Yum Crumbs Dessert Toppings Review

Fro-yo girl here. I spotted Yum Crumbs online while searching for interesting froyo toppings. I was impressed and intrigued by the wide range of Yum Crumbs flavors and decided to order the sampler pack to try the product.

Yum Crumbs dessert toppings can be sprinkled on froyo, ice cream, pancakes baked goods, dipped fruit, donuts, and more. The sampler pack of 1 oz packets included the following flavors:

• Strawberry Lemonade
• Banana Cream Pie
• Chocolate Peanut Butter
• Red Velvet
• Lemon Pound Cake
• Cinnamon Roll
• Bubble Gum
• Mint Chocolate
• Key Lime Pie
• Cherry
• Salted Caramel
• Blueberry Cobbler
• Berry Blue
• Mint Chocolate
• Orange Creamsicle
• Rainbow
• Apple Pie
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Pumpkin Pie
• Chocolate Éclair
• Birthday Cake

I tried two flavors and didn’t feel like trying other flavors afterwards. The Strawberry Shortcake crumbs were small, hard, and crunchy. They tasted like cherry cough syrup, not strawberries. They had a pasty quality that I also did not like. The Lemon Pound Cake crumbs were a bit better and did taste like lemon (more like lemon oil than lemon juice) but the texture was unappealing.

Yum Crumbs are hard and more like sprinkles than crumbs. When I think of crumbs, I think of soft baked crumbs like donut or cake crumbs. Crumbs aren’t supposed to be hard.

The main ingredients of Yum Crumbs are sugar, wheat flour, and malted barley. Half a tablespoon is about 25 calories.

I’m not sure what I’ll do with my remaining Yum Crumbs packets. Maybe I’ll put some in Christmas stockings.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: Yogurtland Old Town Pasadena

Fro-yo girl here. Popcorn-n-More, Pasadena’s first gourmet popcorn shop, didn’t last very long. Now there’s a new sign up in their window. Yogurtland is coming to Old Town Pasadena! The new location is on the same block of Noodle World.

It’s too bad there won’t be a Popcorn-n-More stall inside Yogurtland because gourmet popcorn is delicious as a froyo topping. Popcorn-n-More used to have soft serve ice cream which I think you could have topped with popcorn. Too bad they didn’t have frozen yogurt.

This will be the 2nd Yogurtland location in Pasadena. The first location opened on Lake St.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOGURTLAND: 30 W Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91105

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Yogurt Crunch is Great with Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. I’m loving the combination of the new Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Yogurt Crunch with fro-yo. The whole grain cereal flakes are thin and crunchy. The Greek yogurt coated clusters are creamy and crunchy with a strong yogurt flavor. The cereal is really crunchy and not too sweet, therefore making an excellent fro-yo or yogurt topping.

I found Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Yogurt Crunch at Fresh & Easy for $2.50 for a 15.5 oz box.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

My New Favorite Topping: Double Chocolate Granola Clusters

Fro-yo girl here. I like trying out different types of granola on my fro-yo and I found one that I absolutely adore:
Fresh & Easy’s Double Chocolate Granola Clusters. 

What I look for in granola as a fro-yo topping:
* Not too sweet
* Extra crunchy
* Flavor/taste - has to be good and complementary to fro-yo

Fresh & Easy’s Double Chocolate Granola Clusters contains big, extra crunchy clusters of cocoa covered whole rolled oats granola and tiny chocolate chunks. It’s not that sweet and not overpoweringly chocolatey. Somehow it tastes better with fro-yo than by itself. It’s definitely less sweet than the typical cereal. The flavor reminds me of Oreo cookies but even better and crunchier. 

The granola comes in 12 ounce sealed clear resealable pouches ($2.98). One serving (2/3 cup) is 250 calories and 9 grams of fat.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Valentine’s Day, Fro-yo Style 2012

Fro-yo girl here. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I’ve been thinking up romantic fro-yo creations. This year I felt inspired by the decadent combination of chocolate and fruit.

* Raspberry chocolate truffle: Raspberry and chocolate fro-yo, chopped Andes mints, fresh raspberries
* Strawberries & cream: Strawberry fro-yo, fresh chopped strawberries, whipped cream, white chocolate curls, heart shaped sprinkles
* Cherry dipped in chocolate: Cherry fro-yo on a cone, topped with crunchy chopped almonds, dipped in magic shell chocolate

Fro-yo shops are celebrating Valentine’s Day with special new flavors like red velvet, orchard cherry and Hershey's Kisses.

