Fun And Flavorful, Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping Works!

The Good: Inexpensive, Easy to use, Actually has both flavors
The Bad: Not overly nutritious, A bit waxy as opposed to chocolatey!
The Basics: Smucker's Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping actually manages to live up to its promised flavors pretty well to make a fun ice cream topping!


My local grocery store has some very cool clearance deals frequently, even when a product appears to be getting restocked there. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found all sorts of Smucker's Magic Shell ice cream toppings. While some of the flavors are hit or miss, I found myself very pleasantly surprised by the bottles I picked up of Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping. It was quite a shock to me that Magic Shell could actually produce a product that actually tasted like chocolate and pretzels, especially given that it had no pretzels in it!

Basics

The Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping is part of Smucker’s ice cream topping line and it worked exceptionally well. The 7.25 oz. bottle has a large flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream, whereupon it is supposed to solidify into a candy/frosting shell. This is a fun, clever idea, and the execution of the topping is well-done!

Ease Of Preparation

Shaking well is essential to Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping, and the two parts of the fluid mix very easily to make a single, smooth fluid. Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell is 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 and the Chocolate Pretzel flavor mixed its two parts very easily. This required about a full minute of full shaking before the two elements of it were mixed.

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 dark brown fluid actually tastes just like real milk chocolate. The fluid is surprisingly - and pleasantly - sweet and chocolatey. The pretzel flavor manifests very briefly when the ice cream topping is in its fluid state.

The Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell takes about thirty seconds to solidify. In its solid form, the pretzel flavor is fairly strong. The Magic Shell, when solid, has a somewhat more waxy flavor to it than a chocolatey one. The sweet and waxy flavor blends with the more salty and floury flavor of the pretzel flavoring to make a flavor that tastes quite a bit like a chocolate-covered pretzel.

Nutrition

Chocolate Pretzel Magic 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 Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping. The primary ingredients are sugar, sunflower oil, and coconut oil. It is not vegan compliant as a result of milk solids in it.

In each 2 Tb serving of Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping, there are 210 calories, one hundred forty of which are from fat. There are 7 grams of saturated fat, so one serving of this wipes out 37% of one's saturated fat for a day! There is no cholesterol, but a consumer gets 1% 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.

Storage/Cleanup

When one leaves the Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping in its bottle at room temperature, it is usable and shaking ours up worked well to mix it. Our bottle had an expiration date of June 2, 2019 and I imagine it would have kept at least until then, had we not already enjoyed it.

This is a very dark – as is appropriate for chocolate – fluid, so it will stain anything light! Cleanup is easy with very hot water, but anything less is liable to leave a fabric stained.

Overall

Chocolate Pretzel Magic Shell Topping is fun and (mostly) lives up to its promised flavors, which is nice for a Magic Shell product!

For other Smucker's products, please visit my reviews of:
Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping
Root Beer Magic Shell
Heath Bar Magic Shell

5.5/10

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

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup Lives Up To Its Potential!

The Good: Good chocolate flavor, Easy to prepare, Affordable
The Bad: Weak finishing flavor on its own
The Basics: Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup might be the best baseline chocolate syrup I have tried as it provides pure and true chocolate flavor, even if it does not overwhelm with the strongest cocoa.


Today, I’m not feeling particularly well and, after sleeping much of the day, my wife has been pampering me. It seems like everything she has brought me today – coffee, ice cream, etc. – has been delightfully chocolate-covered. Today’s accent piece has been Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup . . . and it is good!

Basics

The Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup is part of Hershey’s ice cream topping line and it works just like a chocolate syrup and it makes a better glass of chocolate milk than the standard Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Syrup. The 22 oz. bottle has a flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream. This doesn’t solidify, but it is one of the sundae syrups that does not run when placed on ice cream.

Ease Of Preparation

One need not even shake the Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup. Simply remove the safety seal, flip open the cap and squeeze out the Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup. There is no trick to using this sundae syrup.

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 Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup smells incredible, like a true dark chocolate bar. The scent is bold and inviting for anyone who loves dark chocolate. The flavor is just a touch more watery than the aroma implies. The syrup is chocolatey and its sweetness is definitely sublimated to its cocoa flavor. Still, as the flavor finishes, it tastes more like water than a bold, cocoa kick, which was somewhat surprising.

On ice cream, the Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup somehow manages to eliminate its mild finishing flavor! Every ice cream I’ve tried the Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup on has suddenly tasted like it was coated in pure, dark chocolate. The flavor is strong, finishes with a dark chocolate aftertaste with just a hint of dryness and it is thoroughly delightful for anyone who loves dark chocolate.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was how Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup accents coffee. I like dark, flavorful coffees and my wife recently picked us up a milk frother. Accenting the tops of strong, frothy coffees she delivers to me while I’m working have been various syrups. The only one so far to get me to stop what I was doing and ask her, “What is that?” as the Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup. The dark flavor is that bold and pleasant. When a chocolate syrup’s flavor can hold its own against very dark coffee and accent it in a way that pleases, it is a worthwhile syrup to me!

Nutrition

Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious thing. I was not surprised (having reviewed other Hershey’s products) that there was nothing unrecognizable in the Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup. The primary ingredients are high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and water. None of the ingredients insinuate that this is not vegan compliant and there are no allergy warnings on the bottle.

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 Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup, there are 100 calories, none of which come from fat! As a fat free product, it is easy to enjoy this quite a bit without guilt! While there is no fat and no cholesterol, a consumer gets 1% 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. The only other nutrient is 4% of the RDA of Iron. This is not a bad-for-you product!

