Friendly's Cracker Jack Sundae & Sour Patch Sundae

[By Nick, New for 2014] When I heard Friendly's was releasing a Cracker Jack Sundae featuring their new Coffee Salted Caramel Crunch ice cream, I knew I had to review it. I have friends who work their rave about the ice cream alone, so throw in some caramel corn and there was no way I was going to miss out. Along with the Cracker Jack Sundae, Friendly's has partnered up with Sour Patch Kids to create a sundae in their honor. Seeing as I'm not a fan of sour things and I can't stand gummy candy let alone want it anywhere near ice cream, I had to recruit a friend to try it out for me.

Friendly's Cracker Jack Sundae (& Sour Patch Sundae)

Coffee Salted Caramel Crunch ice cream, caramel,

Cracker Jack popcorn, whipped cream, and a cherry

After waiting a bit, our waitress arrived to take our order. Not long after both of our sundaes arrived. I'm not going to lie; I was very excited with what I was seeing. As for my friend's sundae, well that just looks sad. I mean it's lopsided and there's only red and blue Sour Patch Kids. I'm pretty sure more colors are supposed to be represented but I'm not the one who has to eat it. We'll get back to her thoughts on the sundae‎ but let's talk about mine first.

The Coffee Salted Caramel Crunch ice cream alone is really good, I mean really really good. Good enough that I'd want Friendly's to start producing it in cartons I can buy at the store. The coffee base is bold how I like it while not being too bitter.

While I can't tell if I was getting the caramel from the actual sundae or in the ice cream, it worked perfectly with the coffee base. It is a salted caramel and actually had a salty kick to it. It’s nothing overpowering but it’s also not your typical caramel either.

Lastly the crunch comes from the chocolate covered pretzels. Honestly, I wouldn't had known they were pretzels if my friend who works there didn't give me the official description. They really didn't have much pretzeliness (that's now a word) to them. At one point I could've sworn they were actually bits of toffee.

Still, all of the flavors worked together very well. Add in the layer of caramel corn and this sundae became amazing. I never thought about combining coffee ice cream with caramel corn but I know I'll be making my own version of this sundae for my sundae project. The sweet/salty combo made for one of the best sundaes I've had from a restaurant.

Now don't get me wrong, this sundae does have its flaws. While I enjoyed the caramel corn layer, there needed to be more of it. If they would have added an extra layer on the bottom, this could have been perfect. As is, you run out of the caramel corn halfway through and you're left with a lot of caramel and Coffee Salted Caramel Crunch ice cream. Like I said, I did enjoy the ice cream‎ but I didn't come to eat the ice cream alone.

Oh and when I say a lot of caramel, I mean a lot. My sundae maker (do they have an official title like Sandwich Artists as Subway?) was a little heavy handed with the application which could've lead to the pretzels' flavor being so weak. Oh and I did run into a stale piece of caramel corn. Still for only $5, I’d have no trouble recommending this to anyone.

Verdict?  Caramel corn and coffee were meant to be together
Buy Again?  I'll attempt my own version first

Wait, I was supposed to get a Cracker Jack surprise?!? Oh god, was the stale thing I ate my surprise? I need to not think about that so let's move on to my friend's sundae.

(what's left of a) SOUR PATCH Sundae‎

your choice of ice cream, raspberry sour swirl,

SOUR PATCH KIDS candies, whipped cream, and a cherry!

My friend was very vocal with her.... ummm.... experience, so I'm going to share with you my favorite quotes from start to finish. Keep in mind that this is coming from a girl who passionately loves Sour Patch Kids and believe gummy bears and froyo go together like peanut butter and jelly.

"OMG, the sauce tastes like red Sour Patch Kids‎. Oh wait, I lied. I'm not sure what it even tastes like." *reads sundae description* "I don't taste raspberry at all."

"There's a bunch of sauce over here. I'm going to eat a spoonful of it. I immediately regret my decision."

"The sauce is very granular; actually the whole thing reminds me pixie stick powder."

"This is just awful, the only reason I'm still eating this is to give you a better description of the flavor."

"Well at least the Sour Patch Kids aren't hard *hits one with spoon* spoke too soon."

"The vanilla is good at least. Well the vanilla that hasn't been contaminated by the sauce."

"I don't think I like Sour Patch Kids anymore. Remind me to never get a sundae with you again."

My favorite part was when she tried to rescue the remaining Sour Patch Kids‎ but they were a lost cause.

Her Verdict?  ‎Borderline Child Abuse
Buy Again?  HA

So there you have it, one sundae that is as awesome as it sounds and one that is as terrible as it sounds. And people say there's no truth in advertising!