Pumpkin Pie Froyo Returns to Yogurtland, Early!

Fro-yo girl here. It doesn’t feel like fall until I’ve had my cup of pumpkin pie (or pumpkin) frozen yogurt. Yogurtland brought back Pumpkin Pie froyo late last year. Fortunately, it’s back early this year, at certain locations. Check the Flavor Finder feature on the Yogurtland website or Real Rewards app. I wasn’t sure if they’d bring back Pumpkin Pie or Pumpkin Whip, or offer a different pumpkin flavor altogether.

This year it’s Pumpkin Pie froyo’s turn and I’m happy with that. It’s their classic pumpkin flavor. Pumpkin Pie froyo is made with real pumpkin and real pumpkin pie spices. I love the warm notes of cinnamon and nutmeg in the yogurt. My favorite Pumpkin Pie froyo toppings are whipped cream, almonds, graham cracker crumbs, Nilla Wafers, and occasionally crushed Butterfingers.

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.

Yogurtland’s New Fall Flavor: Pumpkin Whip

Fro-yo girl here. Welcome back, fall. September 22 is the first day of fall and that means it truly is pumpkin season. Pumpkin flavored items started showing up in September. Yogurtland just introduced a new fall flavor, Pumpkin Whip.

Pumpkin Whip’s flavor card says, “Pumpkin lovers unite for a new twist on a fall favorite. We whipped up real pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices, and the sweet taste of vanilla for a rich and creamy pumpkin-perfect treat.” Pumpkin Whip froyo is nonfat, gluten free and made with real pumpkin and real spices.”

Pumpkin Whip has more spices than Yogurtland’s Pumpkin Pie flavor and it has vanilla. It’s rich, thick and indulgent (and it’s non-fat). The pumpkin pie spices like nutmeg and cinnamon add a comforting warmth to the flavor. The spices aren’t overwhelming you can still taste the pumpkin – which is how a good pumpkin froyo should be. You have to add whipped cream and graham cracker crumbs. I also like to add almonds for crunch and mochi for chewiness. Nilla Wafers, white chocolate chips and cheesecake bites would also be good toppings.

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.

A Month of Pumpkin Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. Did you know that today is National Pumpkin Day? 

I always think of October as Pumpkin Froyo Month. This year I decided that I would just eat pumpkin frozen yogurt in October, unless the frozen yogurt shop didn’t have pumpkin froyo. I love pumpkin froyo!

Fortunately, Yogurtland brought back fan favorite pumpkin pie froyo on Sept. 15, so I had my first cup of pumpkin pie froyo on Sept. 15. The Pasadena Yogurtland location on Lake St. has fresh whipped cream which is the best topping ever for pumpkin froyo. I always include graham cracker crumbs as well.

I’ve had 14 cups of pumpkin froyo so far this year and my favorite cup has featured:

• Tons of fresh whipped cream – the more the better
• Teddy Grahams
• Graham cracker crumbs
• Crushed Butterfingers

I hope that pumpkin pie froyo doesn’t run out at Yogurtland before Thanksgiving. Happy National Pumpkin Day! Eat pumpkin froyo today!

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

* YOGURTLAND: 415 S Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101

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.

Color Changing Cups Arrive at Menchie’s

Fro-yo girl here. It’s October and that means the new color changing froyo cups have arrived at Menchie’s! The color-changing cups are available for a limited time and are inspired by my favorite holiday, Halloween. It’s the first time that I’ve seen a color changing cup at a froyo shop.

The cup, which is made out of paper, has Halloween and Menchie’s designs (e.g., ghost, spider, bones, witch’s hat, jack o’lantern) printed on it. The designs look white. Put cold froyo in the cup to start the transformation. The printed images turn green, orange, blue, purple and pink. There’s one design and the cups are available for a limited time only.

What a clever way to encourage you to fill up your froyo cup.

Menchie’s also introduced a new pumpkin flavor for October, Harvest Pumpkin. Harvest Pumpkin features real pumpkin puree, cinnamon and ginger. The cinnamon flavor was very pronounced, more so than last year.

Last October Menchie’s introduced its first color changing spoons, featuring the Sweet Friends, as well as color changing magic crystals (sugar) and a pumpkin froyo flavor called It’s Pumpkin Time.