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup in its bottle, refrigerated after being opened, it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date over a year away, one assumes it will last quite a while unopened. I was surprised, though, that one 22 oz. bottle yields only sixteen servings, but it does seem to stretch.

Cleanup is very easy as a general rule as it may easily be wiped up with a warm cloth. Because it is a chocolate base, this ice cream topping does stain. On dishes, it washes off very easily.

Overall

Hershey’s Special Dark Syrup is an affordable, easy-to-use chocolate syrup that might well be the best, basic chocolate flavor chocolate syrup on the market at affordable prices. I was impressed most by how this chocolate syrup accents mild-flavored ice creams, milk, and coffee, though it is less impressive on its own.

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce
Smuckers Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping
Root Beer Magic Shell

7.5/10

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

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Surprise Of Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce!

The Good: Great flavor, Easy to use, No bad ingredients in it
The Bad: Expensive
The Basics: Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce is a wonderful chocolate sauce to augment coffees, ice creams and even milk!


Every now and then when I am out, I find something that I had never even imagine existed before. While on my vacation with my wife, I discovered that Torani, the company that makes a ton of amazing syrups for coffees that my wife and I love, now makes thicker sauces to augment the foamed milk for coffees, lattes and cappuccinos. We started our buying and sampling off with the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce. This is a Torani sauce that is a great change from Torani syrups and it augments all sorts of products – from ice cream to coffee to making a pretty potent and wonderful chocolate milk that is actually dark chocolate flavored!

Basics

The Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce is part of Tornai’s new topping line and it works just like a chocolate syrup. The 16.5 oz. bottle has a flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream or drizzle onto coffee drinks that use a foamed milk!

Ease Of Preparation

One need not even shake the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce. Simply remove the safety seal, flip open the cap and squeeze out the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce. There is no trick to using this topping sauce.

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 Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce smells powerfully of dark chocolate. The rich cocoa aroma is strong and obvious. The scent is distinctive and instantly recognizable to anyone who loves dark chocolate in any form. On the tongue, the Dark Chocolate sauce tastes exactly like it is supposed to. The flavor is dry and chocolatey, the perfect embodiment of dark chocolate, with a sweet finish to it that makes it delightfully accessible to those who are used to milk chocolate.

On ice cream, the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce seems to lose its inherent sweetness. The result is that it augments any flavor of ice cream it is placed on with an almost overwhelming chocolate flavor, without overly sweetening it. This makes for a delightful accent that retains a true dark chocolate flavor!

In coffee and lattes, the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce acts as a good accent flavor. It is enough to lightly flavor coffee and it holds its own with coffee without dominating the palate.

The Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce leaves a fairly sweet aftertaste in the mouth for about ten minutes after one is done consuming it.

Nutrition

Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world. I was shocked that there was nothing unrecognizable in the ingredients for the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce. The primary ingredients are sugar, water, and cooca. None of the ingredients insinuate that this is not vegan compliant and there are no allergy warnings on the bottle.

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 Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce, there are 100 calories, five of which come from fat! There are only .5 grams of fat and no cholesterol and consumers get only 1% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! There is a single gram of protein, which is nice, but not enough to live off. This is not a truly bad-for-you product!

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce in its bottle, it does not need to be refrigerated after being opened, it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date on our bottle that we bought two months ago was July 5, 2015, one assumes it will last quite a while unopened. My wife and I managed to get well more than twelve servings out of the bottle!

Cleanup is very easy as a general rule as it may easily be wiped up with a warm cloth. Because it is a chocolate base, this ice cream topping does stain. On dishes, it washes off very easily.

Overall

Torani Dark Chocolate Sauce is a wonderful way to augment any number of products, which continues the great reputation Torani possesses.

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Smuckers Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping
Root Beer Magic Shell
Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topping

8/10

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

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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You’d Never Guess It Was Low Calorie! Smucker’s Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping Succeeds!

The Good: Flavorful, Inexpensive, Great taste, Surprisingly not terribly unhealthy
The Bad: Serving size is unrealistically low, Less easy to use than most dessert toppings
The Basics: Well worth stocking up on for anyone on a low calorie diet, Smucker’s Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping is robbed of perfection by its usability issues.


My wife and I have both been working hard to lower our caloric intake lately. She’s trying to lose some weight for health reasons and I am still struggling to burn off last year’s winter tummy. Still unwilling to give up ice cream, I picked up Smucker’s Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping to have a lower calorie option when it comes to topping my healthy ice creams!

And, as it turns out, the Sugar Free Caramel is one of the best low-calorie, sugar free, diet products I have yet tried! In fact, were it not for how hard it is to use this product, it might have been a perfect topping by my standards.

Basics

The Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping is part of Smucker’s ice cream topping line and it worked exceptionally well, largely because it is fairly simple and direct product which makes no promises other than that it will enhance the flavor of one’s ice cream. And it does that quite well. The 11.75 oz. glss jar has a large opening under its screw-off lid which allows one to stick a spoon in to easily dispense the topping. Unlike Smucker’s famous Magic Shell, the Dessert Topping is just that, a fluid one uses to further sweeten ice cream and it is delightful for that; it does not harden on the ice cream.

Ease Of Preparation

Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping is a bit annoying to use. It must be heated to properly be dispensed (otherwise it comes out in pretty massive clumps and does not spread at all). Unfortunately, it cannot be microwaved to heat up. As a result, one must run the jar under very hot water, let it sit heating up for three minutes, drain the sink (or bowl) the jar is set in, stir it up, reheat the water and resubmerge the jar. I usually have to do this for half an hour before it is actually spreadable! That’s a lot of work for something that then forces one to eat their ice cream faster!

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.

