Orange County, home to beautiful weather and the happiest place on Earth. The best part of the OC is how many different kinds of dessert joints there are for you to try and spoiler alert: there are MANY. From cookie shots (yes, you read that right) to ice cream that is frozen by liquid nitrogen, the OC has a wide selection for you to choose from. And we all know that dessert is the most important meal of the day. Here’s a short list of some popular and unique dessert joints that will satisfy any craving.
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1. Eiswelt Gelato
Photo courtesy of @eisweltgelato on Instagram
Eiswelt Gelato is located in Westminster and is known for gelato that is disguised as a cute little animal, usually a pig or bear. They have a special design every month, which might be the reason they have a pretty nice turnout. Upon going here, I realized how this place is sort of like a mini paradise for avid Instagrammers because of how photogenic everything is.
With 10/10 points for aesthetic, plus their unique gelato flavors like Ferrero Rocher and strawberry sorbeto, Eiswelt Gelato is a must-have on your dessert bucket list. You also get 10% off for checking in on Yelp and as a college student, discounts are a must. Look at these little animals that are just begging you to eat ’em.
2. Snow Monster
Photo courtesy of Khurshid Iranpur
Snow Monster is a cute hip dessert bar in the University Center whose slogan is “eat dessert, be a monster,” which, let’s be real, is what we all do on a regular basis.
Their signature items include their yummy drinks like strawberry lemonade, Thai tea, milk tea, and milk lattes in these adorable jars for an extra $2, which you can reuse and save a few cents on for future purchases.
They also have macaron ice cream sandwiches with funky flavors that rotate every so often. Some of their ice cream flavors include Nutella Chocolate, Horchata and Columbian Coffee & Oreos. Their macarons are also super rad and unique flavors that taste like s’mores or churros.
Photo courtesy of Snow Monster on Facebook.com
Another cool aspect of Snow Monster that people, including me, get really excited about is how their spoons change color when eating the ice cream. It’s definitely something you have to see to believe.
3. Afters Ice Cream
Photo courtesy of Afters Ice Cream on Facebook.com
We all love ice cream and we all love donuts. So Afters Ice Cream decided to make our lives easier and combine both together, giving birth to the glorious milky bun. With multiple locations in Orange County, you must check out Afters to try their signature item.
Afters has flavors like Milk and Cereal (which actually tastes like milk and cereal, it’s weird but in an awesome way) and Cookie Monster, which is chunks of Oreos and chocolate chip cookies in blue ice cream. They even had a booth at Coachella last year and we all know that Coachella food is good food.
4. The Dirty Cookie
Photo courtesy of The Dirty Cookie on Facebook.com
For those of you that are underage, these shots were made just for you – hand-crafted cookie shots served with flavored milk. Located in Tustin, The Dirty Cookie offers you a new twist on the traditional milk and cookies that is fun and just as yummy. They have quirky little designs like your favorite cartoon characters that make taking a shot even more fun.
Super cute, right? If you don’t want a regular chocolate chip cookie shot, that’s okay too because there are other flavors like Red Velvet, Double Chocolate, Matcha and Churro. The best part about The Dirty Cookie? You don’t have to be 21 to take the shot.
Photo courtesy of @thedirtycookieoc on Instagram
5. Cauldron Ice Cream
Photo courtesy of Lisa Hong
Remember learning about how powerful liquid nitrogen is in freezing various things in your high school chemistry class? Well, ice cream frozen by liquid nitrogen is now a thing at a few places now, like Cauldron Ice Cream in Santa Ana.
Cauldron’s specialty, other than the nitrogen churned ice cream, is their Puffle (see below). It’s a new twist on your not-so-average cone, but it has not disappointed their many customers.
Their monthly flavors also rotate, and they are pretty unique ones too. To view this month’s flavors, check out Cauldron’s menu here. Definitely worth a visit if you want a twist on your basic ice cream craving.
Photo courtesy of Peter Vo
6. Honey & Butter
Photo courtesy of @honeyandbutter on Instagram
Located in a cool little trailer in Costa Mesa, Honey & Butter offers you some of the cutest macarons you will ever see. The macarons taste great and some of their popular flavors include Nutella, French Toast Crunch, and Sea Salted Caramel. Other flavors appear weekly, though not as often as their popular “core” flavors, which include Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt, Enchanted Berries, and Churro.
