No Oven Needed

"It's a very simple but indulgent flavor," said flavor creator and Flavor Guru, Natalia Butler. "There's no shame in confessing that, on many occasions, I have cured my craving for chocolate by simply eating the brownie batter swirl in this flavor. Those rich cocoa-infused swirls of brownie batter taste exactly like what you'd lick out of a brownie batter bowl."

Ben & Jerry's says Limited Batch flavors change every four to six months. This lets the company offer seasonal and rotational offerings such as Key Lime Pie or Pumpkin Cheesecake, a perennial fan favorite in the fall. Totally Unbaked is currently available at retailers nationwide for $4.99-5.49.

Sara Lee Frozen Bakery, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., marked Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 9-15) and expanded its Superior on Main line with three peanut and tree nut free products. Developed for supermarket in-store bakeries, the new treats include two varieties of Shortbread and two seasonal desserts including Cinnamon Bun Crème Puffs and Peppermint Iced Cookies.

“Consumer response to the Superior on Main’s transition to a peanut and nut free facility late last year was extremely positive,” said Curt Coolidge, Sara Lee Frozen Bakery’s general manager, In Store Bakery. “With approximately 10 million Americans living with peanut and tree nut allergies, we are delighted to introduce new, nut free desserts to the grocery in-store bakeries to meet consumer demand.”

The butter Shortbread and Chocolate Drizzled Shortbread are nut free, preservative free and kosher OU-D certified. Available during the fall harvest and holiday seasons, the Cinnamon Bun Crème Puffs (pictured) are a French pastry with creamy, caramel-flavored filling and topped with icing and streusel. Sara Lee Frozen Bakery says the Peppermint Iced Cookies are made with chocolate cake cookies, peppermint flavored chocolate icing and peppermint candy pieces reminiscent of candy canes. Both are nut free and Kosher OU-D certified.

Oregon Ice Cream, Camas, Wash., extended its Alden’s Organic line with ice cream bars inspired by classic beverages: Strawberry Lemonade, Root Beer Float and Horchata.

“Our team has done an incredible job bringing these popular beverages to life through our novelties,’ said Joelle Simmons, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “With each bite, you get true-to-flavor taste from our organic ingredients. For example, the Root Beer Float Bar will instantly take you back to enjoying a cold, crisp root beer with vanilla ice cream on a hot summer day.”

The three new Summer Bar Collection flavors are currently available online, as well as in grocers nationwide including Sprouts and Costco (SRP: $4.99-5.49). Varieties include a Dairy-Free Strawberry Lemonade Bar with real organic strawberries (certified vegan); the Root Beer Float Bar, swirled with organic vanilla ice cream (certified gluten free); and the Dairy Free Horchata Bar with a sweet cinnamon swirl (certified vegan).

Forager Project LLC, San Francisco, expanded its plant-based product line into frozen desserts with a line of organic, dairy-free ice creams. Forager also is known for yogurts, nut milks, cheeses, sour cream, kefirs, shakes, butter, and vegetable-based chips.

"Our expansion into dairy-free ice cream is another step toward achieving our goal to make delicious, organic, plant-based food that leaves people amazed," said Forager Project Co-Founder and CEO Stephen Williamson. "With our hero ingredient, organic cashews, we've created our ice creams to give consumers a delicious dairy-free treat that's full of flavor and taste and free of pesticides, chemicals and GMOs."

Five varieties include Vanilla Bean, Bittersweet Chocolate, Cookies & Cream, Salted Caramel and Mint Chip. The offerings are available at retailers nationwide for $6.99, including Whole Foods Markets, Natural Grocer's, Market Basket, Earth Fare, and many other retailers nationally.