I am enthusiastic about dessert. While I am often happy with a simple warm cookie or single scoop of top-notch ice cream, sometimes I get in one of those moods where my desire to eat All The Desserts paralyzes my ability to choose just one.
That’s where these yummy hybrids come in. Compound desserts, as they're called in the biz, bring together multiple individual desserts into one delectable creation. That means I can have it both (or all three) ways.
So for those of us who have more than just a "sweet tooth," here are five over-the-top compound desserts to satiate all your sweet teeth.
A ShotCake from ShotCakes
Did you know that there is a magical machine that takes a cupcake and puts a sizable blob of cool, creamy soft-serve ice cream right there in the gosh-darn middle? My life got so much better once I discovered ShotCakes, located on the left side of the Burlington Mall’s food court. You get to choose your cupcake flavor and the flavor of ice cream that goes inside – and then toppings! My favorite cupcake-ice-cream flavor combos are the peanut butter cup, cookie dough and caramel turtle cupcakes, all with vanilla soft-serve.
Pro tip: If variety is important to you, hit up ShotCakes for lunch-dessert rather than dinner-dessert, as the cupcake flavor offerings can diminish as the day goes on.
Burlington Mall (second-floor food court), 75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, 781-221-2200, shotcakes.com
The Campfire Torte from Outlook Kitchen & Bar
The only aspect of camping that I ever enjoyed was the s’mores. Luckily for indoor-types like myself, the Outlook Kitchen & Bar at the Envoy Hotel has a gourmet version that I can eat while being statistically less likely to accidentally set my hair on fire. The decadent creation has dark chocolate ganache, graham cracker crust, toasted meringue, hazelnut lace, and house-made toasted marshmallow, with a jar of smoking toasted marshmallows on the side, for a full sensory experience.
70 Sleeper St., Boston, 617-338-3030, theenvoyhotel.com
The Double Decker at Frozen Hoagies
Ordinary ice cream trucks can keep on driving by, because the Frozen Hoagies food truck — and now storefront in Somerville — is coming through with ice cream and cookies. The idea is simple but delicious - customizable ice cream cookie sandwiches. You select the cookies, and your favorite flavor of small-batch Chilly Cow ice cream, and both are combined into one gigantic sandwich. The Double Decker is a favorite, and exactly what you think it is: your choice of cookie + ice cream + second cookie + second ice cream + third cookie. Did I mention they also have gluten-free cookies and vegan ice cream? Choices, choices!
Since food trucks occasionally have mechanical problems or cater special events, I recommend that you check the truck’s Twitter @FrozenHoagies before making a special trip.
864 Broadway, Somerville, 617-620-6810, frozenhoagies.com
The Crème Brûlée Donut at Kane’s
A longstanding beacon of glaze and dough on the New England culinary scene, Kane’s Donuts expanded from its Saugus location to add a shop in Boston’s Financial District, offering to the urban masses a sugar-rush alternative to the customary caffeine jolt. Amongst the many excellent options is the crème brûlée donut, which is exactly what it sounds like, and every bit as good as it sounds: a cake donut filled with vanilla-bean custard, dipped in local honey and caramelized by hand with a torch for that toasty-sugar crunch on the exterior.
120 Lincoln Ave., Saugus, 781-233-8499, 90 Oliver St., Boston, 857-317-2654, kanesdonuts.com
Everything Bagel Doughnut from Blackbird Doughnuts
Ok, so a bagel is not technically a dessert. But I can’t leave this unconventional creation off of the list. Blackbird Doughnuts has taken two breakfast foods—one sweet and one savory—and combined them to make an epic treat.
This doughnut will appeal to any fan of the sweet and salty combination. The sweet brioche doughnut is filled with savory whipped cream cheese and sprinkled with salty sesame, poppy seeds, and onion. You can enjoy it anytime of day at Blackbird's many locations around Boston.
Various locations around Boston, blackbirddoughnuts.com
Also featured in Blackbird Doughnuts That Are Brimming With Character And Flavor.
Nutella Cannoli Crepe at Paris Creperie
European desserts collide at this Coolidge Corner gem. You’ll find all kinds of French delicacies at Paris Creperie, but the sweets are the real showstoppers.
Nutella is a religion at Paris Creperie, and many items feature the heavenly hazelnut spread. But my mind is still fixated on the Nutella Cannoli Crepe, combining the very best of two sweet desserts. One bite and I'm already planning my next trip there.
278 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-870-3771, pariscreperie.com
Also featured in The Very Best Crepes In Brookline, S'il Vous Plait!
