Summer in Texas means eating lots of ice cream to cool off. If you've grown tired of traditional vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice creams, here are five innovative ice cream shops in the Collin County area that you can visit for a taste of something new!
From cereal infused ice cream, to Middle Eastern stretchy ice cream rolled in pistachios. Soft serve parfaits, to boozy ice cream, to a shop with over 100 flavors to suit even the pickiest palate, these options of out-of-the-ordinary ice cream shops are sure to please.
Milky Treats
7000 Independence Pkwy #104d, Plano, TX 75025
Mon - Sun : 2 - 10 pm
Milky Treats is the epitome of a Generation Z business, with highly Instagrammable treats, a TikTok presence of 152,000 followers, covetable merch and a unique concept. This unconventional ice cream shop offers customizable cereal-infused ice cream in several unique and cleverly named flavors.
Try "Cake By the Ocean," named after the pop hit by Joe Jonas's band DNCE. It's a gooey butter cream cake batter ice cream with chocolate cake bits. Or perhaps "Thot Tea-Ana," an earl grey and lavender tea flavored ice cream with hints of honey named after a Blueface and Cardi B song.
If you're overwhelmed by the sheer number of possible ice cream and cereal combinations, go for a signature swirl with the cereal already mixed in. Chocolate lovers should consider "Glen Cocoa," an homage to cult classic film Mean Girls with Cocoa Puffs, Kit Kats, crushed almonds and a chocolate drizzle. If you enjoy going to the movies just for the snacks (which I completely understand), try "Netflix & Chill," infused with caramel and butter popcorn, Cap'N Crunch, M&Ms and topped with a caramel drizzle.
But there's a caveat. As the Milky Treats website warns, their products may contain traces of nostalgia. Continue at your own risk...
BigDash
2693 Preston Rd Frisco, TX 75034
717 Lingco Dr #210, Richardson, TX 75081
Sun - Thurs: 12 pm - 11 pm , Fri - Sat: 12 pm - midnight
BigDash, a family-owned sweet shop, offers traditional Middle Eastern ice cream and pastries. They're known for their stretchy Arabic ice cream mixed with orchid flour, rolled into a spiral and served in slices topped with crushed pistachios. They also have a range of ice cream flavors, such as lemon mint, Nutella, tiramisu, Turkish delight and almond brittle, among others.
In addition to ice cream, they offer kinafa, a dessert made with shredded filo pastry or fine semolina dough soaked in sweet syrup and layered with cheese, clotted cream or nuts. They also have baklava, a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. They also have a variety of cream-filled cookies, puddings and crepes drizzled with chocolate.
Cow Tipping Creamery
3685 The Star Blvd., Suite 201, Frisco, TX 75034
Sun - Thurs: 12 pm - 9 pm, Fri - Sat: 12 pm - 10 pm
Cow Tipping Creamery redefines soft serve by including a range of toppings — think peanut butter sauce, lemon curd sauce, honey dust or Southern cracker candy — and unconventional flavors that will keep customers coming back for more. This ice cream shop always has chocolate and vanilla soft serve as well as one flavor that they rotate out on a daily basis.
Try a Stacker, Cow Tipping Creamery's take on a classic sundae. The customer chooses a flavor of soft serve and their toppings, which are then stacked to create layers of flavor. You know which flavor sounds most intriguing to me? "Reese's Witha'Spoon," with peanut butter blondie bar chunks, brown sugar hot fudge, peanut butter sauce and peanut butter chips. You can also create your own cups or cones (toppings cost extra), or go for a milkshake!
Ked's Artisan Ice Cream and Treats
6205 Coit Rd #344, Plano, TX 75024
Sun - Mon: 12 pm - 11 pm, Tues: 3 pm - 11 pm, Wed - Thurs: 12 pm - 11 pm, Fri - Sat: 12 pm - 12 am
Ked's Artisan Ice Cream and Treats has an astounding 120 ice cream flavors to choose from. The more unique flavors include Texas praline, avocado, custard apple, habanero, Thin Mint cookie, eggnog, lavender, honeydew and cheesecake, although they have all the classics as well.
Ked's is Indian-owned, so they also have a host of Indian flavors such as falooda, a dessert made with rose syrup, ice cream and noodles; sapota, a lightly sweet tropical fruit; paan, or betel leaf; and kulfi, or traditional Indian ice cream.
Now I may be biased here, but Indian owned ice cream shops are among the best in the business. The ice cream is rich and creamy and sweetened to perfection. Basically Ked's will put you into a food coma, but you'll want to thank them.
In 2018, we put Cow Tipping Creamery on a list of the most Instagrammable desserts. Check it out here!
Sweet tooth still not satisfied? Check out this list of artisan candy shops in and around Collin County!
