**Today is the 15th Day of the Omer**
What Beracha does one recite over chocolate-covered raisins, commonly known as "raisinettes"? Does one recite "Ha'etz," the Beracha normally recited over raisins, or "She'hakol," the Beracha normally recited over chocolate?
Rav Moshe Feinstein (Russia-New York, 1895-1986) addressed this question in light of a ruling in the Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 168) concerning the case of a cracker covered with a "Mirkahat" – a jelly or some other sweet spread. The Shulhan Aruch rules that one would recite only "She'hakol," the Beracha that would be recited if one ate the "Mirkahat" alone, and this Beracha covers both the jelly and the cracker. The Magen Avraham (commentary to the Shulhan Aruch by Rav Avraham Gombiner, Poland, 1637-1683) explained that in this case, the person's primary interest is in the jelly; the cracker serves merely as a means of holding the jelly without soiling his hands. It is only for this reason, the Magen Avraham asserts, that we view the cracker as subordinate to the jelly, and thus determine the Beracha based on the jelly. In a case, however, where one eats a cookie spread with jam, and the cookie would be eaten and enjoyed even without the jam (a case referred to with the term "Duvshanim"), then the cookie is deemed the primary food, and one would therefore recite "Mezonot."
Returning to the case of chocolate-covered raisins, Rav Moshe contends that a person eating this snack is equally interested in the raisin and the chocolate; we cannot speak of either being subordinate to the other. As such, one must recite two separate Berachot – "Ha'etz" over the raisin, and "She'hakol" over the chocolate. Rav Moshe adds that since one cannot access the raisin before eating some of the chocolate covering, he must first recite "She'hakol" and eat some chocolate before reciting "Ha'etz" and partaking of the raisin. He should have in mind when reciting the Beracha of "She'hakol" that it should apply only to the chocolate, and not to the raisin. If he happens to have with him another raisin or some other fruit, he should first recite "Ha'etz" over that other food and then recite "She'hakol" over the chocolate.
A similar question arises concerning ice cream sandwiches. Do we view the ice cream as the primary component, or is the ice cream subordinate to the crust? Hacham Ovadia Yosef rules that since the crust of the sandwich is very tasty and could be eaten independently, this case resembles the situation of the "Duvshanim" discussed earlier, where the cookie constitutes the primary component. Hence, one would recite "Mezonot," and this Beracha covers both the crust and the ice cream.
Hacham Ovadia distinguishes in this regard between ice cream sandwiches and ice cream cones. A cone is used primarily to hold the ice cream, and thus resembles the cracker holding the "Mirkahat" in the case discussed by the Shulhan Aruch. In this case, therefore, one recites only the Beracha of "She'hakol," which covers both the ice cream as well as the cone. Even if one finishes all the ice cream and wishes to eat the cone, he does not recite a separate Beracha over the cone. Hacham Ovadia explains that since invariably some drops of ice cream remain on the cone, one does not really eat the cone by itself; he actually eats it with the ice cream. Moreover, since, as mentioned, the cone serves primarily as a holder for the ice cream, it is covered by the Beracha recited over the ice cream.
Summary: One who eats chocolate-covered raisins first recites "She'hakol" over the chocolate and then recites "Ha'etz" over the raisin. When he recites "She'hakol," he should have in mind that it covers only the chocolate, and not the raisin. A person who eats an ice cream sandwich recites only the Beracha of "Mezonot," whereas over an ice cream cone one recites only "She'hakol." Even if one first finishes the ice cream and then eats the cone separately, he does not recite a new Beracha over the cone.
