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Apple pie ice cream bars arrive in Japan and they’re superb【Taste test】

Master Blaster Sep 9, 2021
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We may have to start saying “as Japanese as apple pie bars” from now on.

Every once in a while a product causes a stir even before its release, and this time the product is the Apple Pie Bar, formally called the Gororon Kaniku Apple Pie Bar (“Chunky Fruit Apple Pie Bar”). One reason for the buzz is that it looks really tasty, but the other reason is that it’s made by Imuraya, the company most famously known for its Azuki Bars.

On one hand, Azuki Bars are a great naturally delicious snack using the quintessential Japanese taste of azuki sweet beans, so an apple pie ice cream bar concept is in good hands with them. On the other hand, Azuki Bars are also famous for being hard enough to hammer a nail with and eerily sturdy enough to last for days in a non-functioning freezer.

So, the big question on everyone’s minds was: Would the Apple Pie Bar also be hard as a sapphire too?

To find out, our reporter P.K. Sanjun put his teeth on the line and purchased an Apple Pie Bar on the day of its release, 6 September. It looked quite different from the Azuki Bar, and rather than having chunks of apple suspended here and there, the fruity goodness appeared condensed in the center of the custard ice cream coating. It was all very pie-like.

And after taking a bite, our reporter wanted to shout from the rooftop: “It’s not hard at all!!! On the contrary, it’s quite soft and moist!!!”

Granted, the softness of ice cream depends on a lot of factors, but P.K. had bought it from a convenience store and headed straight back to the office where he ate it immediately, so it shouldn’t have thawed much in the process.

According to Imuraya, the Apple Pie Bar is made of up chunks of crispy apple surrounded by apple sauce, pieces of pie crust, and custard ice cream. The overall design was meant to be tender to accentuate the crispiness of the apple pieces.

P.K. couldn’t really detect the texture of the pastry and the apples weren’t especially crunchy either. But that was good because everything seemed nicely balanced in terms of mouthfeel, and flavor-wise the apple sauce was clearly the star of the show, with the custard ice cream playing a low-key supporting role.

P.K. came into this taste test with high expectations, and the Apple Pie Bar even managed to surpass those! Much like the very reasonably price Azuki Bars, the Apple Pie Bar sells for only 150 yen (US$1.36), but P.K. would have no qualms about paying 250 or even 300 yen for this level of quality.

Unfortunately, the Apple Pie Bar is only available for a limited time, and P.K. strongly recommends not missing this one. It’s sold at most conveniences stores, but he found that 7-Eleven in particular had the best chance of carrying them.

If they last long enough, we may even attempt to make a real apple pie out of them, as we’ve been known to do.

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[ Read in Japanese ]