It's been a dark road for three years since Cold Stone Creamery closed its doors to us sweet-tooth craving college students. On May 5th, however, a shining light was cast on Tuscaloosa when the Baked Bear opened its doors. They offered us ice cream sandwiches on cookies, brownies, and even doughnuts to serve with their hand-crafted ice cream. They also sell ice cream cones if you don't feel like having your ice cream sandwiched, as well as boxes of their cookies.
The Baked Bear Story
The name The Baked Bear might not sound familiar to you but this delicious ice cream brand has been around since 2013 for sweet-tooth's across America. Their locations started on the west coast, specifically San Diego, and have spread out to Utah, Arizona and South Carolina to name a few of the nine states they have locations in. The Baked Bear started as the dream of two guys (Rob Robbins and Shane Stranger) from the San Diego area who wanted to follow their passion and serve inventive sweets.
The Menu
Every store location bakes over a dozen original-recipe cookies to serve with their ice cream. You can get chocolate chip cookies or M&M to red velvet and and cookies and creme. The monstrous sandwiches you need to eat with a spoon are served on fresh baked cookies, brownies, and donuts which are accompanied with the most delicious traditional --and non-traditional-- ice cream flavors. There’s nothing not to love about these sandwiches as long as you don’t look at the calorie count, but your sweet-tooth and taste buds will thank you.
My (Not So Secret) Obsession
I myself tried the M&M cookie and brownie, and their monthly ice cream flavor apple pie that had actual chunks of apple and pie crust in it that was to die for. I got a sample of the ice cream before choosing and I melted like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. I rounded it off, literally, with mini M&M’s and missed the opportunity to get it hot pressed so the ice cream would melt a la mode all over my brownie and cookie. That just gave me another excuse to go back (not that I needed one, the food was amazing enough). Since it’s opened I’ve tried the red velvet, snickerdoodle, and chocolate chip cookies and the blackberry crumble ice cream and their signature bear batter which tastes like cake batter with chunks of brownie.
The Baked Bear is the best place to get a cool, sweet treat this summer in Tuscaloosa. As the only store in Alabama with the next closest in South Carolina, enjoy the sweet treat that has blessed us with a space in Midtown Village and enjoy your totally #InstaWorthy ice cream sandwich.