After 11 painfully slow months, the most magical time of the year has finally returned! As multicolored lights are strung along the perimeters of houses and giant inflatable snowmen take residence on our lawns, we can’t help but feel warm floods of anticipation for the presents, spirit, love, and—most importantly—the food that will fill this holiday season. From building gingerbread houses (obviously tasting ingredients as we construct), reindeer-shaped cookies with bright red noses, and Hanukkah gelt on the forefronts of every mind, let’s not forget the lasting importance of ice cream— even as we hide indoors from the chilling snow. While ice cream is necessary for most life moments, different situations obviously call for different flavors. This holiday season, pull on your fuzzy socks, snuggle before the flames of a flickering fire, and balance your hot-chocolate with the flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream that perfectly correlates with your current stage of holiday cheer.
Early Excitement: Marshmallow Moonlight- The Tonight Dough
With Thanksgiving barely in our rearview mirrors and radio stations eagerly ushering us towards the next celebrations, we are overcome with excitement for the spirit and cheer of the holiday season. Having taken a long break from “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer,” the tinkling, merry sounds are once again fresh in our ears, much like the new and exciting Ben & Jerry’s flavor, The Tonight Dough. Made of caramel and chocolate ice cream with chocolate chip cookie swirls, chocolate chip cookie dough, and peanut butter cookie dough, this inventive flavor will have you eating by the pint. In this early stage of holiday cheer, you simply won’t be able to have enough spirit and ice cream.
Christmas Chaos: Truffle Kerfuffle
Entering the second stage of holiday cheer, to-do lists inevitably become flooded with present-buying, tree decorating, cookie baking, and community giving. In a competition between the length of our errand lists and Santa’s Naughty or Nice lists, we’d probably win. While this stage of the season is definitely overwhelming, it’s also incredibly sweet. The same goes for Ben & Jerry’s Truffle Kerfuffle flavor, made from vanilla ice cream, roasted pecans, fudge flakes, and a salted chocolate and ganache swirl. Despite there being a lot of ingredients to wrap our heads around, nothing is more gratifying than a bite of this Truffle Kerfuffle stage in the holiday season.
For When You Need A Little Comfort: Chocolate Therapy
If you’re anything like me, then you’ve experienced the yearly disappointment as your request for a Hanukkah bush is starkly turned down. Apparently, Harry Hanukkah doesn’t need a plant to place our eight presents under, but hey, at least we’re persistent. As we stare longingly at the vibrant lights and ornaments that annunciate our neighbor’s homes, we seek comfort in a decorative menorah and Chocolate Therapy. This delicious flavor consists of chocolate ice cream, chocolate cookies, and swirls of chocolate pudding ice cream, and is perfect for healing the spirits of cheer-loving individuals, like myself.
The Cherry on Top: Cherry Garcia
In this, the height of the holiday season, some families gather around trees to place their twinkling toppers and ignite the celebration, while others spin dreidels and light the menorah. Regardless of the holiday, happiness and warmth pervades in every home. This stage is the cherry on top of a perfect holiday season, so it is only fitting that we commemorate it with a pint of Cherry Garcia— cherry ice cream, cherries, and fudge flakes.
January Blues: Vanilla That Has Been Sitting in the Fridge Too Long, and Now Has Freezer Burn
As the holiday season comes to a heart-breaking end, there is only one flavor that suits our dejected mood: plain vanilla ice cream that we bought last May, forgot to eat, and has literally acquired frost bite from neglect. Don’t let this stop you though, a knife will take the ice right off.
So, as you buckle into the roller-coaster ride of the holiday season, remember to enjoy these 5 flavors of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream that will help express your holiday cheer.