The Good: Wonderful flavor, Great ingredients
The Bad: More expensive than other Gelatos and ice creams, Not terribly healthy, Chocolate pieces are not as good as the gelato
The Basics: Haagen-Dazs Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is impressive for its strong chocolate flavor for the gelato, but not its additive.
With Spring here, I've been pretty psyched about how ice creams and other frozen desserts are on sale. The latest one that I have found that I have gotten excited about is the Haagen-Dazs Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato. For those who might not follow my other reviews, I love dark chocolate. As a result, I was instantly drawn to the Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato. I was a little less excited about it when I tasted it and found myself underwhelmed by the chocolate pieces embedded in the the gelato. It was not a surprise to me that "chocolatey chips" have much less cocoa in them than the gelato itself.
Basics
Haagen-Dazs Gelato comes in a 14 oz. (almost) pint container. The Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is a smooth Gelato with chunks of chocolatey chips. Dark Chocolate Chip is mostly smooth with chunks in every two to three bites. This Gelato is basically the two flavors blending to strive for a full, true, dark chocolate frozen dessert flavor.
At (locally) $5.99 a pint, the Haagen-Dazs Gelato is an expensive frozen dairy dessert. This is one that actually lives up based on the strong chocolate flavor.
Ease Of Preparation
The Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is a simple Gelato with only one additive. As a Gelato, preparation is ridiculously simple: one need only open the top of the container, remove the safety seal from the top, scoop out a half cup and consume! There is no trick to preparing or eating the Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato!
Taste
Haagen-Dazs Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is surprisingly aromatic with a dark chocolate scent. The aroma is instantly recognizable to anyone who is a fan of dark chocolate. The scent is aromatic and inviting to anyone who loves dark chocolate and that is uncommon for anyone who loves frozen desserts.
As far as the taste, the Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is instantly emblematic of dark chocolate. The chocolate chunks in the Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is more of a soft, waxy texture as opposed to a powerfully dark chocolate flavor. The Gelato itself more than makes up for the unimpressive flavor of the additive in the Gelato. The Dark Chocolate flavor is potent, coming out as a dry dark chocolate, as opposed to a sweet lighter, milk chocolate. The Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is incredibly satisfying for those who love real chocolate flavor!
This Gelato has a slightly dry aftertaste to it.
Nutrition
The Haagen-Dazs Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is a comparatively dry Gelato with a waxy, obvious additive. The 14 oz. container represents three and a half half-cup servings. In the half-cup serving, there are 270 calories, 110 of which are from fat. The twelve grams of fat represent 18% of the RDA of fat, with 40% of one’s RDA of saturated fat coming in the 8 grams of saturated fat in this Gelato. One serving has 55 mg of cholesterol (that’s 18% of the RDA!) and 80 mg of Sodium (3% RDA). The only other real nutrients are five grams of protein, 10% of the RDA of Iron, 8% of the RDA of Calcium and 6% of the RDA of Vitamin A in the Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato.
Haagen-Dazs has decent ingredients, too. Made primarily of Skim milk, cream and sugar, Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is surprisingly natural! There is nothing unpronounceable in the ingredients list. The Dark Chocolate Chip Haagen-Dazs is not marked as gluten free. There are no allergy warnings on the package. It does, however, contain milk, soy and egg ingredients, so it is very much not Vegan compliant.
Storage/Clean-Up
Haagen-Dazs Gelato is both a frozen and a dairy product, so it is pretty obvious that it must be kept frozen in order to remain viable. Kept frozen it remains fresh for months (my pint had an expiration date of September 23, 2015).
The Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato is fairly dark and thick, but the chocolate chunks are waxy and will stain if they come closer to room temperature. As well, when the Gelato melts and gets onto fabrics, it will require one to wash it right out. On nonporous surfaces, the Gelato wipes off exceptionally easily.
Overall
The Haagen-Dazs Dark Chocolate Chip Gelato might not be overly healthy and the chocolate chips in it might not be the most incredible chocolate, but the flavor of the gelato is enough to justify the expense! It makes it worth picking up and trying, though only those who truly love dark chocolate will want to stock up on it.
For other Haagen-Dazs, be sure to visit my reviews of:
Stracciatella Gelato
Peanut Butter Pie Ice Cream
Blueberry Crumble Ice Cream
8/10
For other food reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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