Sweet Treats

Get your licks at the coolest new frozen dessert spot in South Austin

Venezia Gelato offers decadent ice cream in addition to unique dessert and coffee offerings.

Photo by Ashlyn Allison

If your summer has been dictated by artificially flavored ice pops so far, then you should head to Venezia Gelato to up your frozen treat game.

The Italian gelato parlor recently opened at 1701 S. Lamar Blvd. and offers around 15 handcrafted gelato flavors each day. More importantly, you can currently get four summer-centric concoctions, which include a silky blend of chocolate and hazelnut called Venezia, a tart yet creamy lemon, a luscious strawberry cheesecake, and a decadent coconut and chocolate.

Behind the creation of these extravagant flavors are Venezia’s owners — and certified gelato crafters — Alice and Nicola Morello. Trained at the renowned International School of Gelato in Rimini, Italy, the couple specifically chose Austin and its “enterprising food culture” as their preferred spot to open a gelato parlor.

The duo carefully crafts the ice cream with the traditional approach used in Italy. All of the offerings are natural, with no artificial colors or hormones, and many of the gelatos are vegan and gluten-free.

Aside from the various gelato selections, the parlor has frozen gelato lollipops, pastries, made-to-order gelato cakes, real Italian espresso, American-style coffee drinks, infused teas, affogatos (a coffee-based dessert that comes with a scoop of vanilla gelato), and a gelato-filled icing-covered treat known as Mr. Ring frozen doughnuts.

If you’re looking for a new way to beat the heat, or at the very least you just want to wolf down some delicious treats, then Venezia Gelato is the place for you.

Venezia Gelato opens at noon Tuesday-Sunday, closing at 10 pm most nights with the exception of Friday and Saturday when it closes at 11 pm.

More pumpkin, less milk

Austin-based vegan milk ready for fall with new pumpkin spice flavor

Photo courtesy of Malk

Pumpkin is one of the first ingredients in this flavored almond milk.

Vegans may avoid dairy, but they deserve a pumpkin spice latte in the fall. Malk Organics, an Austin-based almond milk company, is taking care of that with a new pumpkin spice variety.

This seasonal flavor is hitting shelves now, and will be available "throughout the fall season while supplies last," according to a news release. It joins three standard flavors — unsweetened, vanilla, and chocolate — for a total of four almond milks across the board. The company also makes oat and cashew milk, or "malk," and some creamers.

The second ingredient after filtered water is organic pumpkin, so that flavor should come out strong in whatever drink it's spicing up. It also contains almond butter and sugar, plus extracts of vanilla, cinnamon bark, nutmeg, ginger, and clove — all organic, too.

"With the popularity of the pumpkin spice flavor profile, we wanted to offer consumers a healthier way to enjoy their favorite fall beverages." said Malk CEO Jason Bronstad in the release. "We have meticulously crafted a pumpkin spice SKU featuring the cleanest ingredients without compromising on delicious flavor."

When Bronstad talks about health, he's referring to claims made in the release that distance the completely organic product from "gums, oils, and fillers." The brand prides itself on these things, plus few enough ingredients to count on one hand — not quite the case for this more intricately spiced product, but surely an exception can be made for that pumpkin pie flavor.

This isn't Malk's only seasonal effort; it's also bringing back its holiday nog made with almonds, maple syrup, nutmeg extract, and Himalayan pink salt. So far there aren't really any exotic flavors on the permanent menu, but a caramel creamer enhances the otherwise vanilla and unflavored line.

For those who feel called by the dairy-free pumpkin spice but don't know what to make with it, Malk has plenty of recipes on its site that might be nice to spice up. The Pumpkin Protein Pancakes are an obvious candidate for an extra bit of pumpkin oomph, as is the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Actually, there are lots of pumpkin recipes already on the website using other varieties of Malk; but perhaps the Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars could use some additional adventure.

Pumpkin Spice Malk ($6.99 for 28 ounces) can be found at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Erewhon, Gelsons, HEB, Fresh Market, and other local retailers. Find nearby options at malkorganics.com.