Häagen-Dazs - Banana Peanut Butter Chip

Banana Peanut Butter Chip - Banana Ice Cream with a Peanut Butter Swirl and Chocolate Chips

Today we return to Häagen-Dazs for the second flavor in their "Decadent Collection" released in 2018.  This one is called Banana Peanut Butter Chip.  Peanut butter and banana was the favorite sandwich of Elvis Presley.  Recipes and menu items for other things such as pancakes or muffins are often named after Elvis for this reason.  Häagen-Dazs chooses to play it straight with the flavor name here, but I will still imagine a 1970s Elvis lounging in the opulent Graceland Mansion while I eat this pint.

Opening the pint, the banana base is an off-white yellow, many chocolate chips are visible right away and some of the peanut butter swirl is visible on the edges as well.  As I dig in, the banana base is quite bright and sweet.  I have written before about two types of banana flavor -- the sweet banana of banana pudding or banana cream pie, and the more earthy banana flavor of a banana bread.  This is definitely the sweet kind.  I soon encounter very large chunks of peanut butter!  Some of these are an inch or more in size.  The peanut butter is very rich and chewy.  I can understand why they used the sweet banana flavor for the base because they wanted more of a contrast with the peanut butter.  If they had used a more subtle banana, then the flavor might have gotten completely overwhelmed.  It is a good combination.  Then the chocolate chips are also generously dispersed through the pint.  These chips are small rectangular pellets that are used by many of their other chip flavors.  They are quite good and deliver chocolate flavor while.

This is a tasty, and yes, decadent, pint of ice cream.  The star of the pint is the chunks of peanut butter.  The banana and chocolate add to the experience, but they play more of a supporting role here.  Check it out if you are like Elvis and love peanut butter and banana sandwiches.