New to the U.S. - Magnum Ice Cream Bars

Well I had been waiting to try the new Magnum ice cream bars since there are so many treats out there (and in my freezer) right now, but reading reviews from Delish and Freezer Burns made me realize that I don't want to be late to this particular party. So, at lunch I headed to Walmart knowing that I could be sneaky and pick up a single serve Magnum. It's not the best investment at $1.78 for one when you can get $3.28 for three, but it will prevent me from eating more than my fair share.

Now my plan was to start with almond, but they only had classic and double caramel as single serve options. Hmmm, to be fair to Magnum, I really should try the original first, and then we'll go from there.

I very carefully open the bottom of the wrapper. The inside is lined with a gold colored foil. I take a huge whiff and am greeted with a very robust chocolate smell. Wow, nice way to start.

Is it all you expected and more? It's ok, this shot shouldn't do much but....

How about that? I apologize that you can't see the vanilla bean flecks in the base ice cream, but I'm guessing you can see just how thick that shell is. Funny, the ingredient list just has "vanilla bean specks", no actual vanilla (unless it's hiding under "natural flavor").

So is this the best treat ever? Well, iunno, how do you feel about Belgian chocolate? Thing is, I'm don't even know if I've had true Belgian chocolate before so I think I need some schooling here. It's very aromatic like they say, but it almost tastes.... well, it kind of tastes nutty to me. Is that possible? or am I just a terrible reviewer sometimes? Do I not know the right words? Had I tried almond, I may not have noticed that strange nature of the chocolate. Hmmmm, maybe I need to get out more....

The base ice cream is fine, though it's hard to get a straight taste of it. It's a fairly robust ice cream, but not super premium, so it's not heavy like B&J or as solid as H-D. It doesn't stand in the way of the rich shell, so I guess that's a good thing. They combine well and that's what matters.

So, there we have my first introduction to the world of Magnum. I'm not saying this is a bad treat in anyway. In fact, I almost feel like I should apologize for not being super impressed, but no worries, soon enough I'll send out Higgins for another box. Maybe we'll try dark chocolate next time.

Magnum History: Magnum was launched in the UK in 1987 and in Ireland in 1990, making it the first widely available hand held indulgence ice cream in both countries - read more here

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 bar (76g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 240	from Fat 140
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g	25%
- Sat Fat 10g	50%
- Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 25mg	8%
Sodium 45mg	2%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	7%
- Dietary Fiber  <1g	4%
- Sugars 21g
Protein 3g
Vitamin A 4%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 8%	Iron 8%

Nutrition Note: the classic and almond versions are the lowest cal versions, the rest are significantly worse.