Opening the jar after it has been heated, the Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping smells just like a candle. It is warm, sweet, and buttery in the nose and it is oh so inviting!

On its own, the golden topping tastes sugary and buttery; a perfect representation of caramel. The Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping is sweet and as it lingers on the tongue, it takes on a slightly fruity flavor in addition to the caramel flavor, much like the way clover honey takes on a slightly enhanced flavor in honey.

On ice cream, the Sugar Free Caramel completely holds its own against ice cream. In addition to instantly overpowering weak or bland ice creams with its sweet, delightful taste, on more substantial flavors – and on bland flavors as they melt – the Sugar Free Caramel Topping spreads, taking on a creamy flavor that only enhances the sweet, buttery nature of its primary flavor.

The Sugar Free Caramel dessert topping leaves a very slight sweet and fruity aftertaste on the tongue. The aftertaste is not unpleasant and last only about two minutes after the last of it is consumed.

Nutrition

Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world, but this Dessert Topping is not really unhealthy. The primary ingredients are maltodextrin, water, and maltitol syrup. It is not vegan compliant as a result of nonfat milk being present in the ingredients list.

What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving of Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping, there are 90 calories, none of which are from fat! This is a truly fat free product, which was a pleasant surprise! There is no cholesterol, but a consumer gets 3% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! There is also no protein, so this is not something to try living off of. In other words, this product is not a nutritious food product, though it is not really detrimental in any ways, either!

Storage/Cleanup

Once open, the Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping must be refrigerated. Our jar has an expiration date of May 2, 2014 and I imagine it will keep at least until then.

This is a very light colored butter-like topping, which is very thick, so it will only stain anything that is light colored or that it gets ground into! Cleanup is easy with very hot water, but whites that get this golden substance on them will stain!

Overall

Smucker’s Sugar Free Caramel Dessert Topping is wonderful and a great way to positively reinforce achieving dieting goals with a treat that is likely to stay within one’s dieting parameters. Good enough to pass for fully sugared, the Sugar Free Caramel topping is worth trying!

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Root Beer Magic Shell Topping
Smucker's Butterscotch Sundae Syrup
A&W Root Beer Dessert Topping

8/10

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

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Hitting Only On The Aftertaste: Root Beer Magic Shell Is Only Okay.

The Good: It does not taste bad, Good scent, Good aftertaste
The Bad: Expensive, Does not taste like Root Beer for the majority of the time it is on one’s tongue.
The Basics: The newer Magic Shell Root Beer Magic Shell Topping only manages to be worth trying from its incredible aftertaste.


I have a mixed history with Magic Shell ice cream toppings. I loved them as a child, but as an adult, I am discovering my flavor palate is a bit more complicated and Magic Shell seldom lives up the way I would hope (for memories sake). Now, though, it seems like Smucker’s is getting a bit ambitious or greedy and releasing flavors that would be tough to live up to in an honest way. Earlier this year, they released Pink Lemonade flavored Magic Shell (I’m still not sure for whom that was intended) and now they have Root Beer Magic Shell.

Intended, I suppose, for people who want a root beer float without the mess of root beer, the Root Beer Magic Shell nearly misses its claimed flavor. Fortunately, Smucker’s ultimately pulls it off. Regardless of the flavor of ice cream, the Root Beer Magic Shell ice cream topping tastes plastic until the final moments on the tongue when it suddenly explodes with the desired flavor!

Basics

The Root Beer Magic Shell Topping is part of Smucker’s ice cream topping line and it worked just like any other Magic Shell ice cream topping. The 7.25 oz. bottle has a large flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream, whereupon it solidifies into a candy/frosting shell. This is a fun, clever idea and it works after only about a minute worth of shaking it up.

Ease Of Preparation

Shaking well is essential to Root Beer Magic Shell Topping. Root Beer Magic Shell is 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. The Magic Shell forms a fairly solid candy shield on the ice cream. It is dark brown and no matter how long I shook mine, there were still tiny chunks in it.

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.

To its credit, this dark brown fluid smells very much like it is supposed to. There is a light smell of Root Beer that emanates from the bottle the moment it is open. It is not the strongest scent, but it is present.

On the tongue, the Root Beer Magic Shell is sweet and waxy. In fact, the waxy flavor is so strong that it almost condemns the Magic Shell to a disappointed rating and “not recommend.”

But then, after ten seconds, the root beer flavor hits. Just before one swallows, the Root Beer Magic shell explodes with a true, strong and instantly recognizable flavor of flat root beer.

Nutrition

Root Beer Magic 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 Root Beer Magic Shell Topping. The primary ingredients are sugar, sunflower oil, and coconut oil. It is not vegan compliant as a result of milk solids in it.

What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving of Root Beer Magic Shell Topping, there are 230 calories, one hundred sixty of which are from fat. There are 8 grams of saturated fat, so one serving of this wipes out almost half one’s ability to enjoy products with saturated fat for a day! There are less than 5 mg cholesterol and 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.

Storage/Cleanup

When one leaves the Root Beer Magic Shell Topping in its bottle at room temperature, it is easy to use and keep fresh. The bottle of Root Beer Magic Shell we bought last week had an expiration date of January 16, 2015. Given that one 7.25 oz. bottle does not yield anything incredibly flavorful, it might be more appreciated by those who can buy it on clearance.

Overall

Root Beer Magic Shell Topping was a wonderful and fun idea, but Smucker’s did not quite get it right, making it hard to recommend. That said, the last seconds of this magic shell make it worth trying at least once.

For other Magic Shell ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Pink Lemonade Magic Shell
Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell
Smucker’s Cupcake Magic Shell
Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping

4.5/10

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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The Half-Life Of Fad Food Is Exemplified By Pink Lemonade Magic Shell!

