Sweet Treats that Keep You Up at Night

Monster Yogurt

The only thing scary about Monster Yogurt is having to make the choice of what yogurt flavors and toppings make the perfect cup out of the millions of combinations. A 3-minute drive from campus, Monster Yogurt is the best place for an affordable and tasty sugar fix for yogurt fanatics or lactose intolerants- essentially, anyone and everyone. The staff was super friendly to a group of college students going to an establishment primarily geared towards kids and parents, as seen by the playground and coffee station (a portion of the proceeds from their coffee sales goes to charity!). We were even encouraged by them to take small paper cups and sample as many flavors as we wanted to ensure we spent our money right. There’s something for every palate from flavors like pumpkin (which, paired with the nitro cold brew flavor, made pumpkin spice coffee) and pomegranate honey to classics like cake batter and cookies and creme. Everything was all self-serve from yogurt to toppings and condiments like marshmallow spread and hot Nutella. The best part was the affordability: 69 cents for every ounce. You may feel guilty about the big sweet treat, but your wallet won’t be screaming at least. Maybe having to make the choice of the perfect yogurt combination isn’t so scary, since I’m sure to be back again.

Insomnia Cookies 

Reached with a brisk walk from campus and the newest addition to the strip mall by Northside, Insomnia Cookies is fulfilling the need for late-night snacks for college students, crucial to midterm study sessions. The biggest pros of the cookie and ice cream shop are the proximity to campus and the later hours (open until 1 AM Sunday through Wednesday and 3 AM Thursday through Saturday). The wide range of flavors is the main pull to Insomnia, from traditional chocolate and snickerdoodles to s’mores and salted caramel with vegan and gluten-free options as well. They even have a flavor lab where they are conducting “cookivation” to make new combinations. But the hot cookies are on the expensive side with one classic being $2.25 and deluxe at $3.75, while a small cup with two scoops of ice cream is $5.00. If you want the most for your money and aren’t afraid of getting messy, the ice cream on a cookie combo gives you a cookie and 2 scoops of ice cream for $6.25 at the smallest size. What makes us stay up so late for Insomnia Cookies are the convenience and unique flavors, but it’s a treat best saved for special occasions like that needed last bit of motivation to push you through exam season.