Nice Choice Yogurt Biscuits Review

Fro-yo girl here. On my quest to try all things yogurt, I found a new type of yogurt biscuit from Hurng Fur Foods Factory in Taiwan. A bag of Nice Choice Biscuits – Yogurt Flavor was $3.49 at 99 Ranch Market in Arcadia, CA. One bag includes 8 smaller sachets. One sachet is one serving. One serving is 120 calories, 5g fat, 4g sugars, 2g protein, 17g carbohydrates.

Yogurt Biscuits: The biscuits were cute animal faces. There were seven designs: dog, penguin, lion, monkey, pig, panda, and tiger. They had a buttery flavor, a hint of sweetness, a hint of salt, and a crispy texture. The biscuits reminded me of Ritz crackers, only with a yogurt powder taste. I don’t think the yogurt really enhanced or detracted from the biscuit. Well, maybe it detracted since the yogurt flavor wasn't natural.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, sugar, vegetable oil (coconut oil, palm oil), glucose, whey powder, lactic acid bacteria, leavening agents (ammonium bicarbonate E503, sodium bicarbonate E500), salt, artificial flavor, sodium metabisulfite E223

3.5 out of 5 stars.

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.

Trader Joe’s Oat and Greek Yogurt Sandwich Cookies Review

Fro-yo girl here. I try not to look at the Trader Joe’s cookie section – too many temptations, but I spotted something new on a recent visit, Oat & Greek Yogurt Sandwich Cookies filled with Yogurt Crème. The box describes the cookies as “almost like breakfast in a cookie, Trader Joe’s Oat and Greek Yogurt sandwich cookies are made in Greece with a slightly tart filling sandwiched between two crisp oat cookies made with Greek yogurt.”

Greek cookies made with Greek yogurt? Sounds delicious. The cookie sandwich was two inches in diameter and ¾ inch in thickness. The oat cookies were thick, crisp, and hearty, like McVitie’s Hobnobs. I could taste a hint of salt and yogurt. The filing was soft, creamy, and slightly tangy. I didn’t think the filling added much. The cookies were good without the filling.

One box is 7.92 oz and contains 9 sandwich cookies. One cookie is 140 calories, 9g total fat, 13g total carbohydrate, 7g sugrs, and 2g protein. TJ’s is selling the cookies for $2.99 a box.

4 out of 5 stars.

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.

SWRLIES, A New Froyo Pop-up in Los Angeles

Fro-yo girl here. SWRLIES just started their froyo pop-up this month in Los Angeles. They’ve popped up in Eagle Rock and Highland Park so far. They set up a trailer with a freezer filled with frozen fruit and frozen yogurt bars, a hand-churned machine that blends them together, and some toppings and sauces.

They call their frozen yogurt Jalisco style. It’s all-natural frozen yogurt (they made their own yogurt base and formed it into blocks; I was told the yogurt was not sweetened) blended to order with your choice of fruit. Choose your size (Small, $4.25 or Large, $5.00), your fruit (you can pick more than one kind), and your toppings and sauces. They use organic frozen fruit. If you’d like a sweeter treat, they can add sugar or Splenda before blending or you can choose a sweet sauce. The price includes toppings and sauces.

* Frozen yogurt blended with strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry topped with mixed nuts and granola ($4.25): The frozen fruit made the yogurt icy but it also gave it a thicker texture (seeds, skins) and flavor. Since it was freshly churned, the texture was softer. It’s a simple treat that tastes natural and healthy. However, I’ve made better froyo at home. If they used a higher fat yogurt, maybe the texture would be creamier? It’s less creamy than Yogen Fruz, Loving Cup and the other mix-in froyo places that I’ve tried.

I was curious about Jalisco style frozen yogurt. I looked at places serving frozen yogurt in Guadalajara, the largest city in Jalisco, Mexico. There were shops that serve soft serve frozen yogurt dispensed from soft serve machines (some were self-serve, some weren’t) and the mix-in style frozen yogurt. Interestingly, there were multiple Yogen Fruz locations in the area.

You can find Swrlies by following them on Instagram, @swrlies.

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

* SWRLIES FROYO: 4956 York Blvd, Los Angeles (Highland Park), CA 90042

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.

Menchie’s Sycamore Hills Grand Opening in Upland, CA on May 25, 2019

Fro-yo girl here. I’m back from the Menchie’s Sycamore Hills (2085 West Baseline Rd., Suite 200, Upland, CA 91784) grand opening celebration today. They’re giving away free froyo all day today. Guests received a small cup which they could fill up with as much froyo and toppings as desired. They also received a BOGO coupon good at the Sycamore Hills location until the end of the year. I saw the balloon artist, but I didn’t see Menchie.