The Good: It does not taste bad, Good scent
The Bad: Expensive, Does not taste like pink lemonade.
The Basics: A new and soon-to-be-discontinued flavor of Magic Shell Pink Lemonade Magic Shell Topping is disappointing.


Whenever a new product comes out, I look at it like both a consumer and a reviewer. As a consumer, I look at all sorts of new products and I think “that’s exciting!” As a reviewer, I seem to look at all new products I encounter when they are introduced to market and evaluate its potential for survival in its given market. There are so many crowded markets in the area of food and it seems like every company is obsessed with putting out new products instead of keeping quality of the existing product lines high and promoting the strength of their familiar products. I actually like the companies that unabashedly admit that their new products will not be around long by calling them “limited edition.” But then there are the new products that I look at upon their release and just smile to myself and say “There is no way in hell this product will survive in the marketplace.”

That was the exact reaction I had in April when I saw the Pink Lemonade Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping in my local supermarket. So, in late June when the Pink Lemonade Magic Shell ice cream topping ended up on that same store’s clearance rack, I felt vindicated. I’m not sure who the intended niche was for the Pink Lemonade Magic Shell, but it seemed like an esoteric concept.

As it is, what little flavor the Pink Lemonade Magic Shell has is only not overwhelmed by the lightest of ice creams. A good, dark chocolate ice cream thoroughly overpowers this topping.

Basics

The Pink Lemonade Magic Shell Topping is part of Smucker’s ice cream topping line and it worked just like any other Magic Shell ice cream topping. The 7.25 oz. bottle has a large flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream, whereupon it solidifies into a candy/frosting shell. This is a fun, clever idea and it works after only about a minute worth of shaking it up.

Ease Of Preparation

Shaking well is essential to Pink Lemonade Magic Shell Topping. Pink Lemonade Magic Shell is 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. The Magic Shell forms a fairly solid candy shield on the ice cream. It is bright pink and it looks good.

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.

To its credit, this bright pink fluid smells incredibly like lemonade (pink or otherwise). The fruity scent is strong and surprisingly inviting.

On the tongue, the Pink Lemonade Magic Shell is sweet and has a very faint tartness to the aftertaste that is reminiscent of a fruity frosting more than lemonade. In fact, this tastes like a diluted version of a Betty Crocker canned frosting. It does not taste bad, but it is more of a generically sweet and slightly dry flavor than it is anything like lemonade. The somewhat waxy nature of the shell further dulls the hint of citrus zest in the Pink Lemonade Magic Shell.

While the aftertaste is generally as generically sweet as the Pink Lemonade Magic Shell itself, the Pink Lemonade Magic shell did have a few bites that produces a somewhat fruity aftertaste that almost made me rethink the flavor. Sadly, next bite always returned my opinion to the original one.

Nutrition

Pink Lemonade Magic 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 Pink Lemonade Magic Shell Topping. The primary ingredients are sugar, sunflower oil, and coconut oil. It is not vegan compliant as a result of milk solids in it.

What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving of Pink Lemonade Magic Shell Topping, there are 230 calories, one hundred sixty of which are from fat. There are 8 grams of saturated fat, so one serving of this wipes out almost half one’s ability to enjoy products with saturated fat for a day! There are less than 5 mg cholesterol and 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.

Storage/Cleanup

When one leaves the Pink Lemonade Magic Shell Topping in its bottle at room temperature, it is easy to use and keep fresh. The bottle of Pink Lemonade Magic Shell we bought was not expiring until late November, so finding it on clearance now had more to do with its lack of popularity than a freshness issue. Given that one 7.25 oz. bottle does not yield anything incredibly flavorful, it was only worth buying on clearance.

Overall

Pink Lemonade Magic Shell Topping was an intriguing concept, but is poorly executed, making it utterly unsurprising that it did not survive long in the marketplace and is already on clearance.

For other Magic Shell ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell
Smucker’s Cupcake Magic Shell
Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping

2/10

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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Unimpressive Expansion, Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topping Does Not Live Up To Its Potential!

The Good: Does not taste bad, Easy to prepare.
The Bad: Exceptionally weak flavor; virtually flavorless (especially on its own)!
The Basics: Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper is unfortunately unimpressive, not living up to the high standards of the company or flavor whose name it bears.


As a reviewer, I have developed some relationships with a few companies. With most of them, the relationships are exceptionally brief; one negative review of a product and usually the goodies stop flowing from a company. The only company that I’ve had a relationship with where that was not true is the Jelly Belly Candy Company. The fine folks at Jelly Belly seem to know that not every one of their products is going to appeal to every single consumer (so when a product does not hit with a reviewer like me, they know that there is a consumer that is still enamored with it) and that they are creating a premium product (so my kvetching about price occasionally actually reinforces their market strategy that they are not trying to compete against every generically sugary jelly bean; they are aiming for consumers with taste and a more sophisticated palate). So, in my time as a reviewer, the only food company I’ve maintained a relationship with is Jelly Belly. I love their products and I enjoy trying their new products and reviewing them almost the moment they hit the market, thanks to having that relationship.

Having a love for all things Jelly Belly, I was pretty excited when the company created dessert topping (ice cream toppings) based on some of their most popular flavors. In fact, it is almost surprising that it took me so long to get my hands on and review one of the dessert toppings! I started my explorations of the Jelly Belly dessert toppings with Very Cherry. As the name suggests, this flavor of dessert topping is based upon the Very Cherry Jelly Belly jelly beans (reviewed here!). Unfortunately, its flavor is nowhere near as potent or distinctive.