If you really want to impress someone, make your own fro-yo at home and serve with chilled champagne. Perhaps the new Snog (UK frozen yogurt chain) cookbook will inspire you.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Mochi at Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt, Finally

Fro-yo girl here. Thanksgiving is over and I’m feeling grateful that Culture finally added mochi as a fro-yo topping this month. I waited over three years for this moment.

Their mochi is good (soft and chewy) but small. I like big, pillowy mochi cubes.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 340 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA

Popping Boba vs. Mochi Poll Results

Fro-yo girl here. I recently asked readers, which do you prefer as a fro-yo topping: mochi or popping boba? The poll results are in and mochi won easily, with 54% preferring mochi, 26% preferring popping boba and 18% that hadn’t tried both.

Good choice, readers. The chewiness of mochi and the sweetness complements fruit and tart fro-yo so well. Mochi goes well with sweet fro-yo too.

Popping boba are thin skinned spheres filled with flavored liquid. When you bite into one, the juice “explodes.” Popping boba look like fish eggs and come in flavors like mango, lychee, yogurt, strawberry, passionfruit. This new type of boba appeared first in boba/bubble drinks and then gained popularity in fro-yo shops. I haven’t seen them for sale at grocery stores, though you can buy them online at Amazon (but it seems like the smallest size is a 7 pound tub).

I’m not a fan of exploding food (except for Pop Rocks) and prefer the jellies that also crossed over from the boba drinks world to the popping boba. Or I’d prefer tapioca pearls on fro-yo to popping boba.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Grey Fro-yo Toppings?

Fro-yo girl here. The other day I wanted to make a fro-yo creation in honor of the Ohio State Buckeyes victory in the BCS Sugar Bowl, so I naturally wanted to find scarlet & grey toppings. Scarlet toppings are easy to find. I think pomegranate seeds were the best choice to represent scarlet.

But when it came to finding grey toppings, I had no luck at all. I thought that I might find some grey chocolate rocks but upon inspection, none of the rocks were grey (maybe grey ones do exist but not in the particular mix I saw). Even the Jelly Belly mix didn't have any grey beans. The most common colors for fro-yo toppings were brown, white and yellow.

Much as I love the color grey, it seems like it's almost impossible to find grey colored food. Sunflower seeds are grey but you would only see them without their shells at a fro-yo shop.

I suppose I could always buy grey M&Ms and carry those around.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Pinkberry Happy Hour

Fro-yo girl here. I finally made it to Pinkberry's Happy Hour (5 - 7 PM daily) during which you can get their limited edition summer fro-yo flavor, watermelon, for 50% off. I know it took awhile but I was in Chicago which doesn't have Pinkberry and the closest one (to San Francisco) is 45 minutes away. The watermelon fro-yo tastes like their original tart with some fairly mild watermelon flavor. It was creamy and smooth in texture, tangy and sweet in flavor. I am not fond of watermelon in general, so it makes it difficult for me to judge the flavor.

I like their toppings - they're different from the ones you usually see at 99% of fro-yo shops. The chopped cucumbers were a bit bitter but crispy and refreshing. Those pitted bing cherries are fabulous. They also have watermelon puree, cute mini round waffle cookies and animal shaped vanilla cookies. They have the best almonds, the marcona kind.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Your Votes Are In: Favorite Fro-yo Toppings

Fro-yo girl here. Thank you to the 120 people who voted for your favorite type/category of fro-yo topping. Voters could only choose one of the following: candy, cereal, cookies, fresh fruit, mochi, nuts and sauce. I personally really, really wanted mochi to win...but the people have spoken and my second choice, fresh fruit, was the victor with 45% of the votes. Mochi came in third with 17% of the vote.

Surprisingly, candy came in second with 29% of the vote. An earlier poll revealed that 75% of my readers/voters eat mostly tart fro-yo. Do they add candy on their tart fro-yo? I never do. I thought cereal (1%) and cookies (2%) would do much better.

I usually get fresh fruit and mochi toppings. It's painful for me to eat a cup of fro-yo without mochi, just like I find it painful to swirl my own fro-yo and add my own toppings. The nice thing about fro-yo is that people have their own personal favorite combinations.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

People Love Fro-yo with Toppings

Fro-yo girl here. It's official - the poll results are in, people love fro-yo with toppings; 85% of respondents always or almost always get toppings with their fro-yo. Twenty two percent always get toppings compared to 5% that never get toppings. I'm not surprised because when I see people at fro-yo shops, they almost always get toppings. I usually get toppings too, unless I don't see any toppings that I like or I don't have enough cash on me to pay for toppings. In my opinion, fro-yo doesn't taste as good without mochi balls.

