With our frigid, icy winter finally wrapping up, there’s a little sweet spot between the winter season and the soon-approaching hot Minnesota summer. Spring is one of our favorite seasons due to its warm, one might call perfect, weather and the excitement about finally ditching the cold and nearing summer. Another great thing about the seasons changing is the new seasonal treats released at restaurants. In this story, we tried a few, some great and some that could stand to improve.

Starbucks ★★☆☆☆

This year, Starbucks introduced the Strawberry Matcha Loaf, a very interesting new addition to the menu. Based on visual presentation alone, in theory, the loaf is very aesthetically pleasing, showcasing a wavy pattern of pink and green topped with lilac icing. Although, unfortunately in reality, the blend of the colors ended up forming a sort of dingy brown color, which was not too appetizing. To our total surprise, we all unanimously agreed the loaf tasted exactly like a blueberry muffin, which was a fine taste, but just overall confusing and a little unideal.

Panara ★★☆☆☆

Panara’s spring treat was a tulip sugar cookie, and while there was nothing wrong with it, per se, it was a bit dry and bland and didn’t have much flavor. This cookie was cute, but there was nothing special about the presentation, and it definitely could have been prettier. This cookie was just average, and if I saw it on the menu again, I would pass on ordering it, as I believe there are many better options if you are craving a sugar cookie.

Caribou ★★★☆☆

The spring treat from Caribou we chose was the Blueberry Cream Cheese Croissant. This treat was a croissant with cream cheese filling and blueberries on top. The croissant itself was delicious, but the cream cheese filling had very little flavor, and the blueberries also didn’t add much to the treat. It was a nice croissant but didn’t taste like blueberries or cream cheese.

Crumbl ★★★★★

Our favorite spring treat belongs to Crumbl. Crumbl offered many different spring treat options over the course of several weeks; however, the dessert we selected was their chocolate-covered strawberry cookie. This cookie looked adorable, a simple pink frosting with a dark chocolate drizzle. We loved the cookies’ sweet taste and the contrast of the fruity strawberry frosting with the rich chocolate on top. Overall, just a solid, delicious, festive spring treat! We would definitely recommend giving it a taste next time it pops up on the menu!