[New for 2023] So, I have a problem. Despite not buying/covering a ton of new products this year, I still have a freezer full of ice cream. Part of it is changing tastes, part of it is missing the days of old, and the final part is that a lot less ice cream is being eaten in our house. It happens. I kind of wish I could purge and start over, but no way I would waste all that ice cream. What I'm trying to say is that I apology for the weird ebb and flow of the blog this year. Maybe 2024 will flow be better. Maybe I'll even get the freezer cleaned out by 2024. Either way, let's unwrap what I picked up the other day.
Blue Bunny Strawberry Shortcake Mini Bars
strawberry flavored frozen dairy dessert swirled with strawberry sauce
dipped in white confectionary coating and shortbread pieces
Boring white wrapper removed. Definitely not a big treat.
Before we get too far, let's take a minute to recap. Blue Bunny has been messing with strawberry shortcake treats since 2018. First we got the strongly flavored load'd sundae and then in 2019 we got the tasty and fun looking mini swirl cone. In 2020, we got the enjoyable strawberry shortcake load'd cone. In 2021, they released the boring strawberry shortcake load'd bar. In 2022, they... oh yeah, this was the year of the twist cones, so they put out a strawberry cheesecake twist cone rather than a strawberry shortcake cone.
Wait, does anyone like those cones? I never did bother trying them, but I don't like the new Soft lineup so I just assume I wouldnt like the cones either. If a couple of you think I should try them, maybe I'll give them a shot. Anyway...
Maybe something got lost when they scaled up this flavor combo to the Load'd bar, but now that they've scaled back to the mini bar, everything has come back in to alignment again. It kind of makes me curious if this phenomena happened with other flavor profiles.
Maybe something got lost when they scaled up this flavor combo to the Load'd bar, but now that they've scaled back to the mini bar, everything has come back in to alignment again. It kind of makes me curious if this phenomena happened with other flavor profiles.
So, yeah, I like these. It's sweet enough without too much sweetness. There's not a ton of strawberry flavor, but there is enough. The shortbread adds some texture, but not a ton of texture. I talk a lot about "middle of the road" treats. Not too strong, not too weak, just a nice happy medium. This bar is a nice happy medium, and that's what I want in a mainstream treat.
I'm calling this one a win.
On Second Scoop: They aren't huge, but that's fine, I can eat two when I need too. I would like the shell to be a little thicker, and maybe a few more shortcake bits, but overall it's fine. It probably wouldn't hurt to take smaller bites though.
Verdict? fine little treat
Buy Again? probably
Buy Again? probably
Appreciate even the older reviews Dubba. I've never been able to enjoy BBs strawberry shortcake flavors. Haven't tried these though.
ReplyDeleteanything in particular, maybe the way the strawberry comes across?
ReplyDeleteI never pinpointed exactly what I didn't like beyond finding them cloying. My wife loved them, so it may just have been me.
DeleteThe soft strawberry cheesecake cone was a big "no" for my entire family....and my kids generally like cones. We tried the other swirl ones too, including pb/chocolate and vanilla swirl. We disliked all. However, Wal-mart could have been responsible too. I did a pick up order during the summer, and I think they let my order sit on standby too long. But, in general, we thought the soft line was not the best BB effort. I have to agree with the other reader that the strawberry treats are not our favorite. For me, it has to do with presentation of the strawberry. It feels very artificial. I like my strawberry to look more natural with flecks of strawberry in a more muted base. However, my boyfriend loves the loaded sundae because of its artificial and strong strawberry presentation. So to each their own I guess.
ReplyDelete@Joe & @Anne: Seems like you are both hitting on the same point, that blue bunny's take on strawberry can be a bit much.
ReplyDeleteThe only BB novelty I really adored was the strawberry cones that had the strawberry ice cream and a strawberry hard shell. They were a huge size and I think this was around 2004? I can't remember what they were called, but everytime you bring up BB I fondly recall that time and wish they would return.
ReplyDeleteThe one you are thinking of, did it have crunchy bits in the shell?
ReplyDeleteI see the strawberry burst big dipper cone:
https://www.bigbellicecream.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/strawberry-dipper-768x478.png
but there is also a plain strawberry champ! version:
https://images.freshop.com/00070640000654/94aea7e8172221b19b98def10b86cdbf_large.png
I never had either one, but the photos seem familiar.
It was the Champ cones without the bits! Just seeing the photo makes me wish they'd return! They were soon delicious 😋
Delete