I tend to like variety in my sweets, and especially in ice cream. Different layers, textures, and flavors that work together to create one sumptuous symphony of taste sensation. But at times there’s something appealing about excess. Tons of chocolate, tons of peanut butter, tons of caramel, or less commonly, tons of white? Magnum’s new line of pint tubs has one unexpected, and potentially one-noted offering in White Chocolate Vanilla, which combines vanilla ice cream and white chocolate shards in a cracking white chocolate shell.

Let me preface all of this by saying I don’t think I’ve ever had this much white chocolate in an ice cream ever. White chocolate bases are pretty hard to come across in general, and while that isn’t in effect here, there’s no doubt that the often criticized “fake” chocolate is the star of this frozen show. That being said, the vanilla ice cream is absolutely fantastic. It’s incredibly sweet creamy, but not heavy at all. It has a slightly whipped consistency, not in the slow churned style of light ice creams, but more like an amazing whipped butter, or better yet, buttercream frosting.

The white chocolate on top and sprinkled in shards throughout the pint is without a doubt the highest quality I’ve experienced in ice cream and it is divine. The cocoa butter heavy chocolate is exceptionally smooth and creamy with a superbly sweet meltiness that blends harmoniously with the fluffy yet decadent vanilla base. While I worried that the subtleties of white chocolate would get lost against a vanilla backdrop, the end result is the exact opposite, and a great reminder that a good vanilla ice cream is anything but plain, and can be fantastic as a flavor all on its own.

The sweet vanilla notes play off of the chocolate’s rich fattiness for an absurdly sweet but wickedly delicious union that I can’t help but love. Scraping off every last bit of the chocolate from the sides of the plastic and integrating them into the base is worth every ounce of effort and elbow grease it takes, even if it means scraping my knuckles to the point drawing a little blood.

What this ice cream truly reminds me of is cake batter and frosting. Had Magnum tossed some sprinkles into this container they could have stopped every basic b in their tracks and caused a frenzy with what could be one of the best birthday cake pints ever in the grocery store. While the product itself is unabashedly sweet, it truly highlights the magic of white chocolate and its potential to really be the driving force of a killer ice cream.

Rating: 9/10

Found at: Safeway ($4.99)