Ben and Jerry's Greek Frozen Yogurt

Perusing the ice cream aisle of my local supermarket the other day I spotted an old dog's new trick. Ben and Jerry have always kept me quite satisfied in that they never fail to release a few limited edition flavors each year, and I was delighted to see that they have decided to dabble in a whole new variety of frozen dessert. Already boasting some fairly delicious frozen yogurt options including lighter takes on the very popular Cherry Garcia and Half Baked flavors, this hallmark ice cream company has picked up on a budding trend and hit it out of the park. It must be noted that Benjamin and Jerome have never actually produced a healthier version of anything. Some of their flavors tip the scales at a dangerous 350 calories per half cup, and even their frozen yogurt (Greek and otherwise) is more fattening than most premium ice creams on the market. For instance, Edy's Grand Chocolate Ice Cream is 140 calories per half cup while Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yogurt is 160 per halfcup. The Greek frozen yogurt in question is still more rich than its (presumably) American counterpart, at around 200 calories per half cup serving. Be that as it may, the stuff is delicious, creamy and rich yet true to its tangy Greek yogurt inspiration in flavor. I believe the more generous nutrition fact figures Ben and Jerry's offers might just have something to do with their treats' consistently irresistible texture and taste.

As hinted several times already, the products being reviewed today are no exception. Intrigued by the descriptions of "Banana Greek Frozen Yogurt with Peanut Butter Swirls" as well as "Blueberry and Vanilla Greek Frozen Yogurt with a Graham Cracker Swirl" I chose these two flavors out of the four available. The there are two more flavors, Strawberry Shortcake (Strawberry Greek Fro Yo with Shortbread Pieces) and Raspberry Fudge Chunk (Raspberry Fro Yo with Fudge Chunks). I will be sampling those as well but I'm a sucker for anything with a swirl - though to be honest what I like most about Ben and Jerry's flavors is that they're wonderfully busy, typically encompassing both a swirl of some kind as well as some type of piece or chunk or chip.

But I can forgive them for sticking with one or the other in this particular line of treats, because the buttery crumble of the graham cracker complimented the sweet, delicious, creamy blueberry and slightly tangy vanilla perfectly. In fact, this reminded me very strongly of blueberry cheesecake. The banana yogurt was intensely flavorful yet in no way artificial and was also elevated by its honeyed, slightly salty peanut butter swirl. Both pints were devoured with gusto, each mouthful a deliciously balanced pleasure all its own.

Everyone with any love for dessert that lives in the freezer should give these a try. Not quite ice cream but  absolutely fantastic fro yo. I'm proud to say I tried them before they had even been revealed on Ben and Jer's website, though they've since made their debut. Let's hope they don't end up in the Flavor Graveyard too soon.