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Our 2nd dessert stop was Hypnotic Emporium. I've been dying to go here forever! I'm finally close enough to stop by. It's a cute shop right next to their donut shop by White Rock Lake. The front of the store is a old school candy shop with all different types of treats you may not find in a typical store. I went straight to the back tho, to where the ice cream/soda shop is. They don't have much seating, just FYI.
Hypnotic Emporium
9005 Garland Rd #150
Dallas, TX 75218
(214) 354-3414
www.hypnoticemporium.com
Price: $
They use ice creams from Beth Marie's which is a shop in Denton that makes some amazing flavors. Their ice cream is classified as "premium quality" which means more butterfat (14% to be exact), which makes it more rich and creamy. They have some interesting flavors such as Jack & Coke, and Bee's Knees which is honey lavender.
I'm here for only one reason. Well... two. 1) to treat the birthday boy to a dessert of his choice, 2) to try their donut ice cream sandwiches. No one wanted to share, so I had to get my own. I was pretty full already but since I'm here, I gotta get it.
Dream (Donut Ice Cream Sandwich) $6~
After sampling a ton of flavors, I decided on half Lemon Drop, half Banana Cream Pie.
The Banana Cream Pie was everyone's favorite flavor. One friend got 2 scoops of it in a waffle cone. And the bday boy got it too. It was so good I got a pint to go before we left to take home to my husband. The donut sandwich was yummy. Too bad I was so full, I couldn't finish. :( I can't eat like I used to. Damn you, low metabolism!! The donut is unglazed and warmed when served. I really liked it. The donut was fluffy and I liked it unglazed. Glazed would've been too sweet and just a mess to eat. This way I could pick it up with my hands and not be too sticky. I was a little confused when they gave me the sandwich tho, they never asked me if I wanted toppings. So I assumed they were extra... but when I got one for the bday boy, they asked him what he wanted. Oh well, this time around, I probably couldn't have taken any additional food anyways. haha.
The bday boy got the same thing. Dream $6~ (All Banana Cream Pie ice cream and loaded with all the toppings: whipped cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, strawberry sauce, peanuts, pecans, sprinkles, waffle cone crumble topped with a marachino cherry).
Damns! You couldn't even tell what was under there after they put all the toppings on. You definitely can't pick that up with your hands! haha. It was a big ol' mess to eat, but he ate it all. He also ate the 2nd scoop and waffle cone from my other friend. This boy can put down the sugar for sure.
A little pricey but it is more of a novelty and they use really good quality ice cream. And I think I like donut ice cream sandwiches better than cookie ice cream sandwiches. It's a little less sweet and much easier to eat! I'll go back next time when I have someone to share with!
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
Rockwall recently got a new cupcake place and I'm super psyched!! They opened a little before Thanksgiving, and I didn't get to go check it out until December. Not only do they make cupcakes, they also make their own breads, fruit bars, muffins, granola, and more. AND... everything is gluten and soy free. They also have items that are corn-free, dairy-free, and egg-free (to name a few). And they have vegan and paleo friendly options. They also use the purest and whole ingredients: organic and non-GMO flours, sugars, fats, dried fruits, nuts, eggs... This makes them healthy right?!?! :P
Unrefined Bakery
557 E I-30
Rockwall, TX 75087
(972) 948-2414
http://unrefinedbakery.com
Price: $
They started off in Dallas, I believe, but now they have a total of 5 locations across DFW. That's amazing! My reviews are only on the Rockwall location.
They offer a Cupcake of the Week "COW", every Friday at noon and sell it for the following week until they run out. I follow them on Instagram and Facebook so I usually find out what flavors are coming soon. Could be a dangerous thing. haha.
The first time I went in was for the new COW which was Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Sounds amazing... Walking in, the store is pretty bare. They have some tables and chair set up and some shelves on the side for the breads and granola. I wonder if they're going to do more with the decor. Looks quite unfinished compared to their other locations. It also smells a little weird, not like how a bakery normally smells. Not sure if that's got to do with the different ingredients?? But the people were super friendly. One person immediately came up to greet me, and gave me a general blurb about what they do and what they offer. I liked that. I think it's important to inform the public about what makes their products unique. I've gone into other gluten free bakeries before where the employees offered no info whatsoever. Why would I spend extra money buying your stuff, when I can get a cupcake elsewhere for a few bucks less? Right??
I proceeded to try a whole bunch of samples. Haha.. I wanted to try them all! But didn't want to be greedy. :P
Peppermint Hot Cocoa (chocolate cake with chocolate mint creme, peppermint unbuttercream, cocoa dust, shaved chocolate) $5~
I'm so shocked that their cupcakes are gluten free or vegan...it's so moist! I remember having my first gluten free cake years and years ago and it was like eating dry cardboard. The gluten free desserts have certainly improved tremendously! They always have samples in the store too. I tried regular gluten free versions as well as vegan, and honestly, I can't tell the difference. They're all really moist. I mostly got the peppermint for my fiance since he likes mint. I'm usually not a huge fan. But I liked this one, just enough hint of the peppermint without overpowering everything else. I also enjoy their unbuttercream. They don't use butter, hence the name. Always smooth and creamy. I've never minded the texture. In fact, I like it more than most super sugary frostings.
Loaded Monkey (peanut butter, banana, nuts) $5~ Can't go wrong with this combination of flavors. Really enjoyed this one.
Brownie. They told me this is like crack, cuz it's so good. I can't say it's THAT good, but I did like it. Popped it into the microwave for a few and devoured it. Couldn't tell that this was gluten free.
All their COWs are $5, as well as the Loaded Monkey which is a Specialty cupcake. A little pricey, but I understand the ingredients they use, and the dietary restrictions are more expensive.
I've gone back a few times after that. Usually the COW is what brings me to the shop. I like to try new and limited time items.
Black Forest (chocolate cake, dark cherry chocolate ganache filling, dark cherry unbuttercream) $5~
Super moist, as always. I actually wished there were more chunks of cherries. I think they chopped them too small. But other than that, yum.
Salted Caramel Pistachio (pistachio cake, salted pistachio cream filling, vanilla unbuttercream, caramel, salted pistachios) $5~
This was the previous week's COW. They only had a few left. I really liked this one. Normally not much of a caramel fan, but the texture and saltiness from the pistachio was great. My fiance didn't like it much so it was all mine!! For some reason he has an issue with the unbuttercream texture. I have no problems with it.
They also gave me a couple cookies for free! The cookies were super hard. But were pretty good once I warmed them up in the microwave. Nothing spectacular though. I'll stick to their cupcakes.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
It's basically like 2 cupcakes stacked on top of each other and its got a hint of spice in the cake. OMG! SUPER delicious! The cake was sooo moist, and the froston was awesome. This totally beats all the cupcakes I've had in Dallas so far. Chocolate lovers, you must order this whenever you see it on their menu! The hint was spice was just right. It made it interesting without being weird and it actually helped to cut the sweetness so it wasn't overly sweet. Also the nuts on top added a great crunchy texture to everything. I'm definitely going to get this again sometime! :D LUV LUV~
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