Flavors Tried: Cookie Dough & Mocha Cold Brew Coffee
Price: $3.99 per pint at Target
Nutrition (for cookie dough pint): 370 Calories, 11g Fat, 62g Carbs (12g Fiber, 27g Sugar), 20g Protein
Years ago, high-protein ice cream exploded onto the scene. It started with Halo Top, and then we were met with the likes of Enlightened, Arctic Zero, Nick’s, and more.
These products seem to come and go, and while protein ice cream doesn’t seem quite as in-demand as it was a few years back, there are still some solid options out there.
Target decided to get in on the fun with their “Favorite Day” brand, offering a bunch of light ice cream pints with a slightly lower price tag than other options, like Halo Top.
When we look at the nutrition facts, it seems that this ice cream is very similar to Halo Top.
Target offers a bunch of flavors, with some of them rotating seasoning, but I was only able to snag two for this review: cookie dough and mocha cold brew coffee.
These macros are nearly identical, so it’s safe to assume that most of the Favorite Day ice cream pints will hover around 370 calories and 20 grams of protein.
Each pint packs 12 grams of fiber, which is impressive, and even more sugar alcohol with 18 grams. That might sound like this is a low-carb and low-sugar option, but each pint still contains 27 grams of sugar.
Now, that’s significantly lower than real ice cream, but not a keto option that some people might be after.
I recently reviewed Halo Top’s updated formula, and I was really impressed by just how creamy the new pints are. Let’s see if Favorite Day can also impress.
Favorite Day Cookie Dough Ice Cream
To kick things off, I decided to dig into the cookie dough pint. Cookie dough is always a fan favorite, so I was excited to see what Target could do with it.
Off the bat, it’s clear that there is not a ton of actual cookie dough in this pint. As you work your way through, there are some decent chunks, but not nearly enough to please a cookie dough lover.
To be fair, the pieces of cookie dough are delicious, but that’s where the positives end for this pint.
The ice cream itself is not at all creamy, and it reminds me a ton of the original Halo Top formula. It isn’t rock-solid, but you need to give it a few minutes to thaw out if you plan on digging into the pint with a spoon.
You have to expect that a light ice cream is not going to be quite as creamy as real ice cream, but it’s disappointing to find that this is significantly less creamy than Halo Top.
In terms of flavor, this ice cream is very artificial tasting. The base ice cream does not taste like vanilla bean ice cream, it tastes like a combination of milk and way too much sweetener.
When you get a bite of cookie dough or chocolate chips, it helps to balance out the flavors, but since those are few and far between, you mostly just taste artificial sweeteners in this one.
I can tolerate that sugar substitute flavor, so I was still able to enjoy this pint, but I would definitely not recommend it.
Favorite Day Mocha Cold Brew Coffee Ice Cream
I went into this mocha cold brew flavor assuming it was just going to taste like chocolate, which was the case with Halo Top’s mocha flavor.
But I was extremely impressed with this pint.
This one is a complete 180 from the cookie dough flavor: I didn’t taste much artificial sweetener, and the flavor of the ice cream was exactly what I hoped.
I love coffee (cold brew specifically) and the base of this pint truly tastes like a quality coffee ice cream. If this were just coffee ice cream, I would be satisfied.
Luckily, there are chocolate chunks in this pint that take it to a completely different (and amazing) level.
The chocolate chunks are basically a combination of fudge and coffee grounds. There’s a grittiness to them from the coffee, but they are soft and decadent the way you’d hope fudge would be. I found myself scooping these chunks out separately to enjoy them on their own because they were that good.
The one downside to this ice cream is that it is not extremely creamy, so you need to give it a solid 10 minutes to soften up. But with this flavor, the wait is worth it.
Overall Thoughts: Favorite Day Light Ice Cream
These kinds of reviews are always tough because my experience with each flavor was so vastly different.
As a whole, I wish these pints were softer and creamier. You have to expect light ice cream to be less creamy than real ice cream, but since Halo Top was able to find a way to remain soft and fluffy, I trust that Target could figure it out too.
The cookie dough flavor is a hard pass for me. It tastes very artificial, and there just isn’t enough cookie dough in the pint to redeem the off-putting taste.
But on the flip side, mocha cold brew is incredible. I will happily go back to Target for that pint because I truly loved it. As a coffee lover, it’s everything I hoped it would be.
If I’m comparing these pints 1:1 with Halo Top, I think Halo Top gets the edge for being creamier and having more generous mix-ins. But if we’re talking specific flavors, I’d put Mocha Cold Brew above them all.