Basics

The Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper is part of Vita Specialty Food’s topping line and it works just like a chocolate syrup, though it does not blend with milk to make a beverage. The 12 oz. bottle has a flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream. This doesn’t solidify and it is thinner than most dessert toppings I have tried, so it runs quite a bit when placed on ice cream!

Ease Of Preparation

One need not even shake the Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper. Simply remove the safety seal, flip open the cap and squeeze out the Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper. There is no trick to using this dessert 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 Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper smells powerfully of sweet cherries, which is actually very potent and inviting. It smells just like Very Cherry Jelly Belly jelly beans taste. The aroma is very true to the flavor of Very Cherry Jelly Belly jelly beans. On its own, the Very Cherry dessert topping tastes generically sweet. The cherry (or any fruit) flavor only comes into the flavor as the fluid leaves the tongue. For the bulk of the time the Very Cherry dessert topping is on the tongue, it is flavorless, but sweet.

On ice cream, the Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper is weakly cherry flavored. The cold seems to bring out the fruit flavor, though it is much more like the memory of black cherries than the vibrant taste of Very Cherry Jelly Belly jelly beans. And while the flavor might hold its own against a simple light vanilla-based ice cream, anything stronger completely overwhelms this dessert topping and makes it taste blandly, generically sweet as opposed to like what it is supposed to.

This dessert topping only has an aftertaste when it is on ice cream and the aftertaste is sweet and vaguely like cherries. The aftertaste lingers on the tongue for about five minutes.

Nutrition

Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world. I was shocked that there was nothing really unrecognizable in the Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper. The primary ingredients are corn syrup, water and sugar. None of the ingredients insinuate that this is not vegan compliant and there are no allergy warnings on the bottle.

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 Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper, there are 150 calories, none of which come from fat! As a fat free product, it is easy to enjoy this quite a bit without guilt! While there is no fat and no cholesterol, a consumer gets 1% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! Instead of being a nutritionally bad product, this really just contributes nothing to one’s diet, save sugars.

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper in its bottle, (it does not need to be refrigerated after being opened), it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date several months away, one assumes it will last quite a while unopened. I was surprised, though, that one 12 oz. bottle yields only nine servings, but it does seem to stretch.

Cleanup is very easy as a general rule as it may easily be wiped up with a warm cloth. Because it is a sticky and syrupy product that is mostly light, this ice cream topping does stain. On dishes, it washes off very easily.

Overall

Jelly Belly Very Cherry Dessert Topper is not bad, but it does not add the promised flavor to ice cream in a way that is distinctive enough to justify itself. It is a creative idea, but the execution of the Very Cherry is far more likely to underwhelm than it is to impress.

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping
York Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Sundae Syrup
Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topping

2.5/10

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

© 2013 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Float Without The Fluid: A&W Root Beer Float Ice Cream Topper Is All Right!

The Good: Good taste, Easy to prepare, Great no mess cap!
The Bad: Not the strongest flavor when applied to ice cream
The Basics: A&W Root Beer Float Topper is flavorful and accurate for what it is trying to be, but not as potent when on ice cream as I would like.


When it comes to ice cream toppings, I am discovering quite rapidly that there are any number of good ice cream toppings that just do not hold their own (flavorwise) against ice cream itself. One of the latest ice cream toppings to suffer this defect – though in a far less extreme form than the Dr. Pepper dessert topper from the same brand – was the A&W Root Beer Float dessert topper. It is good . . . but the flavor could be stronger and better when it is placed on ice cream.

Basics

The A&W Root Beer Float Topper is part of Vita Specialty Food’s topping line and it works just like a chocolate syrup (or actual soda syrup!), though it does not blend with milk to make a beverage. The 14 oz. bottle has a flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream. This doesn’t solidify, but it is one of the sundae syrups that does not run when placed on ice cream. Very nicely, this comes with a no-mess cap that actually does prevent the fluid from leaking out in any way to leave any residue on the lid. This makes this a waste-free topping experience!

Ease Of Preparation

One need not even shake the A&W Root Beer Float Topper. Simply remove the safety seal, flip open the cap and squeeze out the A&W Root Beer Float Topper. There is no trick to using this dessert 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 A&W Root Beer Float Topper smells fascinating, like a blend of chocolate and root beer. I was surprised by this as I figured there would be just the scent of root beer, but there is a slight underscent of cocoa! On the tongue, this dessert topper tastes like a blend of syrup (like breakfast, maple, syrup) and root beer. The combination is sweet and delightful and it tastes exactly like It is supposed to. It leaves only a slightly sweet aftertaste in the mouth.

On ice cream, the A&W Root Beer Float Topper has the dry, robust flavor of root beer for about thirty seconds. However, after about two bites of ice cream topped with this topping, I found that it began to change into a generically sweet syrup that began to taste like diluted root beer, so that by the time I was done with the bowl of ice cream, it tasted about 1/3 as strong as it initially did and I was, in the end, somewhat underwhelmed.

Nutrition

A&W Root Beer Float Topper is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world. I was shocked that there was nothing really unrecognizable in the A&W Root Beer Float Topper. The primary ingredients are corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and water. None of the ingredients insinuate that this is not vegan compliant and there are no allergy warnings on the bottle.

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 A&W Root Beer Float Topper, there are 130 calories, none of which come from fat! As a fat free product, it is easy to enjoy this quite a bit without guilt! While there is no fat and no cholesterol, a consumer gets 2% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! Instead of being a nutritionally bad product, this really just contributes nothing to one’s diet, save sugars.

