Wonka Chocolate Chipper Chip Ice Cream Review

[New for 2012, retired April 2013] When I was talking with Dennis the other day, it was bringing back a lot of memories of various lofty goals that I had when starting this blog. One of these "fundamentals" was suppose to be balance. The balance of work and breaks, chores and play.... saturated fat and exercise. I'm not exactly ready for a dirt nap, but that doesn't mean I don't have to balance out the premium ice creams with a little bit of work to burn it off. To be a little more specific, I've been using these Wonka pints as mowing fuel. Some before or some after, it doesn't matter, it's all good and tasty (and rewarding).

This was my fuel from last week... wait, hold on...

Wonka Chocolate Chipper Chip

Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Potato Chip Bark and Swirls

(I know, it looks like peanuts, but bear with me)

Nice! That gets my attention right out of the gate!

I haven't even scooped yet but I am intrigued....

though I don't actually see any potato chip bits.

Upon closer inspection, I still don't see them!

You see, Wonka has taken the chip idea from Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack but done it in a whole different way. Instead of trying to master chocolate covered chip clusters, they've gone and made potato chip bark. I can't say I've ever seen such a thing, but if I had to envision it, I wouldn't have pictured this (I also would have instantly purchased said bark). Even if I showed you a super sized shot of the swirl, you still wouldn't see the chip bits. They are insanely tiny... but thankfully you do taste them, not so much in a super crunchy way, but there's no mistaking that distinct chip taste when you scoop the chocolate.

So are you excited yet? Well, I don't know if you should be, at least not completely. This seems to be another Wonka flavor that is close to greatness, but not quite there yet. I see two problems with this one. First, I want more of this swirl, and I want it crunchier. Oh it's good and thick and has a nice, even (but mild) potato chip flavor, but the whole time you are eating it you'll be wanting to grab a big handful of kettle chips to satisfy the urging this pint creates. Again, it's not a bad swirl, I could eat a whole pint of it, it just feels incomplete.

Second Problem? The base is yet again not at 100% for me. It's a plain vanilla base and not a strong one at that. Late Night Snack has a higher quality base but more importantly it has that caramel swirl that ties it all together. I know Wonka can't do a 1 for 1 ingredient match against B&J, but this pint is incomplete. I really hate to say that here because the chip bark swirl is brilliant, it really is, I just want a little more from this pint.

This is a neat flavor from Wonka that you'll want to try, I just don't know if you'll want to go back for more. I've had a few scoopings and felt the same way every time. This one is pretty unique, but it's not perfect.

Verdict?  Close, so close, to an excellent product
Buy Again?  I would be tempted