I’m so happy to see Halloween spirit at Menchie’s and will be visiting multiple times in October.

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.

Pumpkin Froyo Pics

Fro-yo girl here. My frozen yogurt consumption always goes up in October because pumpkin frozen yogurt is offered at so many places. Also, this year Yogurtland decided to bring back Oatmeal Cookies froyo for a limited time (thanks Yogurtland!) and Menchie’s introduced magic color changing spoons. Here’s a collage I created with my pumpkin froyo pictures from Blush (you must try their pumpkin pie froyo), Fraiche (the homemade chocolate shell and mochi are out of this world), Yogurtland and Menchie’s. 

I’ve played around with a few photo collage apps and like Instacollage the best. Some of the other ones have way too many ads. I like using PicMonkey to edit photos online, including adding text, filters and effects. They have some special Halloween themed effects that are worth checking out.

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.

October is Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt Month

Fro-yo girl here. Ahhhh October, my favorite month of the year...everyday is a buildup to the best day of the year, Halloween. The leaves taken on rich autumnal hues and the pumpkin frozen yogurt returns. I hope to enjoy Blush, Easy Breezy, and Fraiche’s pumpkin frozen yogurt multiple times. 

For those of you who aren’t in the Bay Area, do have some Pumpkin Pie frozen yogurt at Yogurtland. It’s lovely and pumpkiny without being too sweet. Menchie's has just introduced a new pumpkin flavor called, It's Pumpkin Time, made with real pumpkin puree and available in October. I haven't tried it yet.

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream offers Dutch Apple Crunch Yogurt and Pumpkin Yogurt throughout October. I’ve never been to one of their locations (it's not in my area) but their seasonal flavors, especially the October ones, sound tempting.

Every October I go to Half Moon Bay to pick out my pumpkins from a real pumpkin farm (Bob’s). The HMB fro-yo shops better have that pumpkin frozen yogurt ready for me.

I might be making some pumpkin frozen yogurt at home. I made a few batches last October but I’m still tweaking and perfecting my recipe. I also love pumpkin muffins...maybe I’ll save one and use it as a frozen yogurt topping.

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.

Search for the Best Pumpkin Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. Pumpkin season runs from October and November and it’s the time of year that I develop a seemingly tireless craving for pumpkin fro-yo. I recently tried the pumpkin fro-yo at several Bay Area fro-yo shops to see which place had the best pumpkin fro-yo. 

* Fraiche Yogurt: Their organic pumpkin fro-yo comes back in the fall and it’s a strong contender for best pumpkin fro-yo. The flavor is clean and natural with a good balance of pumpkin flavor, spices and yogurt flavor. It’s not too sweet and tastes great with their toppings. It leans towards the icy side as well though it isn’t watered down.
* Yogurtland: Pumpkin pie fro-yo has returned to many Yogurtland locations for a limited time. It has a thick, smooth, creamy texture. I like how it isn’t super sweet and the spices aren’t overpowering.  
* Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt: Blush pumpkin fro-yo has returned and it’s one of their best flavors. Their pumpkin fro-yo is not too sweet. There’s a hint of spice that doesn’t overwhelm but rather complements the natural, clean pumpkin and yogurt flavors. It’s thick, smooth and refreshing.
* Jamba Juice: The Great Pumpkin Swirl Whirl’ns fro-yo flavor shows up in the fall around the same time as their Pumpkin Smash smoothie. This mix-in style fro-yo features a base of vanilla fro-yo swirled with several scoops of spiced pumpkin puree. The two are combined in Yogen Fruz’s mix-in fro-yo machines. The fro-yo texture was thick and creamy but had larger ice crystals and the pumpkin and vanilla wasn’t evenly mixed in sections. The flavor was good but very sweet with an overwhelming amount of cinnamon.
* Easy Breezy: New pumpkin pie fro-yo flavor introduced in October. The squash/pumpkin flavor is clearly distinguishable. The flavor tastes natural and isn’t too sweet. I think it could use a bit more spice. It leans towards the icy side though it’s not watered down.

I’m pleased with the current crop of pumpkin fro-yo. I really like how most of the pumpkin fro-yo flavors that I tried weren’t too sweet and the spices complemented but didn’t overwhelm the pumpkin flavor. My favorite pumpkin fro-yo is still Blush’s, followed closely by Fraiche. Both offer a natural, clean tasting fro-yo that isn’t heavily sugared.