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the A&W Root Beer Float Topper in its bottle, (it does not need to be refrigerated after being opened), it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date of October 27, 2013, one assumes it will last quite a while unopened. I was surprised, though, that one 14 oz. bottle yields only nine servings – I think that is unrealistically high because many consumer will want to squirt more of this onto their ice cream to continue to enhance the flavor of their ice cream.

Cleanup is very easy as a general rule as it may easily be wiped up with a warm cloth. Because it is a sticky and syrupy product that is mostly dark, this ice cream topping does stain. On dishes, it washes off very easily.

Overall

The A&W Root Beer Float Dessert Topper is good, but lacks and enduring potency to the flavor to recommend it more enthusiastically.

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Smucker’s Butterscotch Sundae Syrup
Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping
Cupcake Magic Shell Topping
Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping
York Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Sundae Syrup
Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topping

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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Sweet And Delightful, Smucker’s Buttercotch Sundae Syrup Turns Mundane Ice Cream Extraordinary!

The Good: Flavorful, Inexpensive, Easy to use, Surprisingly not terribly unhealthy
The Bad: Serving size is unrealistically low!
The Basics: It’s a rare thing for me to enjoy something quite a bit, so much so that I just want more, but Smucker’s Butterscotch Sundae Syrup for ice cream is just that good!


Smucker’s seems to be benefitting (at least lately) from my attention with my monthly experiments in ice cream toppings. I love ice cream and my wife and I not splurge once a month on two ice cream toppings for our enjoyment, personal growth, and for my reviewing. Lately, it seems like the ones we are most excited to try each month come from Smucker’s! Easily one of the best we have tried is the gimmick-free Butterscotch Sundae Syrup!

Basics

The Butterscotch Sundae Syrup is part of Smucker’s ice cream topping line and it worked exceptionally well, largely because it is an exceptionally simple product which makes no promises other than that it will enhance the flavor of one’s ice cream. And it does that (exceptionally well). The 20 oz. bottle has a large flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream, where it just sits, sweetening ice cream. Unlike Smucker’s famous Magic Shell, the Sundae Syrup is just that, a fluid one uses to further sweeten ice cream and it is delightful for that.

Ease Of Preparation

Butterscotch Sundae Syrup is absolutely simple to use. It is a syrup, not a Magic Shell, so one need only remove the safety seal, then dispense it by flipping the top and squeezing it out onto one’s ice cream. Presto, you’re done!

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 golden fluid actually tastes precisely like it is supposed to. The Butterscotch Sundae Syrup is sweet and buttery, the perfect embodiment of butterscotch flavor. Even better, this flavor is identical on its own and atop the ice cream; placing it on ice cream does not change how it tastes. The flavor is potent and undeniably sweet and it leaves the tongue with a buttery taste for about a minute after it is consumed. Butterscotch is one of those flavors that defines itself and this is a perfect embodiment of that flavor.

Nutrition

Butterscotch Sundae Syrup is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world, but this Sundae Syrup is not really unhealthy. The primary ingredients are corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and nonfat milk fructose. It is not vegan compliant as a result of milk solids in it.

What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving of Butterscotch Sundae Syrup, there are 100 calories, none of which are from fat! This is a truly fat free product, which was a pleasant surprise! There is no cholesterol, but a consumer gets 5% 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, though it could be far, far worse!

Storage/Cleanup

Once open, the Butterscotch Sundae Syrup must be refrigerated. Our bottle had an expiration date of October 14, 2014 and I imagine it will keep at least until then. . . if we could stop ourselves from eating it up before then!

This is a very light fluid, so it will only stain anything that is light colored! Cleanup is easy with very hot water, but whites that get this golden fluid on them will stain!

Overall

Smucker’s Butterscotch Sundae Syrup is great, but the 2 Tb. serving size is unrealistically small. I defy anyone looking to add their sweet syrup to ice cream to limit themselves to that ridiculously low quantity. But, given that its only real fault is that I want more when I have some, it is impossible to complain about this ice cream topping!

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping
Cupcake Magic Shell Topping
Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping
York Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Sundae Syrup
Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topping

10/10

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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A Huge Step Up, Smucker’s Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Is A Fun Way To Augment Ice Cream!

The Good: Flavorful, Inexpensive, Easy to use,
The Bad: Not overly nutritious
The Basics: My wife and I are glad we gave Smucker’s a second chance with their Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping for ice cream because it is quite delicious!


It is a rare thing that I give a brand a second chance when I have a lousy first experience with the product. And yet, with Smucker’s, who made the Cupcake Magic Shell Topping (reviewed here!), which I was not at all fond of, we wanted to. So, we picked up their Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping. Fortunately, it was pretty wonderful!

Basics

The Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping is part of Smucker’s ice cream topping line and it worked exceptionally well. The 7.25 oz. bottle has a large flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream, whereupon it is supposed to solidify into a candy/frosting shell. This is a fun, clever idea, and the execution of the topping is well-done!

Ease Of Preparation

Shaking well is essential to Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping, and the two parts of the fluid mix very easily to make a single, smooth fluid. Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell proved to me that the product is 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 and the Chocolate Fudge flavor mixed its two parts very easily. It only took about five shakes of the bottle to mix the fluids inside and as long as one does not refrigerate it, it remains viable!

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 dark brown fluid actually tastes just like chocolate fudge, like it is supposed to. However, it is a little sweeter than one might otherwise expect.

The Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell takes about thirty seconds to solidify. In its solid form, the sweetness is cut quite a bit. The chocolate fudge flavor is thick and dry, though there is a slight waxy aftertaste to it. While it might not be the darkest chocolate flavor, the chocolate fudge embodies exactly what one expects from the flavor; it almost tastes like a liquefied brownie poured onto ice cream!

