Ben & Jerry's - Chunky Monkey

Chunky Monkey - Banana Ice Cream with Fudge Chunks & Walnuts

Today's review is the classic Chunky Monkey flavor which dates all the way back to 1988.  It is a relatively simple flavor by Ben & Jerry's standards -- banana nut and fudge.

Opening the pint, you see the very light colored banana base with one of the fudge chunks visible.  It is not until you dig in that you appreciate the banana flavor.  It was a rich banana flavor which reminded me of banana bread.  The fill-ins were rather old-fashioned.  The walnut pieces were fairly large.  They were also peeled walnuts so there was none of the strong bitter taste that you get from a walnut peel.  The fudge chunks also seemed a bit retro, they were rectangular chocolate tablets dispersed throughout the pint.  Occasionally two of them would cluster in the pint oddly -- I think a reimagined version of this flavor would use the more square fudge chunks used in newer flavors -- but that's a cosmetic issue.  The fudge chunks were quite flavorful and introduced a lot of chocolate into the mix.

I really liked this flavor, but I'm a bit of a banana nut, or I guess even a banana-nut nut.  The simpler old-fashioned fill-ins were both nostalgic and quite flavorful at the same time.  Along with the Banana Split, this is Ben & Jerry's banana flavor.  So, if you are a banana-nut nut like myself, then you should check it out.