REVIEW: Little Debbie Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Little Debbie Ice Cream Sandwiches boxes

Guess who’s back, back again? Debbie’s back, tell a friend.

The talented folks at Hudsonville Creamery, who have previously brought us the Little Debbie Snack Cake-inspired pints of ice cream, are at it again with their latest frozen offering: Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pie and Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches.

I’d like to begin this review by establishing that I authentically like Little Debbie Snack Cakes—specifically, Oatmeal Crème Pies and Cosmic Brownies. I enjoy the ubiquitously soft chewy texture, the sweetness so intense it almost hurts your teeth, and the artificial colors in the candy sprinkles. I love it all, in moderation. You might think that because this is a junk food blog, enjoying classic Little Debbie is a cost-of-entry detail. But I find it important to mention because I’ve seen internet hatred spewed toward Little Debbie Ice Creams by people who, admittedly, don’t even LIKE the snack cakes themselves. Their reviews felt negatively skewed until they revealed that detail, so I wanted to make it clear where I stood in case you hadn’t figured it out from my 2022 review. Now, onward.

Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches in wrapper

Only four Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches per $10 box

I started with the Cosmic Brownie ice cream sandwich, and my first emotion was extreme disappointment. These bad boys cost almost $10 for a pack of FOUR, and they look terrible straight out of the box. The chocolate ice cream filling had smooshed out of a couple of sides, and there was a sad view of visible rainbow candies.

Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches with a bite and more sprinkles

Tasting the Cosmic Brownie ice cream sandwich was a different experience. The brownie’s texture was soft and chewy, and the ice cream held its integrity through the bite, not squishing out the sides at all. The brownie-flavored ice cream itself was light in texture and not so fudgy as to take away from the fudgy brownie surrounding it. Together, it was an enjoyable and well-balanced bite. I also noticed many more rainbow candies throughout the brownie as I ate.

Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie Ice Cream Sandwich

I tasted the Oatmeal Crème Pie ice cream sandwich next. Without looking up the Nielsen data, I’d still guess the Oatmeal Crème Pie is Little Debbie’s top-selling snack cake. My 90’s nostalgia will never forget that scene from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids where they encounter a larger-than-life snack cake while shrunken in their backyard. Anyway, the appearance of this ice cream sandwich was much more promising straight out of the box, and the box came with six rather than four. Off to a better start already.

Similar to the Cosmic Brownie version, this one absolutely nailed the texture. The cookies were so incredibly reminiscent of the snack cake. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say I like these substantially more. They had cinnamon and molasses notes and were soft but substantial.

Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie Ice Cream Sandwich side view

The ice cream had almost a marshmallow flavor, although the box described it as “Vanilla Crème,” so I can only imagine they were aiming to replicate the snack cake flavor there, too. These are very good. If you’re only going to buy one of the two, buy these. My husband and I fought over the last one; they were so delicious.

Look, you might have reached this point and rolled your eyes six different times at the earnestness of a woman who told you she liked Little Debbie and then waxed poetically about these ice cream sandwiches for several paragraphs, and to that I say LET ME LIVE.

My ONLY issues with these are that they are expensive and the Cosmic Brownies are kind of messily packaged, which seems like a rip-off given the price. The Cosmic Brownie sandwich is a little bigger, but I only noticed that when filling out the pricing details below. Otherwise, I think Hudsonville has done an excellent job paying homage, yet again, to our friend Deborah.

Purchased Price: $9.50 (each)
Size: 6 – 3 oz sandwiches (Oatmeal Crème), 4 – 4 oz sandwiches (Cosmic Brownie)
Purchased at: Mariano’s
Rating: 10 out of 10 (Oatmeal Crème Pie), 7 out of 10 (Cosmic Brownie)
Nutrition Facts: (1 sandwich) Oatmeal Crème Pie – 210 calories, 8 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of carbohydrates, 17 grams of sugar (including 16 grams of added sugar), and 2 grams of protein. Cosmic Brownie – 250 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of sugar (including 20 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.

OTHER THINGS I CONSUMED: 1/23/2026

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Liquid IV Hot Chocolate

Liquid IV Hot Chocolate

It’s cold here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I’m talking high 60s to low 70s. BRRRRR. Fortunately, I had this hot chocolate mix to warm me up, which was on the clearance shelf for 50 percent off or five dollars.

Unfortunately, I used only one of the six packets in the box to keep me warm and gave the rest away because this hot drink mix is a hot mess. It smells and tastes like I’m drinking watered down hot cocoa next to a busy perfume section at Macy’s. Is that hard to believe? Yeah, it is hard to believe Macy’s is busy nowadays. There’s also a slight sourness in the aftertaste, which is what I expect from fruity Liquid I.V. flavors, but not from a hot chocolate-flavored one.

Maybe Liquid I.V. should stick with only cold drink flavors?

Swoop Peanut Butter Chip Blitz High Protein Dessert

Swoop Peanut Butter Chip Blitz High Protein Dessert

After opening the top, I saw a shimmer that made it look icy, but once I started scraping away at the top, a regular ice cream-looking level appeared.

