The following “CHEW THAT!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information.
“CHEW THAT”
Dirty Dough
Blaise Doubman
Cookies are and have been for quite some time now, the newest “rage” in food. Remember when the cupcake trend started a few years ago? Everyone had cupcakes everywhere. All kinds of cupcake stores popped up, people were having them at their weddings and a slew of cupcake themed reality shows started appearing all over TV. “Sprinkles” cupcakes, I would say in my opinion, started that food trend and took it even a step further with their marketing campaign, which was everywhere. “Sprinkles” cupcakes had cookbooks, a television show, stores everywhere, famous celebrity clients and for better or worse, even invented the cupcake vending machine. I have tried “Sprinkles” cupcakes in various forms. I have tried them from their location, red velvet is my favorite and I have to say that they are very delicious. Sometimes it is either the cake or the frosting that is good, very rarely both but these cupcakes had both going for it. There was even a time where “Sprinkles” had their own cupcake mix that you could bake up right at home. I tried it, the red velvet and the dark chocolate and both were incredible, considering they started out as a boxed mix.
The trend started picking up around the Indianapolis area with “Gigi’s Cupcakes” and “The Flying Cupcake”. “Gigi’s Cupcakes” were delicious but it was that case again of which was better, the cake or the frosting and in their case, their frosting was so much better than their cakes. “The Flying Cupcake”, which is still around today, is delicious! They have all kinds of cupcakes and even have vegan and gluten free options and their cake and frosting are both scratch made and really delicious. Kate Bova, is the found and owner of “The Flying Cupcake” and I have to say that I am lucky to count her as a friend of mine. She is super nice and has really helped me with tips and tricks in my own bakery life.
The cupcake trend started fizzling out though when donuts started taking over. The donut trend was short lived. I remember though a few new donut places popping up and people having donuts at their weddings to serve instead of pieces of cake. Kate opened up “The Dancing Donut” to strike while this trend was hot but it closed as soon as the donut trend faded.
The current food trend is cookies. Who is to thank for that? “Crumbl”. Sawyer Hemsley started the business in Utah and basically wanted to start making “the best chocolate chip cookies”. He opened up his first store a few years ago and now “Crumbl” is one of the fastest growing chains in the United States! Sawyer is worth an estimated $70 million dollars and is expanding into other ventures such as his newest venture with “Crust Club” where they offer hand held and regular full size pies, both sweet and savory, for people to enjoy.
There is a lot of talk that “Crumbl” supposedly, allegedly, “stole” their idea from another cookie place called “Dirty Dough”. “Dirty Dough” is known for their huge stuffed cookies. They are delicious and served warm and thick and stuffed full of peanut butter or chocolate or other delicious combinations that pair well with whatever cookie the stuffing is inside. You can Google more about the “Utah Cookie Wars”, they finally reached a settlement late last year but I am going to shift my focus to “Dirty Dough” and their amazing products.
“Dirty Dough” has a new CEO now and big plans for the future. The cookie chain has more than 55 locations, 10 food tucks, more than 40 stores under construction and 450 franchises sold. It is on course to become one of the fastest growing “new” franchises in current memory.
I have had the pleasure of trying “Dirty Dough” several times and I have to say that their cookies are not as overly sweet as their competitor and taste a lot fresher and more “homemade”. They have a rotating menu that keeps some of their classics but also features new and seasonal flavors. Classic styles like milk chocolate chip, cookies and cream and peanut butter, while seasonally offering pumpkin, peppermint and tropical varieties.
Some of my favorite cookies from “Dirty Dough” are their Brookie, which is a chocolate chip cookie stuffed inside of a brownie cookie and their Chocolate Chip, which is a chocolate chip cookie stuffed inside of another chocolate chip cookie and their Cookies and Cream. It is a chocolate cookie with thick and rich cream filling inside. Their Cookies and Cream may be my very favorite. I also really enjoy their seasonal Strawberry Shortcake cookie, which is featured in the photo along with this column and is stuffed with strawberries and topped with pie crust.
All in all, I would highly recommend “Dirty Dough” if you have not already and especially check them out if you are looking for delicious, quality cookies that are not too sweet. “Dirty Dough” can be found online and all forms of social media and have locations in Fishers, Indianapolis and Zionsville with other locations being built in and around the area that are coming soon.