My DESSERT Brand: PART 1 — My Southern Brand

Everyone loves a sweet confection to satisfy his or her taste buds. Whether healthy or unhealthy, dessert is the icing on the cake when completing a savory meal. To be completely honest, desserts don’t necessarily have to be eaten after a meal. For folks with a sweet tooth like me, desserts come in handy at any time of the day. Yes, ANY time of the day! Cakes. Ice Cream. Cookies. Candy. Chocolates. Donuts. Milkshakes. Pies. You name it. These special treats are well appreciated and can be found at places, such as bakeries, food trucks, restaurants, stores, food stands, etc.

Houston is no slouch when it comes to the variety of desserts it has to offer. My DESSERT Brand is a series that highlights black-owned and minority-owned dessert spots around Houston. Let me take you on a journey to these sweet locations…

Crumbville, TX

The treats here are banging! This little shop is located in Third Ward across from Emancipation Park and holds a special place in my heart with its cookies, cupcakes, and brownies.

Let me start off with the cookies. Ms Ella, the owner, is the cookie connoisseur; several of her cookies are vegan. The term “vegan” scares the crap out of me. See, in my mind, I’m thinking that there’s a taste difference like the difference between Pepsi and Diet Pepsi. LOL. However, she explained that vegan cookies and other vegan desserts aren’t composed of any animal byproducts and that they still have the same great taste as “normal” cookies. Oh yea, she was right! I sampled every cookie in the sample jars on the front counter. Peanut Butter Snicker Crunch. Peachy-cob-a-licious. Lemon Blueberry. Cookie Minaj (strawberry oatmeal and white chocolate chips). Cole World (lemon dough, white chocolate, and mint). Chocolate Chip. All cookies were great, but my favorite one was and is the Chocolate Chip cookie; this is my go-to cookie. It tastes just like a “regular” chocolate chip cookie but better; it’s very moist and soft. It seems so buttery, but it’s not, obviously. My mind wanted to tell me that it was nasty because it’s vegan, but my taste buds didn’t allow that to happen. The taste is indescribable.

Furthermore, I’m not a brownie person, so I went towards the cupcake section. For my paranoid meat lovers, a lot of the cupcakes are not vegan. Did I mention that Ms. Ella is unique? Her cupcakes, or stuffedcups, are not your average cupcakes; each stuffedcup has a cookie baked into it at the bottom. Red Velvet Stuffedcup with a white chocolate chip cookie. Blueberry Stuffedcup with a chocolate chip cookie. Vanilla Stuffedcup with a chocolate chip pecan cookie and so much more! During my first visit, I chose the Vanilla Stuffedcup with a chocolate chip pecan cookie, which was not vegan. It was really tasty and moist. The cookie at the bottom was really good too; it didn’t take away from the stuffedcup at all. There were chocolate chips and pecans sprinkled atop. My favorite part of the stuffedcup was the vanilla icing. I don’t know what she puts into that icing, but whatever it is should continue to be apart of the stuffedcup’s eating experience.

Last but not least, a complimentary almond milk shot can be accommodated with each treat. Sounds delicious right? This woman always has something up her sleeves! I love everything about this place. The location. The prices. The desserts. The vibes. The space. From a price perspective, all cookies and stuffedcups are $5.50. On Sundays, she hosts Happy Hour, where all desserts are $4.00. Crumbville, TX does not break the bank, especially on Sundays. Ms. Ella continues to create new flavors in her commercial kitchen; her new sweet potato pie cookie is the bomb! Not only does she bake small treats, she bakes cakes for special occasions. She’s literally the G.O.A.T.! Because of her greatness, I have to give Crumbville, TX 5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️); it’s my favorite dessert spot in Houston!

The Color Cone Food Truck

Alicia Gaines and her husband, Fred, have created a masterpiece with their food truck endeavors. The duo has mastered the creation of infusing our favorite cereal within vanilla ice cream. Sounds exciting, huh?! It tastes even better! Not only do they infuse cereal into ice cream, they top the tasty concoction with tasty treats, such as marshmallows, gummy bears, sprinkles, caramel, fudge, fruit, etc. I know it sounds even more tempting now.

