The ice cream cookie sandwich might just be one of the greatest inventions ever conceived on this blue and green orb we call Earth. I mean, not only does it combine the sweet, moist, and buttery taste and texture of cookies, but it turns them into vehicles for consuming ice cream. I mean, is there anything more ideal for the dessert lover?
Well, actually there is. Add in the world’s most iconic bite-sized chocolate candy in a hard shell – M&M’s – and we’re talking about something highlighting everything right in the world of sweets.
When I first heard that I had won On Second Scoop’s Mars coupon contest, my thought was to buy a few packages of M&M Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches. Dubba had good things to say to them in the past, and despite fairly frequent consumption of Rita’s Frozen Custard, it had been a while since I’ve really enjoyed a frozen novelty item. My plans were thrown for a slight twist, however, when I spotted the new M&M Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches in Walmart. And even though they’d have to survive a 40 minute car ride in a 95 degree day before reaching my own freezer, I knew they were worth taking a chance on.
The cookie element is everything you could want. They’re actually larger than I imagined, pack the obligatory moist and sweet punch you love in a peanut butter cookie, and even manage a robust peanut butter-cookie dough taste on the backend. They remind me a lot of those those classic, if not horrible for you, peanut butter cookies from Grandma’s, except better. Thanks, in large part, to the mini M&Ms. The shells remain crunchy, and there’s something about freezing that makes the chocolate especially good when embedded in the cookie dough. As you can see from the photos, the mini M&M’s don’t stay rock hard though, and begin slowly melting within the buttery cookie when exposed to my hands.
At first I was a little unsure about the ice cream. It’s not particularly rich, but it isn’t gritty or gummy either, and has a smooth quality about it which plays well with the super moist cookie dough. The peanut butter taste definitely comes on the backend and is raised with a solid bite from the cookie, but I can’t help but wonder if an additional element – perhaps a salted peanut butter and corn syrup swirl – would have provided the extra flavor and textural elements to push these over the top.
If you’re a peanut butter lover these are definitely worth a shot, and even if you’re mum on the salty-sweet combination played out in so many desserts, these sandwiches offer enough variety in terms of sweetness, texture, and chocolate crunch that I’d recommend them. That being said, Mars missed a chance to take these to another level. The addition of even a peanut butter-corn syrup “swirl” into the ice cream or the substituting of peanut butter M&M’s for regular M&M’s would have put these over the top, and made them the single most peanut buttery frozen dessert novelty on the market.
- Price: $4.59 (Walmart)
- Ranking: 8/10
- Chances I’d Buy Again: 85%
Mmm, ice cream cookie sandwiches are things of such delight if done correctly! Love that these are peanut butter flavoured too!
When I saw these in Walmart a few months ago and informed Dubba I knew these were going to be good.I’m actually kicking myself right now not picking them up because on my recent trips there they’ve been all out. To solve the lack of swirl I’m wondering if you’d be able to pry off one of the cookies, spread a little peanut butter syrup or chocolate syrup and then close it back up to see if that improves things. Congrats on winning the contest by the way.
I was thinking about that, but application may be messy. I have enough problems spreading on bread haha.
Oh geez, the moment I read the title you had me hooked. I wish these were in Canada. Heck, I wish these were in my freezer.
I wish they were too. I’d ship them, but unless I can invent a telaportation system, I think they’d melt…Any good peanut butter ice cream novelties up there?