Take note, toppings matter. Good toppings can't save bad fro-yo, though bad toppings can ruin good fro-yo. There are so many types of potential fro-yo toppings out there though most shops offer the same toppings.

Next month we'll find out what type of toppings people like the best. Mochi balls are in the lead so far (go mochi!)

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Good Fro-yo Toppings

Fro-yo girl here. For Easter, I had some Cadbury Mini Eggs and also sour gummi bunnies. The sour gummi bunnies were quite chewy, to the point that I don't think that they'd make good fro-yo toppings. What do I look for when it comes to fro-yo toppings?

1. Adds texture. I like something with a bit of crunch or chewiness. Mochi balls are my favorite. On the crunchy side, nothing beats granola. But it has to be the right texture. If it's chewy, it shouldn't take too much effort to chew. I don't like slimy or soft toppings. Fruit must be firm and fresh.
2. Not too sweet. With tart fro-yo, I don't like adding candy or anything too sweet.
3. Complementary or neutral flavor. Toppings should enhance, not compete, with the flavor of the fro-yo. I don't want anything to mask the flavor of the fro-yo too much. Mochi balls go well with sweet and tart fro-yo because they don't have that much flavor.
4. Size. The toppings shouldn't be too large - I like to have mostly fro-yo and a bit of toppings and every spoonful should include fro-yo.
5. Temperature. I don't want warm toppings because I hate melted fro-yo.

What toppings would I like to see more of? Crushed peppermint, chocolate covered honeycomb, mini meringues, Cracker Jacks, Choco Flakes, and crispy, thin cookies (not too sweet). What toppings would you like to see?

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Interesting Fro-yo Topping: Tea in a Jar

Fro-yo girl. I'm currently busy exploring the fro-yo scene in Chicago. I've seen some interesting toppings here (full report later). I was at Blush awhile ago where I met up with the guys behind the Around Dublin blog, Jimmy and John. They've best source of information about Dublin, CA, including breaking news and local opinions. They're loyal Blush fans as well (as an aside, I miss Blush!!!!). Jimmy invited me to try Blush original fro-yo with aloe vera tea in a jar. Puripan's tea in a jar is a traditional Korean fermented tea. It comes in five organic, caffeine free flavors. The tea in a jar is combined with hot or cold water to make tea but some people also put it on ice cream, fro-yo or toast.

Aloe vera tea in jar looks like a clear, light green, jelly like substance. I was expecting a strong tea flavor. The flavor is actually very mild and it was much sweeter than I expected. What's interesting about having it with fro-yo is that the sweetness brings out the tartness of Blush's original tart in a way that I've never experienced with their other toppings (e.g., I usually get mine with berries and mochi). Interesting topping - if you get a chance, try it out. There are several Puripan locations in the Bay Area and the five tea in a jar flavors are: Citron, Ginger, Pomegranate, Aloe Vera, and Papaya.

* BLUSH DUBLIN: 4640-A Tassajara Road, Dublin, CA

http://www.arounddublinblog.com/
http://www.puripan.com/tea/info/tea_descriptions.asp

What's in My Chococat Bowl? Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. Saturday might have been too much excitement for me (yay, Tuttimelon grand opening) or driving by Cultive could have been too frustrating (they opened today, a little while after I left the area); I seem to have a slight cold. My usual treatment is to eat fro-yo every day. It seems to work!

Sometimes it's nice to have fro-yo at home, especially late at night.

Here's a picture of my Chococat bowl which I filled with Blush organic pumpkin tart fro-yo (one of my favorite fro-yo flavors ever) and topped with Tohato Caramel Corn (Vanilla flavor). Isn't the Tohato Caramel Corn bag soooo cute? The bag is drinking a vanilla milkshake. The corn puffs are light, airy and crunchy. They stay crunchy even after being exposed to fro-yo (moisture). They're a little too sweet so they taste even better with fro-yo than they would by themselves. I'm also putting Japanese Choco Flakes on my fro-yo. Yum.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt Toppings Update

Fro-yo girl here. Though the vanilla frozen yogurt (that I am eagerly anticipating) is not yet available at Culture, the array of toppings continues to change. During a recent visit I saw that Mary had whipped up a batch of gingerbread crisp. They also had some kid friendly additions: organic rainbow sprinkles, organic HOMEMADE marshmallow crème, and cake cones.

I brought my reusable Smurf blue fro-yo bowl and filled it with tangerine and plain tart organic fro-yo, topped with blood oranges. Absolutely delicious! But I still hope that Mary will start making mochi…

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 340 S California Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306