Nutrition

Chocolate Fudge Magic 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 Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping. The primary ingredients are sugar, sunflower oil, and coconut oil. It is not vegan compliant as a result of milk solids in it.

What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving of Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping, there are 210 calories, one hundred forty of which are from fat. There are 7 grams of saturated fat, so one serving of this wipes out almost half one’s ability to enjoy products with saturated fat for a day! There is no cholesterol, but 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.

Storage/Cleanup

When one leaves the Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping in its bottle at room temperature, it is usable and shaking ours up worked well to mix it. Our bottle had an expiration date in September 2014 and I imagine it would have kept at least until then, had we not already enjoyed it.

This is a very dark – as is appropriate for chocolate – fluid, so it will stain anything light! Cleanup is easy with very hot water, but anything less is liable to leave a fabric stained.

Overall

Chocolate Fudge Magic Shell Topping is a great way to make a mediocre ice cream into a flavorful, delightful dessert!

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping
York Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Sundae Syrup
Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topping

7/10

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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Flavorless Epoxy: Smucker’s Cupcake Magic Shell Is Worthless!

The Good: None that I can find
The Bad: Expensive, Lousy taste, Separates even when shaken up vigorously
The Basics: After much anticipation, Cupcake Magic Shell Topping is an utter disappointment.


As my wife and I have now begun to treat ourselves to one ice cream topping a month, we have gotten into the habit of delaying our gratification some. After all, there are a ton of wonderful ice cream toppings out on the market, so at only two per month, we frequently see one that we have to put off until the next month before we pick it up at the store. That is what happened with the Cupcake Magic Shell Topping. After waiting a month after first seeing it, we finally picked some of this Magic Shell up . . . and ended up exceptionally disappointed.

Basics

The Cupcake Magic Shell Topping is part of Smucker’s ice cream topping line and if it worked, I am sure it would have worked just like any other Magic Shell ice cream topping. The 7.25 oz. bottle has a large flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream, whereupon it is supposed to solidify into a candy/frosting shell. This is a fun, clever idea, but the execution of it in this case is an utter failure; it remained separated even after ten minutes of vigorous shaking!

Ease Of Preparation

Shaking well is essential to Cupcake Magic Shell Topping, but even then the two parts of the fluid did not mix. Cupcake Magic Shell proved to me that the product is 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 should be that easy, but the Cupcake flavor never mixed its two parts. As a result, when we tried to dispense it, a thin, white, semen-like fluid was dispensed onto our ice cream and a hard block of opaque white and sprinkle-filled material remained in the bottle. The only way we could get it out was by cutting open the bottle! Even when we were sure not to refrigerate the bottle of Cupcake Magic Shell Topping, shook it for ten minutes and ran the bottle under hot water for several minutes, this fluid’s two components did not mix.

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 clear fluid that we could dispense was virtually flavorless. The generically, slightly sweet fluid was completely overwhelmed by the flavor of our almost flavorless ice cream. As for the block of crud left in the bottle, it was hard, dry, and surprisingly salty-flavored. It tasted liked the baked remnants of frosting. It was inedible and gross.

Nutrition

Cupcake Magic 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 Cupcake Magic Shell Topping. The primary ingredients are sugar, coconut oil, and sunflower oil. It is not vegan compliant as a result of milk solids in it.

What is not a mystery is how high this product is in sugars. In each 2 Tb serving of Cupcake Magic Shell Topping, there are 220 calories, one hundred fifty of which are from fat. There are 8 grams of saturated fat, so one serving of this wipes out almost half one’s ability to enjoy products with saturated fat for a day! There are 5 mg cholesterol and 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.

Storage/Cleanup

Even when one leaves the Cupcake Magic Shell Topping in its bottle at room temperature, it is unusable. While our bottle had an expiration date only a month away, the formula appears too unstable to actually work properly. Given that one 7.25 oz. bottle does not yield a single usable serving, it is basically throwing one’s money away to purchase it.

Overall

Cupcake Magic Shell Topping should have been an incredible taste experience, but it turned into an outright dud that was exceptionally disappointing.

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping
York Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Sundae Syrup
Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topping

0/10

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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Exceptionally Accurate: Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping For Ice Cream Satisfies!

The Good: Wonderful taste, Easy to prepare, Fairly inexpensive
The Bad: Never gets entirely hard, Not at all healthy
The Basics: A pleasant surprise, Reese’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream Topping lives up on most fronts!


Sometimes, it is not until I am actually using a product that I look closely enough at it to see what I missed in the grocery store when I bought it. In the case of Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping for ice cream, given that others from the brand in the same area on the shelf were “Magic Shell” style ice cream toppings, I was very surprised when the Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping was not. I suspect that it is supposed to be a shell-type topping, given the way it does firm up some when placed on ice cream, but because it is made of real peanuts, it is unable to actually fully solidify. As a result, Hershey just markets this as an ice cream topping, as opposed to a shell ice cream topping and they are right to do so. Fortunately, this is an absolutely delicious ice cream topping for anyone who loves creamy peanut butter!

Basics

The Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping is part of Hershey’s ice cream topping line and it works similar to a Magic Shell ice cream topping, though it does not get as hard. The 7 oz. bottle has a flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream.

Ease Of Preparation

Shaking well is essential to Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping. 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 does not become solid, though it does firm up. It is that easy. It is equally important not to refrigerate the bottle of Reese’s Peanut Butter 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 Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping smells perfectly like roasted peanuts. It is an ideal embodiment of peanut butter scent , the topping is very inviting to those who love peanut butter. Out of the bottle, this ice cream topping is very salty and accurate to the flavor of peanut butter.

