The backstory behind Ben & Jerry’s Special Stash Marshmallow Moon Ice Cream is that it was one of the options to replace Late Night Snack when Jimmy Fallon moved over The Tonight Show. But it lost to

After trying Marshmallow Moon and realizing it’s the superior flavor, I began to wonder if The Tonight Dough becoming the official flavor of The Tonight Show was a conspiracy.

So I put on my tin foil hat and took deep dives into ice cream dark forums; watched on YouTube the unveiling of The Tonight Dough in slow motion, sped up, and in reverse; and talked to cows. And the conclusion I’ve come to is that Marshmallow Moon wasn’t selected because it didn’t rhyme well with The Tonight Dough.

Sure, The Mallow Moon-ight Show might’ve worked, but not as well.

Tin foil hat removed and, I’m sure Ben & Jerry’s would appreciate this, recycled.

But now we can all enjoy Marshmallow Moon. Although it’s a limited edition flavor that’s only available at Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops and the brand’s online store for three or four more dollars than one should pay for a pint.

The ice cream is influenced by the iconic MoonPie and does it without having to mention MoonPie or pay a royalty fee to use the MoonPie trademark. It features vanilla ice cream, marshmallow and graham cracker swirls, and fudge chunks.

I’ve mentioned in previous reviews how much I love Ben & Jerry’s squishy marshmallow swirl and gritty graham cracker swirl. You could say I’m over the moon with them. Sorry. That’s the only lunar reference I’ll make.

It’s nice to be able to experience both of them with vanilla ice cream, which allows their flavors to shine more than they would with another ice cream base. The marshmallow swirl has a vanilla sweetness that’s different than the ice cream and the graham cracker swirl has a bit of honey flavor. They’re wonderful together and I’m glad my pint has a lot of them.

The fudge chunks, while necessary to complete the whole MoonPie homage, are annoying. Like chaperones at a school dance, I understand why they’re there, but wish they weren’t. Their chocolate flavor overwhelms the other components. I ended up shoving them to the side so I could experience a ménage a quad with the ice cream and swirls.

Ben & Jerry’s Special Stash Marshmallow Moon has the elements of a MoonPie, but since it’s been so long since I’ve had one, I can’t say tastes like it. But it’s a great flavor if you avoid the fudge chunks. With that said, as much as I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t spend $7 to buy it again. But if it becomes a regular flavor I can buy from a grocery store, I’d buy it again.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 290 calories, 140 calories from fat, 16 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 26 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $6.99
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Ben & Jerry’s online store
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Graham cracker and marshmallow swirls. Better than The Tonight Dough which is too much of a hodgepodge of ingredients. Looking forward to future Special Stash flavors.
Cons: Fudge chunks gets in the way of the swirls. Only available from Scoop Shops and Ben & Jerry’s online store.

If I were to break down Ben & Jerry’s Limited Batch One Sweet World and figure out what each component represents, I’d say the tan coffee caramel ice cream symbolizes the dirt of the Earth.

The marshmallow swirls are the clouds.

The ampersand fudge chunks represent, um, um, um, the sign that brings all countries together?

And the salted caramel swirl is, um, um, um, the primordial soup that life came from?

Okay, so all my examples don’t quite work, but One Sweet World does work as a sweet treat.

The flavor made its debut in Europe last year and it took its sweet time to show up in this part of the world. It’s the second Ben & Jerry’s flavor we’ve seen in the U.S. this year that was introduced in Europe, the first being the delicious Bob Marley’s One Love.

One Sweet World has a wonderful symphony of textures — the creamy ice cream, the gooey salted caramel swirl, the snap of the fudge chunks, and the squishy marshmallow swirl. Oh, I love that squishiness. I hate to admit this, but I found myself poking at the spongy swirl a lot just so I hear it. Yes, I’m weird like that. My spoons must feel so dirty.

While I’m in the admitting mood, I have to say I enjoyed the textures a little more than One Sweet World’s flavor. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it as much as Ben and Jerry loved smoking weed back in the day. But I wish the coffee stood out a bit more. When eaten without mix-ins, a hint of coffee comes through. But with the salted caramel swirl or fudge chunks, it gets a bit lost, and I have to concentrate to taste it.

A spoonful with the ice cream and swirls is like a caramel iced coffee that’s heavy on the dairy and syrup. It’s still tasty, but, again, I wish it had more java flavor.

The marshmallow swirl doesn’t have as strong a flavor as the other ingredients, but if I think about it, I would’ve enjoyed One Sweet World less without it. Thankfully, there was a lot in the pint I purchased, so every spoonful was a little squishy. IT’S SO SQUISHY!!!

In the end, Ben & Jerry’s One Sweet World is one sweet flavor. It could’ve used a wee bit more coffee flavor, but that’s a personal thing and the marshmallow swirl almost made up for it. I’m glad this pint made its way to the States. But now, Ben & Jerry’s, how about bringing over this flavor next?

