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- Courtesy Last Course
Off the Eaten Path
Indulge your spirit of adventure with these innovative desserts.
By Alex Springer
We end this guide with something sweet. From cruffins, to Japanese-inspired ice cream-stuffed crêpes, these five eateries are sure to fill your sugar cravings in inventive ways.
Snow Cream at Shirokuma
While the snow cream at Shirokuma shares the spiral, ribbon-like presentation of the rolled ice cream trend sweeping the state, the similarities end right there. Snow cream is a bit like the frozen equivalent of cotton candy—the smooth texture of the icy treat melts as soon as it makes contact with your tongue, imparting the subtle flavors of chocolate, honeydew, matcha or taro as it disappears. Snow cream is available solo or with a wide variety of rarely used toppings like Pocky sticks, sweet red beans and lychee. If that's still not gangster enough for you, the whole thing can be wrapped inside one of their housemade bubble waffles, creating a dessert that looks like a tasty neon space alien. 2843 S. 5600 West, Ste. 120, 801-251-0134, shirokumaslc.com
Cruffins at Fillings and Emulsions
Though they will always be delicious, the Cronut trend is little more than a novel memory. That hasn't deterred the folks at Fillings and Emulsions from trying to meld doughnuts with other pastries, however. Their most recent foray into the field of fried dough is called a cruffin, which, exactly as it sounds, is a glorious union between a doughnut and a muffin. These crispy, sugar-coated pastries come stuffed with several types of filling depending on the day, but the dulce de leche remains the undisputed ruler of the cruffin empire. The outer layer inevitably gives way to the thick dulce de leche filling, creating a truly caramelicious bit of pastry. 1475 S. Main, 385-229-4228, fillingsandemulsions.com
Japanese Crêpes at Doki Doki
While Doki Doki is one of Salt Lake's finest purveyors of rolled ice cream, the thing that puts them on the map is their use of Japanese-style crêpes. Served slightly thicker than their French counterparts, they make for a chewier alternative to the traditional ice cream cone. Not sure where to begin? DD has a few excellent pre-constructed options—the Pink Blush is a strawberry cheesecake rockstar—but I suggest trying out their roulette system. This lets you cede control of your order to the behind-the-counter experts, who'll whip up something creative for you off the top of their head. It's the perfect out if you can't decide which of their delicious crêpe/ice cream combos to sink your teeth into. 249 E. 400 South, 385-229-4339, facebook.com/dokidessert
Cookie Dough Cannolis at Dough Co.
Sometimes, an idea is so revolutionary that it causes us to wonder why someone didn't think of it earlier. Such is the case for Dough Co. in Sugar House. Think of an ice cream shop. Now, replace the ice cream with gobs of multi-flavored cookie dough. That, my friends, is Dough Co. The idea of scooping up gooey chunks of red velvet, chocolate chip and salted caramel pretzel cookie dough is innovative on its own, but Dough Co. doesn't stop there. They've perfected a cannoli filled with cookie dough icing, thus bringing true harmony to the dessert universe. 2121 S. McClelland St., Ste. 105, 385-258-3111, dessertwithoutrules.com
Bananas Foster Taco at Last Course
Ever since I first tried a Choco Taco, I thought it was a shame that more places didn't do dessert tacos. Perhaps this was why I made a beeline to Last Course when I learned that they had combined bananas foster with cinnamon sugar-coated shells to create their Foster's Banana Taco. Like any taco joint worth its stripes, Last Course serves these indulgent, caramel-coated tacos three at a time. Instead of savory condiments, the tacos come with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream. As fun as these are to pick up and eat by hand, I recommend breaking the shell into smaller pieces and mixing them with the smooth ice cream and cooked bananas. Multiple Locations, lastcourse.com
