Get us in your inbox

Search

24 classic ice cream bars and frozen desserts, ranked

We took a trip down memory lane to see which of our favorite frozen desserts from childhood are as good as we remember them

Written by
Erin Kuschner
Advertising

Remember those summers hanging out at the pool, playing Marco Polo until the sound of a rickety ice cream truck caused everyone to cease screaming "Marco!" and run soaking wet out to the street? Firecracker Popsicles and Fudgsicles, Italian ice and ice cream sandwiches—this was the food of our youth (for better or for worse), and the taste of summer.

We set out to determine if our childhood love for Good Humor bars still holds up decades later with a taste test featuring 24 classic frozen desserts (all available in grocery stores or specialty stores nationwide). Turns out, not everything lived up to our memories. The Choco Tacos that had such a hold on us as kids are now "an insult to tacos everywhere." We found that there was actually very little we'd do for a Klondike Bar, and that Fudgsicles aren't as rich as we remembered.

Check out our list to see our number one pick, go buy a box, then head to the pool. MARCO!

We're big on taste-testing: check out our hot sauce and donut taste tests. And also, we made these super cool GIFs of classic ice cream bars melting during our photo shoot. Check it out!

Find out which dessert we named #1

Klondike Bar Original
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

24. Klondike Bar Original

Sara Fay: "Why does this taste like maple syrup to me? There are so many things I'd rather do than eat a Klondike bar."
Kate Wertheimer: "This is not ice cream. This is weird, foamy bullshit."
$2.99 for a pack of 6
Choco Taco
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

23. Choco Taco

Michael Juliano: "Suckso lotso."
KW: "Nope. The taco tastes like cardboard and everything else tastes like fake peanuts."
$2.99 for a pack of 4
Advertising
Klondike Bar Oreo Cookies & Cream
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

22. Klondike Bar Oreo Cookies & Cream

Erin Kuschner: "The taste of this bar just disappears after you take a bite. Which is good, because I wish I'd never taken a bite."
SF: "That was a total bait-and-switch. I really thought the Oreos would redeem the Klondike bar for me, but that was not the case."
$2.99 for a pack of 6
Good Humor King Cone
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

21. Good Humor King Cone

MJ: "I can tell what it tastes like just by looking at it. Cardboard cone. Flavorless ice foam. I guess the nuts are real?"
KW: "The best part about this is the cone. And the cone is pretty gross."
$12.97 for a variety pack of 20
Advertising
Luigi's Real Italian Ice
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

20. Luigi's Real Italian Ice

MJ: "There are some cups of Italian ice that taste like refreshing, icy perfection. These gummy cups of disappointment are not those."
EK: "Zero flavor. Not sure why they call it 'real' since I'm pretty certain it's all artificial flavoring."
$2.78 for a pack of 6
Good Humor Chocolate Eclair
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

19. Good Humor Chocolate Eclair

EK: "All I can taste is the wooden stick. Bleh. Get the fuck outta here, chocolate eclair."
KW: "The wooden stick flavor has permeated the ice cream. I repeat, the wooden stick flavor is in the ice cream."
$12.97 for a variety pack of 20
Advertising
Magnum Bar White
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

18. Magnum Bar White

SF: "Nothing against Magnum, but I just can't hang with white chocolate."
EK: "This brings me back to when I was a kid and loved white chocolate. Now I just think it's too sweet."
$3.49 for a pack of 3
Dove Bar Vanilla
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

17. Dove Bar Vanilla

KW: "The ice cream is weird and...foamy. Also, Dove chocolate is overrated. Is this the soap company?" [Nope.]
SF: "The absolute best part of a Dove Bar is the crunch of chocolate, but the ice cream doesn't have enough flavor."
$4.39 for a pack of 3
Advertising
Fudgsicle
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

16. Fudgsicle

EK: "They taste exactly how I remember them. It doesn't leave a strange aftertaste, which is nice."
MJ: "It tastes like frozen chocolate pudding. A little chalky, though."
$2.99 for a pack of 18
Nestle Drumstick Strawberry
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

15. Nestle Drumstick Strawberry

KW: "The strawberry flavor is fake, but I appreciate the slight sourness. Also, it's pretty."
MJ: "Strawberry Nesquik."
$7.69 for a variety pack of 8
Advertising
Popsicle Red Classics
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