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 270 calories, 110 calories from fat, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $6.99*
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Ben & Jerry’s online store
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: It tastes like a caramel iced coffee that’s heavy on the dairy and syrup. So many great textures, especially the squishy marshmallow swirl. Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” keeps popping into my head when I type One Sweet World.
Cons: I wish it had a bit more coffee flavor. My attempts to figure out what each component represents.

*I purchased this from Ben & Jerry’s online store because it takes awhile for new flavors to end up in Hawaii.

I hold a very special place in my heart for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. My most memorable Valentine’s Day as a single gal included takeout from my favorite local spot, German grapefruit beer, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, and binge-watching Suits on USA. (A shameless plug: The show comes back on July 12 and I can’t wait. You’ll thank me later.)

Anyway, I told my now-husband about that when we were dating, so for our first Valentine’s Day, he recreated it, right down to the same Ben & Jerry’s pint I had savored. My waistline thanked me that year, considering we split it instead of me face planting into the entire thing.

I tell you this story because you need to understand my enthusiasm for Ben & Jerry’s. Now that this is established, I must also share my enthusiasm for Target. So: My favorite brand of ice cream has an exclusive flavor at my favorite store. Done deal, had to have it.

Ben & Jerry’s Keep Caramel and Cookie On is described as “Caramel Malt Ice Cream with Shortbread Cookies, Fudge Flakes & Caramel Swirls.” The first thing I noticed about this ice cream was how incredibly smooth it is. Like “goes down way too easy let me keep digging into this pint” smooth. The smoothness could be attributed to the malt, which, based on my research, can add to the creamy texture.

While I loved the smoothness of the ice cream, the downfall was the actual caramel flavor. It was slightly underwhelming. That being said, the ice cream was not bad, just not as caramel-y as I was expecting. It seems as though the focus was more on the add-ins and the ice cream was a bit overlooked. I definitely got more of a caramel note from the caramel swirls. I’m glad the swirls were there; otherwise, I would have been seriously missing some caramel flavor. #swirlpower

The fudge flakes are more than flakes – they’re basically glorified chocolate chips. Which was a nice surprise, considering I usually think of flakes as shavings or something not as prevalent. They were a nice add-in.

But let me tell you about the shortbread. You guys, the shortbread cookies totally made this ice cream. Why have I not had shortbread with ice cream before? It was soft, not crunchy (from being embedded in the ice cream), and not overly sweet. It was such a nice addition without overpowering the rest of the flavors. Did I tell you I loved the shortbread?

All in all, this is a super solid Ben & Jerry’s flavor that gets my seal of approval. It left me wanting more…in a good way, not an unsatisfied way. I’m thinking some kind of ice cream float is in my future with the rest of this puppy.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 270 calories, 130 calories from fat, 14 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 25 grams of sugar, 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: One pint
Purchased at: Target (Exclusive Flavor)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Shortbread in your ice cream. I repeat, shortbread.
Cons: Not enough caramel to live up to the name.

For some people, when reggae plays, they skank.

When I hear reggae, I sleep.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike reggae. But its mellow beat is musical melatonin to me. At first, I’ll bob my head to it, but then that bobbing turns into nodding off.

The genre is big here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I heard a lot of Bob Marley throughout high school, which might explain why I had a hard time staying awake during my teen years.

Ben & Jerry’s has a flavor that honors the great sandman (to me) Bob Marley — One Love. It made its debut in the U.K. last year and it’s now popping up in the U.S. for a limited time at retailers and Scoop Shops. The flavor features banana ice cream, caramel and graham cracker swirls, and fudge peace signs.

Because I like to scrape away the top layer with my spoon after first opening a pint, I got only the ice cream and swirls for my first few spoonfuls. Just those three ingredients created a combination that made me sing, “We’re jammin’, we’re jammin’, And I hope you like jammin’ too.”

Being a fan of banana-flavored anything, I love the ice cream base. Its flavor is mild and it works well with the buttery caramel and graham cracker swirls. Actually, the gooey caramel, gritty graham cracker swirl, and creamy banana ice cream brought back memories of Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding. Although One Love is less natural tasting than the popular dessert.

As I mowed through the top layer, I kept thinking this could be the best Ben & Jerry’s flavor I’ve had and could replace Americone Dream as my new favorite flavor.

But then I hit a very small speed bump.

Or “peace bump” might be more appropriate.

I finally dug out a fudge peace sign and thought if just the ice cream and swirls are that awesome, then the addition of fudge pieces would take it to the next level. Except I didn’t expect that next level to be one down.

Now let me say that it’s really good with the fudge peace signs, but I think it tastes better without them. I just want to be alone with the ice cream and swirls and not have fudge popping up on us every so often to make sure we aren’t getting into trouble. I mean, the fudge pieces are fine. They’re similar in flavor with the fudge flakes they use in seemingly EVERY SINGLE FLAVOR. But I’ve been digging around them instead digging them up like I usually do.

