Friendly's Vanilla Chocolate Chip Fudge Signature Sundae

[New for 2017] I enjoyed the peanut butter version of this signature sundae series enough that I'm actually kind of excited to open this one up. I don't expect amazing ice cream, but I do expect a fairly all inclusive experience. Let's see if Friendly's can disappoint me!

Friendly's Vanilla Chocolate Chip Fudge Signature Sundae

premium vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and fudge,
topped with more fudge, whipped topping and more chocolate chips

It's always hard to photograph dark on dark, but hopefully it still looks pretty tempting. As always, please remember to let this series temper. You won't get the full effect if the sauce and whipped cream haven't had a chance to get closer to room temp. Time to dig in.

My daughter summed it up well when she said it would be better if the base ice cream was better, but that's always been the hang up with the sundae cups for awhile now and it continues on with these larger sized signature sundaes. I do like the fact that you can easily share a sundae now, plus technically you can eat a smaller portion too if you like (where as a single serve cup will inspire you to finish the whole thing).

Will this shot make sense? Maybe!

There's nothing really crazy going on here but that also means it doesn't really have any hook other than being a complete sundae instead of just vanilla ice cream. At the very least, this can be more tempting than just a vanilla fudge or chocolate chip ice cream.

There are no breakout shockers here amongst the components, but the fudge sauce it the most noticeable player here. It's really best just to get a mix of everything on your spoon with every scoop. The whipped cream isn't bad and the fudge sauce is a nice milk chocolate color and a good consistency to spread itself around. Chocolate chips are fairly plentiful. Get them together and you'll be thinking that you are eating a sundae.

We'll call this one decent if not amazing. It's a shame the base ice cream isn't better but then it might be hard to stop eating it! if this has your interest, I would go ahead and give it a try. As always, if you are a little hesitant, just wait for a sale, and remember, the texture of the base depends completely on how long you let this temper.

On Second Scoop: I broke this one in to several smaller servings, not because it's bad, but because I think the fudge sauce packs enough punch that the sundae vibe will stick with you without having to down half of this container. I won't rush out to grab this flavor again, but I will definitely be trying the last two flavors over the summer.

Sidenote: I haven't decided if I like or dislike when ice cream companies chime in on instagram posts, it's a bit of a gamble, and when the do it to me, well, I'm going to respond with some.... honesty. Now, these are hard working folks just trying to earn a buck like the rest of us, so it doesn't need to be brutal honesty, but there's nothing wrong with giving them a little feedback. I will not argue that this is a fun idea, but if it was made with the Friendly's ice cream of my childhood, man, there would always be one of these in my freezer. 

Verdict?  fun idea that needs an ice cream upgrade
Buy Again?  maybe