Top 10 spots for ice cream and more

Warm weather is coming and the kiddos will soon be getting out of school. Time to track down the best of the best of frozen yogurt, gelato and ice cream.

Here are my “bests” in Snohomish County:

Best Place to Satisfy Your Chocolate Craving: Mukilteo Chocolate Company, 407 Lincoln Ave.; 425-353-1183; www.mukilteochocolate.com. Located in the town’s downtown core, this shop offers many chocolate delights including truffles — such as lavender cheesecake — fudge and a huge variety of ice cream.

Best Gelato: Gelato’icious Desserts, 500 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett; 425-322-5267; www.gelatoiciousdesserts.com. Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream and this shop has — count them — 18 flavors such as tiramisu and Sicilian pistachio. There’s a complete espresso bar and traditional Italian desserts, including sweet ricotta-filled cannolis.

Best Place for After School Treats for Kids: LooBelles, 2827 Wetmore Ave., Everett; 425-446-2023; www.loobelles.com. Loobelles is a new frozen yogurt shop in downtown Everett. This darling shop offers specialty confections, small gifts and serve-yourself frozen yogurt, with flavors that range from cotton candy to creme de menthe.

Best Sundae: Melt Waffles &Frozen Yogurt: 4311 212th St. SW, Suite 110, Mountlake Terrace; 206-354-9994; www.meltwaffle.com. Melt has a twist on the sundae — specially made waffles topped with frozen yogurt and yummy toppings. These waffles are “pearl sugar waffles,” made of a harder sugar that is about the size of a pea that turns a regular waffle into a very crisp waffle.

Best Low Fat Treat: TCBY or The Country’s Best Yogurt: This chain offers hard scoop frozen yogurt that is similar to ice cream but lower in fat. Very tasty! They also have soft serve and smoothies on the menu. Best of all there are various locations. Go to www.tcby.com.

Best Place to Take a Crowd: The Spotted Cow Ice Cream and Coffee Company, 15118 Main St., Mill Creek; 425-357-9464; www.spottedcowcreamandbean.com. The store is located in the Mill Creek Town Center and they have a huge cafe with lots of seating. For those who like a real gourmet hot beverage with their cold treat, Spotted Cow serves on-site roasted coffee and 24 rotating flavors of gelato, ice cream and sorbet. The newest flavor, available starting July 7, is orange sunrise sorbet, blending oranges, orange liqueur and dark chocolate chunks.

Best Toppings: Skinny D’s, 16212 Bothell-Everett Highway, Suite A, Mill Creek; 425-742-0510. Skinny D’s is a self-serve frozen yogurt shop with 12 flavors of frozen yogurt at 42 cents an ounce. Some of the toppings include mochi, fruit juice caviar and coconut M&Ms.

Best for Unique Flavors: Cherry de Pon has two local locations: 4809 132nd St. SE, Suite A101, Everett and 18500 33rd Ave. W, Suite D, Lynnwood; cherrydepon.com. Cherry de Pon is a self-serve frozen yogurt shop with nonfat frozen yogurt choices and flavors like lavender honey, lychee and taro — 16 flavors to choose from. At 39 cents per ounce it’s the best value I have found. They also offer bubble tea and smoothies.

Best for High Tech: World’s Tastiest Frozen Yogurt and the ABS Coffee Company, 15224 Main St., Mill Creek; 425-357-0812: This shop is in the Mill Creek shopping center and is self-serve with an espresso bar. The place offers 16 flavors with lots of toppings. One of the coolest parts is personal iPod hook ups so you can listen to your music while you are enjoying your coffee and frozen treat. They also have cartoons and other shows playing on their five large screen TVs.

Best Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shop: Snohomish Scoop and Sweet Shop, 1009 First St., Snohomish; 306-862-9421; snohomishscoop.com. Located in downtown Snohomish, the scoop shop offers Snoqualmie ice cream, fudge and candies. The decor offers the best in cuteness, with bistro chairs and red and white checkered tablecloths.

Keep in mind before you go: Check hours. Some shops have seasonal hours. Make sure they take credit cards. Most shops have vegan frozen confections. Find your own favorites!

What are you favorite spots for ice cream or other frozen treats in the county? Tell us here or leave a comment on our Facebook page.