August 21, 2008
Magic Shell - uncovering childhood favorites
Written by Anne Mallory in Jaunty PostWe had guests staying with us last weekend (very awesome) and after a dinner at a local joint we were walking back and talking about dessert when my friend said something about ice cream and Magic Shell.
I think the cogs in my brain stopped for a second before creaking back into rusty gear.
Magic Shell? Ohmigod. I hadn’t eaten Magic Shell in years. That sounded…that sounded…delicious.
Luckily the grocery store was on the way, so we stopped in, ran to the freezer section, grabbed some vanilla ice cream and then reached for the Magic Shell shelf…only to find no regular chocolatey Magic Shell anywhere. The horror. There was Caramel Magic Shell, Smores Magic Shell, Turtle Magic Shell…but no Chocolate.
We paced around a bit, looked in the back of every shelf, pushed aside every container, but it was a no go. What were we to do? We could get another type of Magic Shell, or…we could get a competitor’s brand. *gasp* Deep breaths were taken. There was a Chocolate Hershey’s Shell and Reese’s Peanut Butter Shell that made the group’s fingers itch the most. So we did a blind pick, ended up with the Hershey’s Shell - and a bit of apprehension - and headed home.
The ice cream was scooped. The bottle was run under warm water and shaken well. The chocolate was poured. The spoons were poised… Would this be as good as I remembered it? Would the Hershey’s even live up to the Shell reputation? 
One way to find out. A dip of the spoon, crackle of shell, and…bliss. YES! A childhood favorite sated. Delish!
There is just something completely awesome about discovering that an old childhood favorite lives up to the good memories. 
And when we finished the bottle of Hershey’s (man, with the spout on those things, it doesn’t take long to pour it all out!), I went back to the store and picked up the Magic Shell in its original incarnation. Yup. Still good. I’ll eat either of them, if you serve one to me. 
Now just to get through all the rest of the flavors… 
Are there any favorite childhood foods that you have recently rediscovered? Or do you have a Magic Shell fetish too? Excuse me while I go to the kitchen. What? No, I’m not going for more chocolatey goodness. I swear.
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RobynDeHart Says:
Wow, I remember magic shell. How fun, Anne. At one point when The Professor and I were dating it came out that he’d never had Pop Rocks - well, we can’t have that - so we immediately stopped at a convenience store and bought some. They’re still awesome, although now they have strange flavors.
Great blog!
Margo Maguire Says:
My mom used to make something very orangey. She put it in a metal ice cube tray (I know - how long ago was that!?) and froze it. It wasn’t sherbet, but more like an ice of some kind. I can only vaguely remember it … maybe I hallucinated it! But the thought of it brings back memories.
RobynDeHart Says:
Oh, my mom used to make homemade ice cream when we’d go camping and my favorite flavor was Big Red - now whenever I have a Big Red, I remember those camping trips. Fun times!
Shana Says:
So now I have to go to the store and buy Magic Shell! I haven’t eaten it for years! Thanks, Anne!
Jane Says:
Remember Quick? You made it with milk and it came in chocolate and strawberry. I’ve also rediscovered Boo Berry. I saw it in the cereal aisle and I had to buy it even though it wasn’t on sale. It was expensive, too. Over $4.00, but it was worth it. It has no nutritional value, but super tasty.
Jill James Says:
Unfortunately most of my childhood favorites are on the east coast and I’m in California. I loved Spiced Ham lunch meat, but we don’t have it here.