7 SUMMERTIME TREATS TO CELEBRATE EVERY DAY®!
7 Summertime Treats – The sheer variety of frozen treats means everyone finds a favorite. Or, even better, we can try a new one every day! Though, our waistline wouldn’t recommend it.
Ice cream trucks draw children and adults alike outside. Today even, for many of us, the music alone holds a nostalgia that cannot be shaken. Dashing out of the house waiting for the ice cream truck to make its appearance around the corner or over a hill, the music box song rising as the truck approaches. “Camptown Races” or “Turkey in the Straw” played. Maybe the song playing was “It’s a Small World,” each note playing out the excitement in our hearts.
Whatever the tune, we were drawn to the street and ready with our quarters and dollars – our allowance, payment for chores, from the sofa cushion or a lost tooth. Who knew really.
The same holds true today in some neighborhoods. The selections are much the same, with new additions arriving all the time. This was the original food truck, and it came directly to your neighborhood all summer long. We’ve reviewed a few of our favorites, the ones we still Celebrate Every Day® and wax nostalgic around the National Day Calendar® offices. What are yours?
We list a few of our favorites and several more for a total of 7 summertime treats worth Celebrating Every Day! Tell us which ones we’re missing. We would love to hear from you!
1. Fudgesicle and Creamsicle
These creamy frozen treats on a stick made by Popsicle (that name brand eponym we use for nearly all frozen juice treats) share a love-hate relationship with some people. The Fudgesicle speaks for itself, frozen, chocolaty fudge on a stick. The Creamsicle’s bright thick outer layer of orange cream attracts us and finishes us off with a vanilla center.
2. Snow cones, Sno-cones, Snow Balls, Shave Ice, Hawaiian Ice
Originally made by Gold Medal and invented by Samuel Bert; these flavored shaved ices come prepackaged on ice cream trucks. However, we all know the fastest way to brain freeze is a free-flowing avalanche of flavored ice shavings. These are better purchased freshly made.
Combine the flavored ice with ice cream and whipped topping and a whole other world of delicious frozen greatness fills your world. Available from food trucks and at festivals all summer long, this summer treat aims to satisfy.
3. Drumstick, Choco Taco, ice cream cone, waffle cones
This category of ice cream treats includes an outer shell made into various shapes and filled with ice cream. The ice cream is usually dipped in chocolate and coated with nuts or sprinkles. The hard chocolate shell and the crispy cone not only give a satisfying crunch but provide an excellent delivery method for the ice cream.
Portable, nutty, crunchy, and frozen, these treats hit many of the marks on our wish list for summertime tastiness.
Nestle currently owns the Drumstick brand, and Klondike owns Choco Taco.
And if you’re craving a waffle cone, these all feature the delicious crispness that comes with the waffle crust.
4. Ice cream sandwiches
Any time someone puts one food item between two layers of another food item, something is bound to happen. When s’mores were invented, did anyone complain? Ice cream between chocolaty wafers is no different. This frozen concoction comes in a variety of flavors, too! Layer them as a base for ice cream cakes or cut them in half for smaller servings. Making a homemade version is as easy as putting a scoop of ice cream between two of your favorite cookies. They even come sandwiched between waffle cones!
5. Chocolate Éclair, Strawberry Shortcake & more
These ice cream bars are coated in sweet cake crumbs making your frozen éclair or strawberry shortcake portable. Almost like a strawberry sundae on a stick, the bars made by Good Humor even sound like summertime. There are even flavors to match your favorite candy bar. Peanut butter anyone?
6. Chocolate coated ice cream bars, Crunch bars, Dilly bars
Ice cream with a hard chocolate shell has been the staple of ice cream trucks, the freezer section of the grocer, and one of the first pre-packaged items places like Dairy Queen. Add caramel or nuts and the layers of flavor satisfaction increases. These classic summer treats will always find a place in the neighborhood food truck!
7. Freeze pops, Fla-vor-ice; Icees, Freezies, Otter Pops, Pop-Ice, Kool Pops, Goodpop, Popsicle
Another item that uses a different regional eponym depending on where you live, these frozen juice treats. Whether they come on a stick or are frozen in a plastic tube, these are a must-have summertime treat.
The tubular treats come in a variety of sizes, flavors, and textures. Depending on the maker, these sweet icy concoctions can freeze as hard as an ice cube or be more of a slushy consistency when set. On parade routes and during festivals, these treats come in handy as something to pass out to attendees during hot summer days. One of the challenges is getting every last drop out of the tube before it melts!
When freezing flavored juice on a stick, makers get creative with their molds. The Firecracker or Bombpop in their red, white, and blue colors are popular around Independence Day. They can take on any size and shape. From famous cartoon characters to delightful candy shop swirls, these icy cold favors aim to please the eyes as well as the tastebuds!