Ample Hills - Fluffernutter Fudge

Fluffernutter Fudge - Marshmallow Ice Cream with Swirls of Peanut Butter and Chunks of Dark Chocolate

The third flavor in my recent four-pint shipment from the Brooklyn-based Ample Hills Creamery is called Fluffernutter Fudge.  (Note to local readers that this flavor is not available in grocery stores in the Minnesota area.)  This a new flavor in their regular line (not seasonal or shop-specific) that they introduced last year.  It is based on the fluffernutter sandwich which has been a popular sandwich in the New England area for over a century.  The main ingredients of the fluffernutter are peanut butter and marshmallow.  I have actually had a fluffernutter based pint once before from Jeni's (see the review here).  That flavor stuck mainly to the sandwich ingredients, adding a little bit of oat pie crust to simulate the 'bread' of the sandwich.  Here Ample Hills pairs adds chunks of fudge into the mix to make it a fluffernutter fudge.  I am quite curious to check this out.

After removing the lid, the base ice cream is a light tan color.  It is slightly browner than I expect from a marshmallow base.  Perhaps it has picked up some color from the mix-ins.  Digging in, the base is thick and creamy and I taste the extra milk powder that is characteristic of Ample Hills bases.  It does taste extra milky.  It does not have a very strong marshmallow flavor (either sweet or toasted).  Some of the peanut butter swirl is evident in the base so I think that is the dominant flavor -- but it is a muted peanut butter.  As I dig deeper I quickly encounter the mix-ins.  First I encounter the dark chocolate chunks.  These are quite good, chewy and fudge-like.  To my surprise, I also encounter some larger peanut butter chunks (see extra photo below).  These are really good.  The large mix-ins do not disappoint here.

I quite enjoyed this pint.  The large peanut butter and fudge-like chocolate chunks are the stars of the show here.  The presence of the chocolate chunks means this is a less literal reproduction of a fluffernutter sandwich than Jeni's is, but the chocolate is a very welcome addition.  Is it as good as their main chocolate & peanut butter flavor PB Wins the Cup?  That is a tough call.  Perhaps not.  But chocolate and peanut butter fans should love the extra option available.