I like adding graham cracker crust and almonds to my pumpkin fro-yo.

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


* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 1212 Donnelly Ave., Burlingame, CA
* EASY BREEZY FROZEN YOGURT: 4028 24th St., San Francisco, CA
* FRAICHE FROZEN YOGURT: 1910 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA

Happy Fro-yo Halloween

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been out looking for Halloween spirit again this year and I haven’t seen many Halloween decorations at fro-yo shops. I have run into pumpkin fro-yo and Halloween toppings like candy corn and fall sprinkles at a few places. One of my local favorites, Easy Breezy, is currently serving pumpkin pie fro-yo with candy corn.

I walked by Pinkberry yesterday and they didn’t have pumpkin fro-yo (also confirmed this by looking at the Pinkberry app). Shocking. I’m not sure what they’re waiting for. Yogurtland has been good about offering pumpkin pie fro-yo at their locations (yay). Some Yogurtland locations are offering buy one get one free fro-yo offers for those who come in costume from 11 AM - 5 PM on Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

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

Halloween Spirit Report 2011

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been looking for fro-yo shop Halloween spirit recently. Sadly, fewer fro-yo shops are decorating this year compared to last, though I have seen greater pumpkin fro-yo availability.

And the winner of the Fro-yo Shop Halloween Spirit goes to...Yoppi Yogurt in Redwood City.

I was impressed to see they had special Halloween signs featuring the Yoppi character in a Halloween costume. He looks ready to go trick-or-treating. They also have Frankberry cereal and candy corn for fro-yo toppings. They decorated the shop windows too.

So far I’ve had pumpkin fro-yo at Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, Yogurtland, Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt, Fraiche Yogurt, Yoppi Yogurt, Jamba Juice, and Nubi Yogurt.

I'm hoping to see more Halloween spirit next year. Happy Halloween!

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

* YOPPI YOGURT: 851 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA

Fro-yo Art

Fro-yo girl here. My new fro-yo canvas print just arrived. I uploaded a fro-yo picture that I took on CanvasPop, chose the filter, size and frame and received proofs from a CP designer. Prices start at $30. There are similar photo to canvas print services (e.g., AllPopArt.com, RoyalCanvas.com) that can break the photo into panels, create collages and artsy effects (e.g., Andy Warhol look), etc. Even Walgreens offers this service.

There’s something special about creating something unique from a photo that I took. I’m the only person with this canvas print. It’s so easy and affordable to create fro-yo art now.

I took a picture of pumpkin fro-yo and it's hanging in my bedroom now.

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

New Product at Blush: Mix’n

Fro-yo girl here. October is my favorite month at Blush because their divine organic pumpkin pie fro-yo returns. It’s one of my very favorite fro-yo flavors. I like how theirs isn’t the traditional sweet flavor. It has a tart base but it’s not too tart.
There’s a new way to enjoy their fro-yo; they just introduced Mix’n. You pick your fro-yo flavor (any available flavor) and up to two toppings (any toppings will work) and they mix them together using a machine that looks like a blender stick. Everything is mixed together and served in a white cup.




My mix'n had pumpkin pie fro-yo with Butterfinger pieces...loved the combination.
They also have dipped cones and gourmet cookie cones.

* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 1212 Donnelly Ave., Burlingame, CA (other locations in Dublin, Walnut Creek, SF, Milpitas)

Jamba Juice Whirl'ns Frozen Yogurt

Fro-yo girl here. I finally tried Whirl'ns, the frozen yogurt line Jamba Juice started testing in the Sacramento region in December 2010. They expanded the offering to SoCal next and recently started offering it in the Bay Area. You can find locations that carry Whirl'ns by visiting the Jamba Juice website. Note, no SF Jamba locations carry Whirl'ns. The closest location to SF with Whirl'ns is the remodeled Westlake location in Daly City. They just reopened today.

Whirl'ns offers custom mixed flavors (Blueberry Pomegranate Peaks, Swirly Strawberry Vanilla, Minty Chocolate Chip, Magnificent Mango Pineapple, Jazzy Java Chocolate, Awesome Apple Cinnamon) or plain (tart, vanilla or chocolate). The mixed flavors feature lowfat vanilla, lowfat chocolate or non-fat tart fro-yo.

