The Cool Snacks of Summer

When you think back on the summers of your youth there was always a plethora of cool treats to be had. The jingling music of the ice cream truck stopped children in mid-play and brought them running to the curbs of their neighborhood for a treat that would refresh and cool. Many of those sweet goodies are no longer available, but there are still plenty of great cool treats out there for refreshing summer tastes.

Who could forget the Bomb Pop? This patriotic looking popsicle has been a favorite for years, and is filled with the flavors of cherry, lime, and blue raspberry. This classic cool treat now has companions including the Bomb Pop Jr., the Bubble Yum Bomb Pop in bubble gum and grape flavor, the Fizz Factor Bomb Pop with citrus flavor, and the banana and fudge flavored Fudge Bomb Pop. Bomb Pop also has a special novelty treat: the Daffy Duck Taffy Bomb Pop, which features a blue raspberry outside with a cherry flavored "taffy" center.

If you flash freeze ice cream mix in liquid nitrogen you get Dippin' Dots, "The Ice Cream of the Future." Created by Curt Jones, in 1987, these spherical pieces of ice cream cannot be purchased in retail outlets like supermarkets because they require special freezer storage, but instead are available in malls, stadiums, and theme parks like Six Flags and Sea World. Dippin' Dots come in tasty flavors like Strawberry Cheesecake Yogurt and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, as well as traditional flavors such as chocolate, and vanilla.

Over the past few decades Ben & Jerry's has become the name to know in ice cream. Their unique flavor combinations have been tantalizing tongues since 1978. Ice cream flavors with funky names like Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey, and Phish Food are in their Top 10 Favorite Flavors. New flavors for 2007 include "Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream" and, "Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler." Ben & Jerry's ice cream is available in their Scoop Shops as well as in grocery stores nationwide.

The ice cream sandwich can trace its roots back to the Lower East Side of New York City. It was probably invented sometime in the summer of 1900. While the ice cream sandwich is called by many different names, it is a treat that is found everywhere from Singapore to Ireland. In the U.S. it is generally a slice of vanilla ice cream between two rectangular chocolate wafers.

"What would you do for a Klondike bar?" Luckily all you have to do is dash to the grocery store and pick up one of these chocolate covered ice cream treats in the distinctive silver wrapper with its polar bear mascot. Klondike has some new additions to its ice cream family including the Caramel Pretzel Bar, the NASCAR bar, which comes complete with a chocolate cookie, caramel ice cream, caramel, and peanuts, and the Triple Chocolate Bar.

Dreyer's Dibs have been labeled "The next little thing in ice cream." This sweet sensation is bite sized ice cream in 11 varieties. You can choose your Dibs with a plain chocolate coating, a chocolaty almond coating, and even a Nestle Crunch coating. The ice cream flavors inside are vanilla, strawberry, rocky road, peanut butter, coffee, mint, cookies and cream, and chocolate. These ice cream treats will tickle you're your taste buds.

The mercury in the thermometer is on its way up, so take a moment to revisit a summertime indulgence from your childhood by having one of these cool, and tasty snacks.