In order to get a truly satisfying treat, there’s a 3-step process to complete. First, you have to choose between a cone and a cup; the cones are flavored: Birthday, Lemon Pie, CoCo, Creamsicle, Strawberry, and Blue Vanilla. I’m not a cone person, so I got a cup during my visit. Second, you have to choose your cereal of choose (swirl-in). I’m a huge fan of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, so I chose that brand of cereal as my swirl-in. Also, if you want extra cereal for a swirl-in, then you have to pay $1.00 for each addition. The third and final step involves the choosing of your favorite toppings. You have the luxury of choosing up to 3 of your favorite toppings; of course, if you want extra toppings, then you have to pay $1.00 for each topping. When it comes to desserts, I’m really simple, so I’d chosen only one topping, which were Teddy Grahams, for my treat.

The final product was out of this world. The crunchiness and cinnamon from the Cinnamon Toast Crunch complimented the vanilla ice cream really well. The Teddy Grahams were deliciously softened by the ice cream; as the ice cream melted with the swirl-in and soft Teddy Grahams in tact, it took me back to my childhood, when I would drink milk from a cereal bowl.

If you thought the ice cream cones and cups were amazing, then wait until you get a hold of this new addition: dessert waffles! Yes, you heard me! Dessert waffles! There’s a 2-step process with utilizing the dessert waffles. First, you choose a chocolate dipped waffle: milk chocolate or white chocolate. Second, you choose up to the three toppings, ranging from cereals to fruit; each additional topping is $1.00.

Color Cone has it going on! Alicia and her husband, Fred, are very friendly and are approachable; you can find the dynamic duo in and around Houston at various events, such as festivals and markets; check their Instagram profile for location updates. This small business’s treats do not break the bank. My treat was $5, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Color Cone experience! As a result, I give this special food truck 5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️).

Sno Dreamz

Houston has been dubbed “New Orleans with a Bow-tie” by many people who are familiar with both cities. The two share a lot in common: weather, topography, oil and gas economy, cuisine, culture, and southern hospitality. As a result, there’s no surprise to experience New Orleans traditions in Houston, especially in the form of sno-balls. Different from the crunchier snow cones, sno-balls have been a part of New Orleans’s culture since the 1930’s, and they continue to be one of the city’s most popular treats. Here, in Houston, the authentic New Orleans sno-ball can be enjoyed at the famous Sno Dreamz, which has two locations: Southwest Houston and Third Ward.

Owned by Houston-born residents with New Orleans roots, Sno Dreamz is a black owned family sno-ball restaurant that has been serving Houstonians for over 10 years. Recently, while cruising through Third Ward, I decided to patronize the business’s new location, which is located in a small newly constructed orange plaza by Domino’s Pizza. The space is really bright and showcases its many treats, such as chips, candy, pralines, etc.; boudin, hot dogs, Frito pies, nachos, corn-in-the-cup, and koolickles (Kool-aid soaked pickles) are also sold at Sno Dreamz. However, I was interested in the sno-balls.

The sno-balls here are specialties and are insane! One can get a Strawberry Fluff, which is a strawberry sno-ball that includes crushed strawberries and whipped cream atop. If one is feeling adventurous and really want to experience the true New Orleans style, he or she can get a sno-ball of any flavor with diced pickles atop; I couldn’t believe my eyes when I’d seen that several people had gotten sno-balls with pickles atop during my visit. Nonetheless, I wanted to try something different, but I wasn’t ready for the pickles; one of the employees recommended the red velvet sno-ball. Her recommendation was on point because red velvet is my favorite cake, and it tasted really close to it. The red velvet flavored sno-ball included vanilla ice cream in it and was drizzled with condensed milk, another popular New Orleans style of sno-ball. It really seemed like I was eating a red velvet cake in a cup.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed my cold treat; it was priced at $4.50 for a large size. I also appreciated the friendly and accommodating staff. Because of my wonderful experience, I give Sno Dreamz 5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️). You will not be disappointed with this dessert palace!

As you can tell, I enjoyed every last one of the listed restaurants and what each had to offer. As a result, I was compelled to create My DESSERT Brand, and I will continue to share with y’all my favorite dessert spots across the Greater Houston area. If you have any recommendations, then please comment below! In the meantime, stay tuned for Part 2!