14. Popsicle Red Classics

SF: "Real life fruit is like a million times better than popsicle fruit flavors, and I think that means I'm officially not a kid anymore."
EK: "They look so refreshing. Raspberry is definitely my favorite, but the other two are pretty artificial."
$3.50 for a pack of 18
Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

13. Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake

EK: "Oooh, Pop-Tart! No wait, Starburst. This tastes like a strawberry Starburst."
KW: "This is the prettiest thing I've ever seen. I am immediately transported to summer camp, where these bars were my only friends."
$2.99 for a pack of 6
Advertising
Magnum Bar Almond
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

12. Magnum Bar Almond

SF: "The milk chocolate is super sweet, but the almonds make this taste richer instead of just sweet."
EK: "Too sweet. I feel like I'd get sick of this after half of a bar."
$3.49 for a pack of 3
Nestle Drumstick Vanilla Fudge
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

11. Nestle Drumstick Vanilla Fudge

KW: "If by 'fudge' you mean a squirt of chocolate sauce, then OK."
SF: "The Drumstick is already so good—the fudge center doesn't detract or improve it. I'd probably just choose the regular vanilla."
$7.69 for a pack of 8
Advertising
Creamsicle
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

10. Creamsicle

MJ: "Tangy orange, soft vanilla, refreshing and creamy. The other one is garbage."
EK: "The raspberry one—no. But the original one is fantastic. I'm having seconds."
$2.99 for a pack of 12
Nestle Drumstick Vanilla
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

9. Nestle Drumstick Vanilla

KW: "Tasty cone! The ice cream is too soft for my taste, but I'd eat or toss it just to get to the cone part."
MJ: "The cone actually tastes like a waffle cone. There's a good combo of chocolate and nuts, too."
$7.69 for a pack of 8
Advertising
Häagen Dazs Ice Cream Bar Vanilla with Milk Chocolate
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

8. Häagen Dazs Ice Cream Bar Vanilla with Milk Chocolate

EK: "That ice cream, though. Damn."
SF: "Classic. The vanilla ice cream is really flavorful instead of just creamy and sweet. It would be better with dark chocolate."
$4.79 for a pack of 3
Snickers Ice Cream Bar
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

7. Snickers Ice Cream Bar

SF: "The caramel and peanuts are explosive flavors and it's delicious for, like, five seconds, but then everything just disappears. It's kinda freaky."
KW: "Is this nougat-flavored ice cream? It is an abomination. I know I'm the only person here who thinks so."
$4.39 for a pack of 6
Advertising
Popsicle Firecracker
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

6. Popsicle Firecracker

EK: "I feel so patriotic eating this. Like I should be in an American flag swimsuit yelling at my mom to let me stay in the pool for five more minutes."
MJ: "This is summer. If running barefoot after the ice cream man has a taste, it's this."
$2.79 for a pack of 8
IT'S-IT Original
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

5. IT'S-IT Original

SF: "The chocolate and cinnamon from the cookie is THE BEST."
EK: "I don't even like oatmeal cookies and I love this. The cinnamon from the cookie is awesome—the ice cream is still meh, though."
$4.99 for a pack of 3
Advertising
Toll House Ice Cream Sandwich
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

4. Toll House Ice Cream Sandwich

KW: "This salty, doughy cookie is a game changer. I want 10 of these."
MJ: "It tastes like cookie dough, though the aftertaste is a bit stale. The chocolate chips are huge but just alright."
$2.50 per sandwich
Nestle Vanilla Sandwich
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

3. Nestle Vanilla Sandwich

EK: "Now this is nostalgia. That graham cracker is so good. This is sitting on the front steps after dinner, having dessert before you start catching fireflies."
KW: "So bad it's good. The chocolate cookie always comes off on your fingers...but it's also like a childhood rite of passage."
$3.50 for a pack of 6
Advertising
Magnum Bar Dark
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

2. Magnum Bar Dark

SF: "This is the Goldilocks of ice cream bars, except there's no settling. It has the best chocolate, hands down."
KW: "This chocolate tastes like hot cocoa. Can we melt this bar down and drink it?!"
$3.49 for a pack of 3
IT'S-IT Mint
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

1. IT'S-IT Mint

KW: "The mint ice cream is way better than the original. It brings out the flavor of the cookies even more. Also, best name for a treat."
EK: "I love everything about this thing. The mint keeps it cool and refreshing, and the cookies are just the right amount of soft. Pass me another."
$4.99 for a pack of 3
Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising