Review Of Haagen-Dazs Cookies And Cream Ice Cream
Haagen-Dazs has built solid reputation for making great ice cream, but does this brand live up to its notoriety?
This review looks at Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream Ice Cream 457ml. I’ll run through its flavour, texture, and competitors, helping you decide if this tub is worth the money.
Quick overview
Haagen-Dazs’s Cookies and Cream Ice Cream positions itself in the super-premium category. It competes with brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Connoisseur, and Murray Street Ice Creamery. Artisanal tubs made by local producers also pose a challenge for retail shelf space.
The company prides itself on simple, natural ingredients and manufactures its products in France. While many think the company’s name comes from Europe, it’s actually a made-up name. The founders say it means “The finest ice cream that money can buy.”
Is this tub any good?
While I’m a fan of the Haagen-Dazs brand, I found the Cookies and Cream Ice Cream a mixed bag. On the positive side, the ice cream appears to be the same base they use in their tubs of vanilla ice cream.
It is deliciously creamy, soft, and smooth. The ice cream is also a little chewy and dense, signs of a premium ice cream.
The biggest complaint I had with this ice cream was the cookie component. It makes up 6% of the tub, which is crazy low.
Finding the add-ins was hard work. If you’re used to buying other brands of cookies and cream, then you’ll be accustomed to a much different product.
Check out the table below comparing how much cookie volume gets added to various brands. As you can see, Haagen-Dazs is at the bottom of the list.
| Brand | Cookie % |
| Woolworths Cookies & Cream 1L | 15% |
| Connoisseur Cookies and Cream | 15% |
| Oreo 1.2L | 15% |
| Bulla Creamy Classics Cookies & Cream 2L | 7% |
| Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream | 6% |
The cookies also had an unpleasant, hard texture that didn’t seem the right fit for ice cream. I think the softer ones found in Bulla Creamy Classics Cookies & Cream are much better.
This ice cream leaves out certain ingredients like stabilizing gums. This makes for better-tasting ice cream, but it also means the ice cream melts quicker than other store-bought brands. It refreezes with ice crystals once softened, so scoop out what you need and return it to the freezer immediately.
Fast facts
- Delicious creamy vanilla ice that’s smooth and dense.
- The cookies are few and far between.
- Genuinely a clean ingredients label, like homemade recipes.
- It’s an expensive tub of ice cream.
Related reading:
Review of Haagen-Dazs Mango and Raspberry Ice Cream.
Review of Haagen-Dazs Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream.
What are the alternatives?
There are some excellent replacement options you may want to consider:
Connoisseur Cookies and Cream 1L: This is the closest offering on supermarket shelves to the Haagen-Dazs product. I think it’s much better value with 15% of the ice cream consisting of cookies.
Woolworths Cookies & Cream 1L: At the budget end of the scale, this product matches Connoisseur’s amount of cookie content. It’s excellent value for families or anyone on a tight budget.
Bulla Creamy Classics Cookies & Cream 2L: Made using fresh cream and milk, this container of ice cream is well worth the money. The big two-litre tub is ideal for larger households. It’s cheap, but I love it.
Oreo 1.2L: The package is labeled “ice confectionery,” so it’s not technically ice cream. If you’re not fussed, then Oreo may be worth a try.
Comparison pricing of some popular chocolate ice creams:
| Brand | Price/100ml |
| Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream 457ml | $2.95 |
| Connoisseur Cookies and Cream 1L | $1.20 |
| Oreo 1.2L (not ice cream) | $0.83 |
| Woolworths Cookies & Cream 1L | $0.65 |
| Bulla Creamy Classics Cookies & Cream 2L | $0.55 |
Ingredients
Finding supermarket ice cream without extras like stabilisers, preservatives, and added flavours is a challenge. That’s what makes a tub of this Cookies and Cream Ice Cream stand out.
Haagen-Dazs uses mostly real cream, milk, eggs, and sugar. In contrast, cheaper ice creams have higher water content and use inexpensive dairy replacements. The C&C variant contains 34% fresh cream, higher than competing brands.
Milkfat is a signal of better mouthfeel and creaminess. A high proportion of cream in Haagen-Dazs ice cream sets it apart from its competition, as you can see below.
Comparison of milk fat by brand
| Brand | Milk fat |
| Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream | 15% |
| Connoisseur Cookies and Cream | 13.5% |
| Woolworths Cookies & Cream 1L | 12% |
| Bulla Creamy Classics Cookies & Cream 2L | 10% |
| Oreo 1.2L | Less than 10% |
Ingredients list: Fresh Cream (34%) (Milk), Condensed Skim Milk, Water, Sugar, Egg Yolk, Wheat Flour, Coconut Oil, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Vanilla Flavour, Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate), Salt.
Nutrition information
No ice cream is good for you, so eat it in moderation. Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream Ice Cream has 10.8g of saturated fat per 100g and 20.4g of sugar.
Servings per package: 5
Serving size: 77g
Nutrition table
| Quantity per Serving | Quantity per 100g | |
| Energy | 810kJ | 1050kJ |
| Protein | 3.3g | 4.3g |
| Fat, Total | 12.4g | 16.1g |
| -Saturated | 8.4g | 10.8g |
| Carbohydrates | 17.2g | 22.3g |
| -Sugars | 15.7g | 20.4g |
| Dietary Fibre | 0.2g | 0.3g |
| Sodium | 59.0mg | 77.0mg |
This nutrition info is useful, but how does in compare to similar tubs of ice cream sold in Australia? Check out the table below for a comparison of a few competitors.
Nutritional comparison of competing products
| Brand | Saturated fat/100g | Sugar/100g |
| Haagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream | 10.8g | 20.4g |
| Oreo 1.2L | 9.2g | 21.9g |
| Connoisseur Cookies and Cream 1L | 8.9g | 20.5g |
| Bulla Creamy Classics Cookies & Cream 2L | 7.1g | 20.5g |
| Woolworths Cookies & Cream 1L | 7.0g | 20.8g |
Pros
- A creamy, enjoyable vanilla ice cream base.
- Made using fresh dairy, without additives.
- Easy to find in most supermarket freezers.
Cons
- Not enough cookies.
- Expensive.
- Not Australian-made.
What other flavours are available in the Haagen-Dazs range?
Haagen-Dazs has a wide range of pints and multipacks. Some of the range includes:
- Pralines & Cream
- Belgian Chocolate
- Dulce de Leche
- Caramel Biscuit and Cream
- Mango and Raspberry
- Macaron Strawberry and Raspberry
- Macaron Yuzu and Lemon
- Strawberries and Cream
- Caramel Brownie
- Salted Caramel
About the manufacturer
Haagen-Dazs is a renowned ice cream brand founded in 1961 by Reuben and Rose Mattus in New York.
Over the years, the company has expanded its product range to include ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurts. Its products are sold globally, reflecting the widespread appeal and recognition of this top-tier ice cream producer.
You can learn more about the ice cream here.
