Market Pantry Cinema Snack Ice Cream from Target

[New for 2014] In the never ending battle to keep my family full of ice cream on a moderated budget, may I present the latest and greatest from Target's Market Pantry brand of food stuffs.

Market Pantry Cinema Snack Ice Cream

Popcorn flavored ice cream swirled with a sea salt caramel,

Fudge-covered potato chips & pretzels

Forget the boring opening shot, this is what you really want to see!

What's the most important question here? "Does it taste like popcorn?" Why yes, yes it does. In the past, my tastebuds have been assailled by fake flavors that were too artificial in their buttery nature or just too salty in general. This is not one of those flavors. There is no mistaking the popcorn flavor, but it's fairly subdued and more like the popcorn that's at the bottom of the bag. I don't mean that in a mean way, it's just there is that almost burnt nature of popcorn lingering about. Nothing strong (or hideous), but it's distinct.

And the other big question? Why yes, there are giant chip clusters in here, but the pretzel bits outnumber the chips by a lot. The good news is that pretty much all of the pretzel bits are still crunchy, plus the fudge covered chips aren't like the fudge covered chip balls we found in late night snack. No no, these appear to be actual chips with a completely unhealthy but fun, super thick, somewhat gritty coating of chocolate around it. Not sure who thought of this, and not sure why there aren't more so I could describe there flavor and texture better, but oh do I wish there were more of them.

On Second Scoop: I was so distracted yesterday that I forgot to mention the swirl, but maybe that's because you never hit giant gobs of it (that picture above is probably a little deceiving in that regard... or maybe not). I'm still trying to nail down this soft textured, easy scooping ice cream. I think what I need to say that it's got a fun, complex taste. It could have been oh so fake, but instead it's got a.... well, almost coffee like quality to it (please don't let that scare  you off). The great thing is that the flavor profile varies a bit from bite to bite and really keeps you interested. It's not the end all, be all flavor, but it's unique enough to make you want a second bowl. At the very least, this needs to go on the summer bucket list to try at least once. Nice job yet again Target.

Verdict?  cheap fun
Buy Again?  probably