I’ve never been a fanboy of high protein ice creams, like Halo Top and Enlightened. They were okay tasting, but didn’t wow me. However, this pint of Swoop did wow me. Not just because it’s a high protein ice cream, but it’s an ice cream that has a decent texture despite not having milk, skim milk, or cream. The only “dairy” listed is from whey protein isolate, and the first ingredient is water. It’s also made with avocado oil, and dates sweeten the chocolate. I know, all that sounds like it should be an awful product, but it’s not.

Swoop Peanut Butter Chip Blitz High Protein Dessert close up

The pint features peanut butter swirls, dark chocolate flakes, and a maybe-vanilla base. While there are some peanut butter swirls going through the middle of the pint, they were mainly on the outer rim of the dessert. But with every scoop, there was a pronounced peanut butter flavor. The chocolate flakes were plentiful, and it’s hard to believe Swoop used unsweetened chocolate, dates, and coconut oil to make them.

Like any great ice cream pint, I could’ve eaten this in one sitting.

Alani Nu Cherry Bomb Energy Drink

Alani Nu Cherry Bomb Energy Drink

I didn’t have high hopes for this zero sugar energy drink because when I searched the Target website to see if the nearest store had it in stock, I noticed its product page had an overall 3-star rating from shoppers. However, like other Alani Nu products I’ve tried, this one is great as well.

According to the brand, this energy drink is a “twist of cherry, vanilla, and cola flavors.” But it really should be rearranged to cherry, cola, and vanilla because the cherry is definitely the most prominent, followed by the cola, and somewhere there’s vanilla. However, my tongue didn’t notice it. Think of it as Cherry Coke or Wild Cherry Pepsi, but the cherry initially dominates the taste buds, then the cola comes through for a bit, and then the cherry fully rushes back in, which might be too much for some.

The Cherry Bomb name is definitely fitting. Also, I think it’s The Bomb. And with 200 milligrams, it’s also a caffeine bomb.

Dark Chocolate Reese’s Puffs Cereal

Dark Chocolate Reese’s Puffs Cereal

Our reviewer, Tiffany, covered this cereal earlier this week, and . After trying the sample General Mills sent me, I have to agree with a lot of what she said.

This cereal has a better balance between the chocolate and peanut butter flavors. It definitely makes the original Reese’s Puffs taste too peanut butter-y. I also agree with her that this should be the default Reese’s Puffs cereal. I don’t think General Mills would lose any money by doing that. Also, we don’t have to get rid of the original completely. General Mills could bring it back every so often with a graphic that calls it the “Retro Recipe.”

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REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins The Grahammy Ice Cream

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Baskin-Robbins The Grahammy Ice Cream scoop

I don’t remember the last time I watched The Grammys. Heck, I can’t remember the last time I sat through the hours of nominee reading, pharmaceutical commercials, musical performances, car commercials, speeches, cell phone plan commercials, walking on and off stages, and cutaways to celebrities in the audience of any awards show.

However, I do remember the last time I ate The Grammys, I mean, Baskin-Robbins’ January 2026 Flavor of the Month, The Grahammys. And I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment or its wonderful name.

As you might guess by its name, it leans heavily into graham. Its base is a graham cracker-flavored ice cream, and floating in it are chocolate-covered honeycomb pieces and honey graham cracker swirls. It sounds so grahnd, and it’s a wonderful flavor to break your only eating healthy New Year’s Resolution with.

Baskin-Robbins The Grahammy Ice Cream honeycomb

Think of The Grahammy as s’mores adjacent, but unlike actual s’mores, the chocolate and marshmallow play second and tenth fiddle to the graham crackers, respectively. While the ice cream base has a mild flavor, the honeycomb pieces and graham swirls enhance it and push the honey flavor forward. They also provide outstanding textures to the scoop. The honeycomb has a hearty crunch, while the gritty honey graham cracker bits in the swirl offer smaller bursts of crispness.

However, this scoop isn’t perfect. While the chocolate on the honeycomb pieces cuts through the graham and honey flavors, making the ice cream a bit more complex, its taste and waxy texture remind me more of confections that are labeled “chocolatey.” It’s not a complete dealbreaker, though. I still thoroughly enjoyed this ice cream because of the other ingredients that make up for the less pleasing chocolate, and because it’s something unique to my taste buds. It’s delightful enough that I want it to come back every year for Grammy season, but it’s rare for Baskin-Robbins to rerelease flavors.

If you’re into honey graham, you grahave to grahb this Baskin-Robbins flavor while it’s still around. You won’t be disappointed, unlike all the nominees who didn’t win a Grammy.

Purchased Price: $5.09
Size: Single Scoop
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 310 calories, 16 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 28 grams of sugar (including 23 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Oreo Snowdrift Blizzard

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Dairy Queen Oreo Snowdrift Blizzard cup

I’ve always had a bone to pick with Dairy Queen in that it usually gives its Blizzards boring, unimaginative names, and most new flavors look the same with some shade of brown populated by chunks of a similar hue. But after the new Oreo Snowdrift Blizzard, I consider that bone to be sufficiently picked, whatever that means. And even better, this tastes as good—or perhaps even better—than it looks. I do have a smaller bone to pick with DQ, however, and that’s the lack of proofreading that goes into their website, as the included screenshot from January 5 shows the wrong name for this Blizzard when you select the Mini size.