With that said, Ben & Jerry’s Limited Batch Bob Marley’s One Love Ice Cream is definitely near the top of my list of favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavors. It’s a flavor that makes me want to skank.

DISCLOSURE: I received this pint for free from Ben & Jerry’s. I was not asked to review it, but I do think they expect me to post a photo on Instagram. Receiving a free sample did not influence my review in any way, although it probably reads like it did. But I assure you it did not.

(Nutrition Facts – 1/2 cup – 290 calories, 140 calories from fat, 15 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 115 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: One Pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Really good with the fudge peace signs. Wonderful without the fudge peace signs. Makes me want to skank.
Cons: Slightly not as good with the fudge peace signs. Limited edition. Reggae makes me sleepy. Banana ice cream might not appeal to some.

If you think about it, cereal and ice cream are like kindred spirits. They’re both eaten in bowls with spoons, they’re satisfying while watching cartoons or high, they aren’t as good if they sit in a bowl for too long, and they both have the letter C, two E’s, an A, and an R.

Ben & Jerry’s Cereal Splashback Ice Cream pays tribute to childhood cereal favorites. Of course, not MY childhood cereal favorites, like Banana Frosted Flakes, Waffelos, C-3PO’s, and Rainbow Brite Cereal. They’re currently Scoop Shop exclusives and the idea is to recreate cereal and milk with ice cream and Ben & Jerry’s magic.

The three Cereal Splashback flavors are:

Froot Loot — cereal milk ice cream with a crisp fruity cereal swirl.

Frozen Flakes — cereal milk ice cream with a crisp cereal swirl.

Cocoa Loco — chocolate cereal milk ice cream with a crisp chocolate cereal swirl.

The only one that really tastes like its cereal counterpart is Froot Loot. Every time I eat it, its aftertaste reminds me of Froot Loops. But it’s a bit odd that it doesn’t happen once I put it in my mouth.

As for the other two, the Frozen Flakes swirl has a sweetened corn flakes vibe to it, but it doesn’t make me think of Frosted Flakes. And while Cocoa Loco has a nice malt flavor that goes well with the chocolate ice cream, it doesn’t taste like Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Krispies, or Cocoa Pebbles. This disappoints me because chocolate cereals are my favorite.

With that said, these flavors do please my palate. Well, to be more exact, the swirls bring me joy. The cereal milk-flavored ice cream tastes like a sweeter, richer vanilla ice cream and the chocolate cereal milk one is like a slightly toned down chocolate ice cream. They’re good, but not great. But also, let’s be real, they’re there to complement the swirl.

The cereal swirls are gritty like a cookie butter swirl. There aren’t any whole cereal pieces, but when you scoop out a portion of the swirl and chew on it, it crunches like a cereal piece. And depending on the spoonful, you’ll get one of two textures, either slightly soggy cereal or crispy cereal. That is some crazy Ben & Jerry’s voodoo.

If I had to rank the three Ben & Jerry’s Cereal Splashback flavors, I’d put Froot Loot number one, Frozen Flakes would come next, and Cocoa Loco would be last.

While two out of the three didn’t truly taste like the cereals they’re trying to emulate, because they’re all really sweet, all three did something else for me as I ate them.

They took me back to what I like to call The Golden Age of Breakfast Cereals. A time when cereals were super sweet and they probably had as much sugar as a candy bar. A time when cereals with movie tie-ins weren’t all oat pieces with marshmallows. A time when cereals came in shapes like Gremlins, Batman signs, Nerds candy, ice cream cones, and something Mr. T would wear around his neck. A time when a dog and cat kibble maker also made human kibble, but called it cereal. A time when cereals were, as Tony the Tiger says, gr-r-reat.

Disclosure: I received samples of all three Cereal Splashback flavors from Ben & Jerry’s. It was not required by Ben & Jerry’s to write a review and receiving free samples did not influence my review in any way.

(Nutrition Facts – 1 scoop – Cocoa Loco – 230 calories, 120 calories from fat, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 75 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. Frozen Flakes – 230 calories, 120 calories from fat, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein. Froot Loot – 240 calories, 140 calories from fat, 15 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Froot Loot)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Frozen Flakes)
Rating: 6 ouf of 10 (Cocoa Loco)
Pros: Froot Loot’s aftertaste taste like Froot Loops. Frozen Flakes comes close to tasting like Frosted Flakes. The different textures of the swirl. Ben & Jerry’s magic. Banana Frosted Flakes. Reminds me of The Golden Age of Breakfast Cereals.
Cons: Cocoa Loco not tasting like any chocolatey cereal. Disappointing for those who like a lot of mix-ins. Available only at Scoop Shops. Banana Frosted Flakes being discontinued.