They offer some of your favorite characters from Pokemon, Disney, superheroes, and many more. But get there early, their designed macarons sell out pretty fast. Tastes great and looks even better, Honey & Butter really does have it all.
Photo courtesy of @honeyandbutter on Instagram
7. Churned Creamery
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Churned Creamery offers ice cream IN a croissant. Mind blowing or what? Located in Tustin, this place changes the game by introducing a flaky buttery croissant with your ice cream, called the “CroCream,” and you can add all the toppings you could possibly imagine.
Churned Creamery has become quite popular among dessert lovers because of how different the concept is and how tasty the product itself is. Who said croissants were only for breakfast?
Photo courtesy of @churnedcreamery on Instagram
Yes, those are brownie bits in a CroCream topped with chocolate drizzle. Churned Creamery goes all out and takes dessert seriously. This is an absolute must on your dessert bucket list.
8. Popbar
Photo courtesy of Merica Quan
Located in the Anaheim Packing District, Popbar introduces a new way to enjoy your gelato: on a stick. How convenient right? Not only are they one of the healthiest in the dessert industry, they taste AND look great.
Popbar offers different flavors of gelato, sorbets, and yogurt in the form of a bar. There is even an option for you to create your own Popbar, how exciting right? Whether you want it half dipped, half drizzled, or completely drowned in chocolate, Popbar lets you have your ice cream the way you want it.
Photo courtesy of Gabriela Kirkland
9. The Iron Press
Photo courtesy of @100eats on Instagram
The Iron Press is a joint in Anaheim and Costa Mesa that serves waffles in many different ways. Known for their savory waffle sandwiches, they also serve some sweet options to satisfy your sweet tooth. They have a section on their menu called “Sticky Fingers” where all the dessert options are because most of their items well, make your fingers sticky.
The Iron Press has different items that are topped with your choice of cereal, fruits, chocolate drizzle, ice cream, and much more. The options are never-ending, but we really can’t complain when they all taste so freaking good.
Photo courtesy of @theironpress on Instagram
10. Torch S’more Co.
Photo courtesy of Torch S’more Co. on Facebook.com
Sometimes we crave s’mores, even when we aren’t sitting around a campfire. Torch S’more Co. felt your struggle and opened two locations in Santa Ana and Tustin so that you could meet those s’more cravings.
Torch has about seven different flavors of marshmallows, including funky ones like Whiskey Bacon and Espresso, which is pretty cool because it isn’t your generic marshmallow. It’s the same with graham crackers, as there are about four different types for you to choose from.
Your creation is then torched to perfection and ready for you to eat. With gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate, this dessert option is definitely one of a kind.
11. Crêpe Coop
Photo courtesy of @sweetswithsteph on Instagram
Crêpe Coop, with locations in Anaheim and Tustin, serves sweet loaded crêpes. They wrap the crêpe to make it shaped like a cone and anything you could possibly imagine is served in it (well not absolutely anything, but close to it). From fruits to gelato, Crêpe Coop is a creative and tasty way to enjoy crêpes that will have you wanting more.
12. Creamery Pop
Photo courtesy of creamerypop.com
Creamery Pop is a gelato-lovers paradise and offers some pretty uncommon flavors like Red Berry Lemon Curd, Matcha Jasmine Tea, and Yuzu Pineapple.
Their gelato creations with your choice of flavor and served in a Belgian waffle, crepe, or bon bons, a new way for you to enjoy your gelato.
So the OC has different kinds of dessert joints that are guaranteed to make your mouth water. If I had to choose my favorite, I would break out in a sweat because picking just one place is way too difficult. These places are all unique, with a signature item that looks and tastes great.
If you ever visit the OC or live here and haven’t gotten the chance to check these places out, definitely stop by these places and take a few aesthetic photos. I guarantee you the desserts will make your stomach happy and your Instagram feed pretty. Be it waffles, crepes, or popsicles, your sweet tooth will really thank you for going.
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