Dairy Queen Oreo Snowdrift Blizzard website mistake

But what really matters is how this thing tastes, and I can tell you it tastes wonderful and unlike any Blizzard I’ve had. I know it’s my job to describe to you what to expect when a spoonful hits your mouth, but this one is tricky. Obviously, it includes Oreo cookies, along with sky-blue cake batter (the same was used in the briefly available Superman Blizzard to promote the movie this past summer) and a marshmallow swirl.

Dairy Queen Oreo Snowdrift Blizzard blue is so pretty

The cake batter is where I’m going to struggle. My taste buds didn’t get anything that had them thinking about batter, and yet they were still quite pleased. My best attempt to explain the flavor is somewhere between a sugar cookie and angel food cake. What makes this spectacular is the marshmallow swirl, which makes this taste how I imagine a sugar cookie-infused angel food cake would taste with marshmallow creme frosting. And then for an added bonus, there’s the beautiful chocolate crunch and a bit more creme from the Oreos. It’s really one of the best of the Blizzards I’ve tasted.

Dairy Queen Oreo Snowdrift Blizzard mix-ins

As an extra added bonus, you get to consume what I believe to be two of the best-named ingredients known to humankind. This includes something called “Brilliant blue FCF,” which sounds awesome until I learned it’s derived from petroleum and is “generally considered safe” by the FDA as long as you don’t exceed a certain amount per day. Luckily, I got a small Blizzard.

The other component is called “Superman base” on the DQ website. I was disappointed yet again because this has nothing to do with the Fortress of Solitude, where Superman hides out somewhere in the Arctic. Rather, it’s something that, as far as I can tell, DQ just made up and consists of various sugars, flavors, and dyes, including the aforementioned Brilliant blue FCF. I’m sure it’s all fine.

That minor concern about the ingredients notwithstanding, this one is definitely worth a trip to DQ, even if you do have to drive through a snowdrift or two.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: Small
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 670 calories, 22 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 340 milligrams of sodium, 107 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 82 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Bars

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Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars box

For as long as I have consistently perused the mainstream frozen foods aisle at grocery stores, two things have always stayed true: Ben & Jerry’s makes the best widely available pints, and Häagen-Dazs has the best bars. But that gap may be closing. To kick off the new year, Ben & Jerry’s has an all-new line of ice cream bars, in an array that pays homage to some of your favorite Ben & Jerry’s pints, which include Cookie Dough and Strawberry Cheesecake.

Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars exterior

If there is any flavor that is now ubiquitous with Ben & Jerry’s, it has to be Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (I know Cherry Garcia is great too, but, c’mon!). As the first company to put dough into their pints it makes sense that this is the one it is pushing forward with the hardest, as it will be available in both grocery four packs and single servings in convenience stores like 7-Eleven. Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough bar is vanilla ice cream with gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough, dipped in chocolatey coating with cookie pieces.

Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream Bars interior with vanilla ice cream and cookie dough

Ben & Jerry’s has a good, solid vanilla base that comes through in this bar. The decently-sized cookie dough chunks pop up a respectable amount, about four per bar, which gives every other bite a hefty helping of gritty brown sugar flavor and texture. While the base and mix-in are solid, the real surprise element that brings the experience together is the cookie pieces mixed into the chocolate. The little extra bit of grit and nuanced cookie flavor, along with the melty cocoa taste, really elevates it to something more than your typical frozen confection, and it’s great.

Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars box

On another band of the flavor spectrum, we have the Strawberry Cheesecake bar, which is cheesecake ice cream with strawberry swirls, dipped in white chocolatey coating with graham cracker pieces. I have never personally been a fan of the Strawberry Cheesecake pint, but this bar iteration is absolutely fantastic. The cheesecake ice cream is smooth and only subtly tangy, while the swirls provide a sweet acidity with a sugary finish that truly is a match made in heaven.

Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars exterior with white creme and graham pieces

Yet again, what really makes this bar shine is the coating. Not only is the white chocolate delightfully sugary and decadent, but the graham pieces bring a bolder crunch and saltiness that make for one of the better ice cream bars from any company I have had in years.

Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars interior with cheesecake ice cream and strawberry swirls

The concept with these new novelties is simple, but they are executed wonderfully. The Ben & Jerry’s ice cream bars serve as a snapshot of what digging into one of their more storied pints can be in a fraction of the time and calories. And if you’re feeling generous, they’re easy to share, too.

DISCLOSURE: I received free product samples from Ben & Jerry’s. Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 4 2.5-ounce bars
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Cookie Dough), 9 out of 10 (Strawberry Cheesecake)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) Cookie Dough – 200 calories, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 17 grams of total sugars, and 3 grams of protein. Strawberry Cheesecake – 200 calories, 11 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 21 grams of total sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

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