Tutti Frutti: Low in Calories, High in Flavor

At long last Cockeysville is thawing out and spring temperatures are rolling in. It’s finally acceptable to satisfy your sweet tooth by indulging in a frozen treat, rather than a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

But the tradeoff for that ice cream or frozen custard is the threat it poses to the six-pack abs and bikini body you’ve been working toward for summer.

The compromise? Tutti Frutti.

Based out of California, the Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt chain has been growing steadily for the last few years and came to Cockeysville (10128 York Rd.) in December 2010. The yogurt, which comes in a multitude of flavors, offers all the calcium-wielding, probiotic benefits of other dairy products, and the majority of Tutti Frutti’s flavors are low-calorie and fat-free.

Of course, it all sounds good in theory, but how does it taste? How does it stack up to tried-and-true options like Cold Stone Creamery and TCBY?

The beauty of Tutti Frutti is the ability it gives customers to completely customize their own desserts. The cups (which are more adequately described as small tubs) come in three sizes, but you aren’t charged by size. Instead, you’re charged by weight and so you can fill your cup with as little or as much yogurt and toppings as you wish.

And since you’re the one filling your cup out of the soft serve machines set along the wall, you can opt for as many flavors as you want as well. On a daily basis, Tutti Frutti offers 12 flavors, but these flavors rotate among a total of 30.

The flavors are divided into two categories, tart and creamy. The tart category includes flavors like acai berry, guava, kiwi, pomegranate, lychee, triple berry, mango and melon. The creamy category is for overindulgent people like myself, who enjoy flavors like cappuccino, coconut mint, cheesecake, peanut butter, cookies and cream, almond and pistachio.

But since it was my first visit to Tutti Frutti, I decided to go classic, filling my cup halfway with chocolate and halfway with vanilla. I was pleased to discover that what the yogurt was lacking in fat and calories, it wasn’t hurting for in flavor. The chocolate was rich and creamy, and the vanilla was untainted by that often-present yogurt-y flavor that reminds you you’re not really eating ice cream.

It doesn’t end with the yogurt though.

Tutti Frutti offers an array of self-serve toppings to choose from, ranging from fruity options like raspberries and shredded coconut to nuts like chestnuts and almonds. Tutti Frutti also offers carob chips for those allergic to chips of the chocolate variety, granola for the hippies, and fruity pebbles for those who aren’t quite ready to give up a taste of their childhood.

Me? I dumped crumbled graham crackers over my chocolate yogurt and sprinkled crushed Oreos over my vanilla yogurt.

Could I have been happier? No. What’s better than satisfying a craving and doing so without negating a pre-summer workout?