickers fans will love these dreamy chocolate-peanut butter-caramel bars. A thick layer of caramel on top of rich, peanut-flavored ice cream makes for a candy bar-sized frozen treat that’s even more delicious and flavorful than its namesake. 180 calories, 11 g fat, 50 mg sodium, 15 g sugar, 3 g protein. $4.50 for six 1.7-ounce bars at Safeway. (4 stars)
Milky Way Ice Cream Bars
Milk chocolate ice cream sandwiched with gooey caramel and wrapped in crunchy chocolate mimics a Milky Way, but this frozen version is actually better. It’s considerably more balanced in flavor than the uber-sweet candy bar. 180 calories, 9 g fat, 70 mg sodium, 20 g sugar, 2 g protein. $3.99 for six 1.8-ounce bars at Smart & Final. (3½ stars)
Oreo Bars
The gritty coating on these is a bit much, but they certainly deliver a big punch of Oreo texture and flavor in both the ice cream and the coating. 190 calories, 11 g fat, 80 mg sodium, 15 g sugar, 1 g protein. $6.49 for five 1.9-ounce bars at Safeway. (3 stars)
Kind Frozen Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Nut
These dense, flavor-packed bars are made with fresh peanuts and good quality dark chocolate, but because they are dairy free, there is nothing melty or creamy about them. Note that these contain chicory fiber, which can cause digestive issues. 180 calories, 13 g fat, 45 mg sodium, 8 g sugar, 4 g protein. $6.99 for five 1.6-ounce bars at Target. (2½ stars)
Twix Ice Cream Bars
This bar has all the elements that go into a Twix, but it has too little caramel, and the cookie bits taste wonky. 160 calories, 9 g fat, 50 mg sodium, 15 g sugar, 2 g protein. $4.74 for six 1.59-ounce bars at Walmart. (2 stars)
Good Humor Reese’s
This bar on a stick looks fun due to lots of pebbly bits of candy on the outside, but the flavor of Reese’s is much too understated. The ice cream’s light peanut flavor is a plus, but the stuff on the outside of the chocolate doesn’t taste a bit like a peanut butter cup. 180 calories, 11 g fat, 115 mg sodium, 11 g sugar, 3 g protein. $6.49 for six 2.75-ounce bars at Smart & Final. (2 stars)
Kit Kat Wafer with Fudge
This wafer-like cone filled with ice cream tastes nothing like a Kit Kat. It’s OK as a frozen treat, thanks to the generous cap of chocolate on top, but likening it to a Kit Kat is just wrong. 280 calories, 12 g fat, 100 mg sodium, 27 g sugar, 2 g protein. $5.29 for four 3.3-ounce cones. (1½ stars)
Klondike Reese’s Bars
There’s a hint of peanut butter in the ice cream inside this square bar but not nearly enough — and the chocolate coating is so thin, it cracks on contact. 240 calories, 15 g fat, 11 g sodium, 18 g sugar, 3 g protein. $4.49 for six 2.7-ounce bars at Smart & Final. (1 star)
Klondike Heath Bars
“Loaded with Toffee Pieces!” is a delicious claim, but not a bit true. There are ultra-tiny bits of Heath in the chocolate, but the ice cream inside is plain and has a strange, fake fruity flavor. Not impressive. 220 calories, 13 g fat, 80 mg sodium, 18 g sugar, 2 g protein. $4.49 for six 2.6-ounce squares at Smart & Final. (½ a star)
Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail.com. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.
Originally published at Jolene Thym, correspondent