Vampire Penguin Review
Vampire Penguin is a dessert shop in downtown Aiken that focuses on shaved ice. This shaved ice is different than what most expect because they use “snow magic” to create a creamy and fluffy dessert. The “snow” is incredibly unique in texture! The shop offers tons of different pre-made recipes but also allows customers to create their own.
The snow comes in regular and large sizes with a price range of $5-$9. All flavors are gluten-free except for cookies and cream. The snow is also great because it is much lower in sugar and calories than traditional ice cream options. Each serving is 10-14 grams of sugar, and the snow ranges from 54-75 calories before adding toppings.
Each dessert starts with a pile of flavored snow: strawberry, mango, chocolate, vanilla, cookies and cream, cotton candy, green tea, coconut, honeydew, and Thai tea. Then various toppings like fruit, chocolate, marshmallows, Oreos, boba, whipped cream, watermelon, and strawberries are added. Creating your own concoction is exciting and delicious, but the pre-made choices are also amazing!
I have been a frequent customer of Vampire Penguin since their shop in Aiken opened. Here are some of my personal favorites:
Tuxedo: The Tuxedo has chocolate snow, fresh strawberries, marshmallows, condensed milk, and chocolate drizzle. The chocolate snow is not overly sweet, and the fresh strawberries are refreshing.
Tiramisnow: The Tiramisnow starts with coffee and vanilla snow and is topped with shortbread crumble, condensed milk, chocolate sauce, hard shell, espresso powder, and whipped cream. As an avid coffee lover, this one hits the spot. The coffee-flavored snow and espresso powder are balanced nicely against the sweetness of the vanilla, cookies, and chocolate.
Strawberry Cheesecake: The Strawberry Cheesecake starts with strawberry and vanilla snow and is topped with Graham cookie dust, condensed milk, white chocolate, strawberry syrup, strawberry boba, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream. This one is great because all the strawberry is very refreshing but also balanced nicely against the other flavors. This one is also not overly sweet.
I highly recommend checking out Vampire Penguin next time you have a craving for something sweet or are walking around downtown Aiken!
Location: 108 Laurens St SW, Aiken, SC 29801