I tried the blueberry pomegranate flavor since it is made with the tart base. The fro-yo is mixed in a machine. It's similar to Yogen Fruz but YF has a more flavorful yogurt base. The fro-yo is thick and very creamy without having that nice refreshing edge that some tart fro-yo has. It's sweet and tangy but not very tangy. Frozen blueberry pieces added texture. The taste reminds me of a firmer version of a Jamba Juice smoothie. I prefer Yogen Fruz for mix-in fro-yo but think Whirl'ns is decent.


Prices: Small $3.50, Medium $4.75, includes one topping. The toppings include granola, coconut, brown sugar, chocolate, almonds and bananas.

They currently have a seasonal flavor that I'm excited about Great Pumpkin Swirl and there were $1 off coupons at the store (good for any Whirl'ns fro-yo).

* JAMBA JUICE: 340 Westlake Center, Daly City, CA

I'm Craving Pumpkin Tart Fro-yo

Fro-yo girl here. Pumpkin pie fro-yo, pumpkin spice fro-yo, and pumpkin fro-yo are showing up in fro-yo shops across the country. While I enjoy sweet pumpkin fro-yo, my heart belongs to tart pumpkin fro-yo.

My top three tart pumpkin fro-yo spots are: Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt and Fraiche (also organic pumpkin fro-yo, I believe). Pumpkin fro-yo is new to Fraiche and it's amazing with their homemade mochi cubes. Culture's pumpkin fro-yo tastes fabulous with their crunchy housemade caramel corn. Yum. And Blush's pumpkin can be topped with whipped cream, just like pumpkin pie.

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

* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 340 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA
* FRAICHE: locations in Palo Alto and San Francisco
* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: locations in Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Burlingame and Dublin

October, the Month for Pumpkin

Fro-yo girl here. It's October and that means pumpkin is everywhere. I've seen pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin milk tea, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cake, pumpkin pancakes and best of all - Pumpkin Fro-yo. Pumpkin fro-yo is showing up everywhere. It's usually the sweet kind. My favorite pumpkin fro-yo is from Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt. It's sweet but has that tangy real yogurt taste. It tastes like real pumpkin too. And you can get it with whipped cream as well as an unusual new crunchy topping, pita chips.



The Nubi flyer that I received this week has a picture of pumpkin pie on it. It's their new fro-yo flavor. Yogurtland has a yummy pumpkin fro-yo flavor.

And I just learned that Pinkberry will be introducing pumpkin fro-yo on October 22nd. To celebrate the launch of pumpkin fro-yo, Pinkberry will give away free small pumpkin fro-yo minis on 10/22 from 4 - 7 PM.

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

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.

Tart Pumpkin Fro-Yo Arrives at Culture

Fro-yo girl here. Fall is definitely here and Culture just unveiled a new fro-yo flavor this week, tart pumpkin. I’ve had plenty of sweet pumpkin fro-yos but never tart pumpkin. I wasn’t sure how the tartness would work with the pumpkin flavor.

I trust Alexis’s palate (she’s the yogurt-in-chief) and sure enough, pumpkin is another winner. The pumpkin pie spices actually complement the sourness of the fro-yo. I think she’s on to something. Maybe ginger, cardamom and saffron and lemongrass would also work well as tart fro-yo flavors.

For fans of their strawberry tart fro-yo, hurry back to Culture. They plan on replacing strawberry with vanilla soon.

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

Fro-Yo with Halloween Spirit

Love fro-yo? Love Halloween? Try one of these fro-yo treats on Halloween day:

1. Pumpkin fro-yo. I had some yesterday at Natural Sensations in SF (SFSU campus). Try places that serve sweet fro-yo.
2. Add crushed Oreo cookies or graham cracker crumbs and gummy worms to your fro-yo. Instant faux gross fro-yo treat! I believe you can assemble such a treat at Yogurt Station in Walnut Creek, Nubi in Millbrae, Frozo's in Milpitas & Santa Clara, etc.
3. Bring candy corn to your favorite fro-yo shop. Add to your fro-yo.
4. Get the pumpkin spice granola as a fro-yo topping at Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt in Palo Alto.
5. Add Halloween candy (e.g., Halloween Kit Kats) to your store-bought fro-yo (e.g., Haagen Dazs).

Happy Halloween!