On ice cream, the saltiness dissipates quickly and what one is left with is a perfect embodiment of the flavor of creamy peanut butter! This flavor is like eating liquid peanuts, it is so true to the flavor of peanuts (even more than the flavor of peanut butter!). It has a slightly dry aftertaste, which is easily cut by the flavor of most ice creams. This topping overwhelms the flavor of weaker ice creams and is a compliment to ice creams – like plain chocolate – that have a more robust initial flavoring.

Nutrition

Reese’s Peanut Butter 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 Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping. The primary ingredients are peanuts, peanut oil and sugar. It seems to be vegan compliant, but is not marked as Kosher or gluten free.

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 Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping, there are 190 calories, sixteen of which are from fat. There are 2.5 grams of saturated fat, so one serving of this accounts for 13% of one’s saturated fat for a day! While there is no cholesterol, a consumer gets a whopping 8% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! There are also 6 grams of protein, but not enough to live off this. In other words, this product is not a nutritious food product.

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping in its bottle at room temperature, it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date only six months away, this seems to be one of the more perishable ice cream toppings from Hershey’s. I was surprised, though, that one 7 oz. bottle yields only six servings, which makes it more expensive than most syrup-style toppings.

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 fairly dark brown fluid, this ice cream topping does stain. In dishes, it may be washed off with warm water prior to being placed in a dishwasher.

Overall

Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping is good, but a little different from what one might expect when they pick up the bottle. Fortunately, this ice cream topper helps to prove that different can be really good!

For other ice cream toppings, please visit my reviews of:
Heath Shell Ice Cream Topping
York Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Sundae Syrup
Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topping

7/10

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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Top This! Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topping May Easily Be Trumped.

The Good: Good initial taste, Easy to prepare, Great no mess cap!
The Bad: Exceptionally weak flavor when applied to ice cream; virtually flavorless!
The Basics: Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper turns into a flavorless gel on even simple vanilla ice cream, making it impossible to recommend.


Now that I am full-swing with my ice cream topping reviews, like the York Dark Chocolate & Peppermint Sundae Syrup (reviewed here!) and the Heath Magic Topping ice cream topping (reviewed here!), I am finding the process of getting in and trying new (to me) ice cream toppings exciting. My wife and I buy one each a month now and have fun little ice cream nights about once a week. My big pick last month (which has taken me until now to review!) was the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper. Unfortunately, while it tastes pretty awesome out of the bottle, it is completely dominated by even a mild ice cream flavor when applied to ice cream!

Basics

The Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper is part of Vita Specialty Food’s topping line and it works just like a chocolate syrup, though it does not blend with milk to make a beverage. The 12 oz. bottle has a flip top which allows one to squeeze the fluid out onto ice cream. This doesn’t solidify, but it is one of the sundae syrups that does not run when placed on ice cream. Very nicely, this comes with a no-mess cap that actually does prevent the fluid from leaking out in any way to leave any residue on the lid. This makes this a waste-free topping experience!

Ease Of Preparation

One need not even shake the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper. Simply remove the safety seal, flip open the cap and squeeze out the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper. There is no trick to using this dessert 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 Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper smells just like the cherry cola beverage upon which it is based. The aroma is very true to the unique blend of cola and cherry that defines Dr. Pepper drink. This syrup, though, is exceptionally thick. The thick translucent brown goo tastes just like Dr. Pepper on its own. The dominant flavor is a sweet, dry cola-like taste with a strong, black cherry aftertaste that is very distinctive.

On ice cream, the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper is instantly cherry flavored and very sweet. However, the longer the syrup sits on ice cream, the less flavorful it becomes. The gel becomes generically sweet within a minute and even instantly, it cannot hold its own against virtually any flavor of ice cream. A basic chocolate ice cream completely dominates this ice cream syrup.

Nutrition

Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper is a dessert topping therefore not the most nutritious things in the known world. I was shocked that there was nothing really unrecognizable in the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper. The primary ingredients are corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and water. None of the ingredients insinuate that this is not vegan compliant and there are no allergy warnings on the bottle.

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 Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper, there are 130 calories, none of which come from fat! As a fat free product, it is easy to enjoy this quite a bit without guilt! While there is no fat and no cholesterol, a consumer gets 2% of their recommended daily allowance of sodium out of a single serving of this topping! Instead of being a nutritionally bad product, this really just contributes nothing to one’s diet, save sugars.

Storage/Cleanup

So long as one leaves the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper in its bottle, (it does not need to be refrigerated after being opened), it ought to stay usable. Given that it has an expiration date over three years away, one assumes it will last quite a while unopened. I was surprised, though, that one 12 oz. bottle yields only eight servings, but it does seem to stretch.

Cleanup is very easy as a general rule as it may easily be wiped up with a warm cloth. Because it is a sticky and syrupy product that is mostly dark, this ice cream topping does stain. On dishes, it washes off very easily.

Overall

It was only near the end of my trying the Dr. Pepper Cherry Dessert Topper that I noted that it is defined as a “dessert topper,” not an “ice cream topper.” Given, however, that we found it in the ice cream topping section, I’m reviewing it as an ice cream topping and it is way too weak for that. I cannot imagine that it holds its own better against brownies or cake frosting or what other products one might use this on. It is not unpleasant, but it is not potent enough with its flavor to be truly good when used as an ice cream topping.

For other ice cream products, please visit my reviews of:
Starbucks Coffee Signature Hot Chocolate Ice Cream
Edy's Peppermint Limited Edition Ice Cream
Breyers CarbSmart Vanilla

2.5/10

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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