Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Heath Shell Topping Is A Fun, But Less Impressive Ice Cream Topping!


The Good: Does not taste bad, Easy to prepare
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Not incredibly toffee flavored
The Basics: An interesting variation on Magic Shell ice cream topping, Heath Shell Topping is underwhelming for toffee fans.


As I have started to write reviews of ice creams, it seems utterly unsurprising that I would take on the task of reviewing ice cream toppings. As I have recently introduced my amazing wife to the joys of Magic Shell ice cream toppings, it makes perfect sense that I should start this new division of reviews with a Magic Shell style ice cream topping. Tonight, that takes the form of Heath Shell Topping. This is a Hershey’s product, but otherwise seems to be a Magic Shell product.

Sadly, it is not a superlative one, though it is still fun.

Basics

The Heath Shell Topping is part of Hershey’s ice cream topping line and it works just like a Magic Shell ice cream topping. The 7 oz. bottle has a large flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream, whereupon it solidifies into a chocolate and toffee shell. This is a fun, clever idea, but the execution of it is not incredible. Fortunately, Hershey makes it easier to dispense this chunky ice cream topping by having a double-wide spout.

Ease Of Preparation

Shaking well is essential to Heath Shell Topping. I suspect that Magic Shell type products are like an epoxy that then reacts with the cold temperature of ice cream. One needs to shake the product up quite a bit, then dispense it by flipping the top and giving it about a minute to set on ice cream. It is that easy. It is equally important not to refrigerate the bottle of Heath Shell Topping.

Taste

For all of my ice cream topping reviews, I am utilizing Blue Bunny Chocolate Chip ice cream (reviewed here!) as it provides a neutral flavor base.

On its own, the Heath Shell Topping is exceedingly mild. In fact, the topping, straight out of the bottle tastes entirely like butter toffee, with no hint of the chocolate flavor. For the unlikely few who might want to squirt it from the bottle, expecting a chocolate flavoring will lead to disappointment; it is pure butter toffee flavor that comes from this topping!

Conversely, when used properly as a shell-style topping, the waxy coating that it becomes is thoroughly chocolatey. In fact, the toffee bits are virtually flavorless. The toffee bits add a texture to the topping that enhances the solid quality of the solid-wax-like confection, without fundamentally altering the flavor. It does, however, taste like a pleasantly robust milk chocolate. In fact, this topping tastes almost like a light dark chocolate as opposed to a simple milk chocolate. Given that it is supposed to be Heath Bar flavored, it is unforgivable that the best this product becomes is a chocolate-flavored topping.

Nutrition

Heath Shell Topping is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world. I was shocked that there was nothing unrecognizable in the Heath Shell Topping. The primary ingredients are sugar, palm oil and coconut oil. It is not vegan compliant as a result of dairy butter. Given its unimpressive flavor, I was shocked that it even possessed cocoa in it!

What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving (who measures this out, as opposed to squirting it on their ice cream?!) of Heath Shell Topping, there are 210 calories, seventeen of which are from fat. There are 11 grams of saturated fat, so one serving of this wipes out over half one’s ability to enjoy products with saturated fat for a day! While there is no cholesterol, a consumer gets 2% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! There is a little protein, but not enough to live off this. In other words, this product is not a nutritious food product.

This product contains soy and milk and is manufactured on the same equipment that processes peanuts.

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Heath Shell Topping in its bottle at room temperature, it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date almost a year away, one assumes it will last quite a while unopened. I was surprised, though, that one 7 oz. bottle yields only six servings, which makes it proportionately quite expensive.

Cleanup is very easy as a general rule. Before it freezes, it may easily be wiped up with a warm cloth. Because it is a chocolate base, this ice cream topping does stain. In dishes, it must be cracked off or scrubbed off with warm water prior to being placed in a dishwasher.

Overall

Heath Shell Topping is a fun ice cream topping, but hardly as substantive as a serious ice cream, chocolate, or toffee fan will want.

For other ice cream products, please visit my reviews of:
Cuisinart ICE-20 Ice Cream Maker
Edy's Peppermint Limited Edition Ice Cream
Breyers CarbSmart Vanilla

3.5/10

For other ice cream reviews, please visit my Ice Cream Review Index Page!

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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