Ciao Bella introduces tasty new treats for summer

Ciao Bella introduces tasty new treats for summer
Ciao Bella introduces tasty new treats for summer

Ciao Bella introduces tasty new treats for summer

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Ciao Bella has a couple of new products coming to a freezer section near you

Every week or so, samples of new products come across my desk. Sometimes, they’re industrially-processed garbage dressed-up in a fancy, expensive package. Other times, they’re tiny start-ups, introducing me to products I would have never normally seen (thank you, Salted Caramel, for your Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn sample). Last week, Ciao Bella’s PR agency sent me a few of their new products coming out this season: key lime graham gelato squares, belgian chocolate s’mores and blueberry passion sorbet bars. 

The key lime squares I could probably live without, and while I’m not the biggest chocoholic, my kids and friends went nuts for the s’mores - deep, dark and chocolatey, they had a nice ribbon of marshmallow tucked into the middle, and the graham crackers were sturdy without tasting too artificial. My only issue was the nutritionals: one square had 11g of fat, (6g saturated) and 24g of sugar. Still, as an occasional indulgence, especially in summer, if you’re a fan of chocolate, you’ll dig the gelato.

My favorite - by a wide margin - were the blueberry and passionfruit sorbet bars. Dairy and fat free, they are only 70 calories apiece. I couldn’t get over how intense the passion fruit was, while also remarkably refreshing, thanks to the icy blueberry puree. This is a guilt-free snack I could have anytime in the summer. I felt even better after reading the ingredient list on the side of the box: “water, blueberry puree, organic evaporated cane juice, tapioca syrup, passion fruit juice, orange juice concentrate, pectin.”

Ciao Bella blueberry passion sorbet bar (photo: Steve Dolinsky)