This location has 12 self-serve flavors a day and the usual Menchie’s toppings and syrups for 55 cents an oz. They also had a freezer with froyo cakes and prepacks and a fridge with bottled drinks.

Menchie’s Sycamore Hills first day of business was Tuesday, May 21. It’s in a new shopping center close to the 210 with Whole Foods 365 as the anchor and on the Claremont/Upland border (North Upland).

The grand opening celebration is today only.

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

* MENCHIE’S SYCAMORE HILLS: 2085 West Baseline Rd., Suite 200, Upland, CA 91784

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.

Mini Dessert Bars Trend: Yasso Snack Size Bars Hit the Shelves at Target

Fro-yo girl here. Yasso announced their new line of smaller Greek yogurt bars, called Snack Buddies, back in March 2019. I couldn’t find any till now; Snack Buddies are available nationwide at Target as of this month. Each bar is 45-calories. Snack Buddies are available in the following flavors: Mint Cookie Chums, Strawbuddy Lemonade, Fudge Space Chip, and Party Animal. One box has eight bars. Target was selling the boxes for $5.49 each. The artwork on the boxes is adorable.

Of course, my Target had three out of four flavors and the missing flavor, Mint Cookie Chums, is the one that I know I’d like the best. I’m sure Mint Cookie Chums will show up soon.

While I was at Target, I noticed Halo Top Pops, smaller light ice cream pops that look like Yasso and are 50 calories per pop. They’re made out of ice cream, so I probably won’t try them. Revele Gelato’s whipped Greek frozen yogurt bars are small and 60 calories per pop.

Is it a coincidence that pops are getting smaller?

Millennials and Gen Zs are said to love dessert and snacking. A 2018 study by The Center for Generational Kinetics found that 87% of Gen Z “thinks about dessert one or more times a day.” So, smaller portions in a convenient form make sense.

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.

Multiple Froyo Shop Openings & Events This Week in Southern California

Fro-yo girl here. Summer is almost here and that means that prime froyo time is around the corner. It’s the time of year that froyo shops like to open. There are (at least) two set to open this week in Southern California. 

Upland, CA

Menchie’s Sycamore Hills (2085 West Baseline Rd., Suite 200, Upland, CA 91784): Menchie’s Upland will open for its first day of business on Tuesday, May 21. The grand opening celebration is this Saturday, May 25, with free froyo all day, giveaways, face painting, and a balloon artist. I’ve never had froyo in Upland before, but I’ve driven through the city while on the 210 freeway.

Murrieta, CA

Blitzer’s! Premium Frozen Yogurt of Menifee, CA is expanding to Murrieta, CA. The new location at 25030 Hancock Ave., Suite 103, in Murrieta is their second. It’s scheduled to open on Wednesday, May 22 at 3 PM with a grand opening celebration Memorial Day weekend from May 24-27. The grand opening will include giveaways, froyo and fun.

Santa Barbara, CA

Meanwhile, Yogurtland is celebrating 10 years in downtown Santa Barbara (621 State St.) on Tuesday, May 21 from 11AM – 9 PM. The celebration includes the following:

• Free cup of froyo and a $10 gift card for the first 10 customers
• A gift with purchase ($5 minimum) all day
• The first 100 customers to complete the “10 Reasons Why I Love Yogurtland” post it challenge will get a coupon for a free cup of yogurt (no cash value). To receive the coupon, write 10 reasons why you love Yogurtland on a post it provided and hand it to the cashier.
• With every cup of yogurt purchased, get an entry for a raffle drawing for Yogurtland gift cards.

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.

Signs and Machines Removed from Tutti Frutti La Crescenta

Fro-yo girl here. Back in December 2018, Tutti Frutti La Crescenta posted a message on Facebook that they were temporarily closed and to check back for updates. There haven’t been any updates on their Facebook page since then. I was hoping that it would reopen but it seems unlikely now that they’ve taken the signs down, emptied the interior, and removed all equipment. 

The space is listed as available now on Loopnet.com. Interestingly, I spotted one of the old Wellspring soft serve machines inside Reborn Coffee. The La Crescenta Reborn Coffee is in the same strip mall as Tutti Frutti and has the same owner. Reborn Coffee used to offer some type of soft serve but I was told that the machine broke and it hasn't been fixed.

The La Crescenta location used to be my favorite Tutti Frutti location. I had a good chance of finding soy frozen yogurt there. It was clean, carried interesting flavors, and had cute froyo spoons. The shop opened in 2013. RIP, Tutti Frutti La Crescenta.

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

* TUTTI FRUTTI FROZEN YOGURT: 3731 Foothill Blvd, Unit E, La Crescenta-Montrose 91214

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.