the ice cream scoop!

Before I begin, I must admit I have never been a big fan of banana splits. I can already hear the scornful gasps, but before you write me off completely, let me just say that I have always loved bananas and ice cream together. Whenever I was in seventh grade, I used to get banana milkshakes all the time. It might have had something to do with the fact that my “cool” best friend at the time thought that they were the best things ever. Apparently, I thought that I would become more popular just by drinking them. Man, was I lame.

But enough about me. Let’s get to the good stuff…

The front of the carton describes this ice cream as “Fruit and Fudge Swirls in Banana flavor.” I was a little leery of this one because I know that banana flavored anything tends to taste very generic. And as much as I hate to admit it, this ice cream was no exception. Maybe I’m just biased because of all those made-with-real-banana milkshakes I had when I was in junior high, but I think most people would agree with me after tasting it. In its defense, the ice cream is very creamy and the banana flavor isn’t so gross that I wouldn’t eat a whole bowl of it. I am not big on cherries, so I don’t really like the swirl of cherry flavor, and it doesn’t help that it tastes just as generic as the banana flavor of the ice cream. In my opinion, the chocolate fudge swirl is the best part of this concoction.

I would change a lot about this one if I could. I would add half vanilla ice cream so that it tasted more like a real banana split, not like a banana split made with banana flavored ice cream. I would also add more chocolate fudge and less cherry (after all, they are only the garnish).

Altogether, the flavor is just all right. Very faux fruity. I think the idea is pretty original - it’s the lazy man’s banana split! - but the execution is lacking. All things considered, I would take the extra time to make a real banana split before I would buy this flavor again. And I am extremely lazy, so that says a lot about this ice cream.

[On a side note, “One Split Wonder” is one of the Special Edition American Idol ice cream flavors that Edy's has out right now. The description makes it sound like it's the same flavor, just “slow churned” and “light.” Because it is the same brand, I am very curious as to whether it would taste much different than this one. Stay tuned...maybe that will be an upcoming review!]

Where Purchased: Kroger in So. Charleston, W.Va.
Cost: $5.49, $4.89 with Kroger card
Taste: 1.5
Flavor Originality: 3.5
Overall: 2.5