Dove® Ice Cream's Give in to Mint: Product Review

My husband rarely eats dessert. He is just one of those oddities who were not issued a sweet tooth at birth. This makes choosing ice cream great fun for me. Not only is it one of the rare times when compromise is unnecessary but it also means that I can buy smaller quantities and save a few pennies.

I like ice cream. I like it especially in the summer when it cold, sweetness cuts through the heat and humidity of the day. My ice cream of choice is normally from the line of Ben & Jerry's, either Cherry Garcia of Phish Food (It helps that I like both bands). I have been a big B&J fan since I saw City Slickers in 1991. There is that great scene with brothers Barry and Ira, ice cream moguls, sitting around the campfire showing off Barry's talent of always choosing the perfect ice cream flavor to finish off any meal. They are not Ben & Jerry but you know that the characters are based on them. But, I digress.

Last Saturday, during my weekly trip to the grocery store, I stopped by the freezer section to grab a pint of some sweet indulgence. Dove^'s ice cream, lined up prettily next to B&J's pints, caught my eye and I decided to give the Give in to Mint premium ice cream a chance. I am so glad that I did. This ice cream is terrific.

Dove's Give in to Mint takes the perfect blend of creamy chocolate and cool, sweet mint and tops it off with a hardened layer of chocolate ganache. It is a great combination. Dove has chosen a mint ice cream recipe that has a soft minty, slightly peppery taste without even a hint of artificial flavoring. All of the ingredients are authentic and it shows. Strewn throughout Dove's premium ice cream are swirls of semi-sweet chocolate along with small chocolate bits that add crunch to each bit. There are times in life when the parts do not equal the whole but this in not one of them. Give in to Mint is quality ice cream made with quality ingredients, which combined create a sweet time-out from daily life.

However, Give in to Mint is not for everyone. If you are watching your weight or concerned about fat content in you food, you probably want to pass this up. Each ½-cup serving (4 in a pint carton) has 300 calories, 160 of them from fat. Of course, the first five ingredients listed on the lable account for this: cream, skim milk, milk, semi-sweet chocolate, and sugar.

There is one drawback with this ice cream tasting so good. My husband loves it. He has been sneaking spoonfuls in the middle of the night. The next time I buy Dove's Give in to Mint Ice Cream, I am going to buy two and hide one.