Oct 5

Oct 5 How to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth in LA

Usually I'm not the one to crave sweets or searching frantically for ice cream, but I think I can safely say that LA has changed me. Basking in the California sunlight always leaves me wanting unprecedented amounts of sugar, so I've come here to share some of my most frequented places.

1. Honeymee

If you aren't for saving the bees, you should be now. As a long-time non-fan of honey, I wasn't expecting much when I stepped into my first Honeymee. I ordered the classic "Sweetie"–some soft-serve ice cream with honey glazed over it, and then my life changed as much as it did when I first discovered waterproof mascara. I would say this is the perfect dessert for people who want something cold and sweet, but not overwhelmingly sweet. You could also spice things up by choosing one of Honeymee's many flavor selections, including chocolate and green tea toppings.

2. Beard Papa's

If you enjoy cream puffs and the small things in life, you're definitely going to want to check out Beard Papa's. I've always been a bit of a skeptic about any dessert that looks like it will get messy, but my times here have always been worth it. I stick to the original vanilla cream puff, but there's also chocolate and matcha options, as well as a variety of mochi ice creams and refreshing drinks.

3. Salt & Straw

This is one of the most popular ice cream spots in LA, so of course I had to pay it a visit. As with most places I've been to in LA, I was pleasantly surprised. The thing that sets Salt & Straw apart from its competitors is its flavor selection, ranging from what we normally see (vanilla, chocolate, cookie dough, etc) to some really out-there flavors like black olive brittle, goat cheese and honey lavender.

4. Creamistry

Because ice cream and its regular frozen product is boring, Creamistry decided to up the ice cream experience by bringing in liquid nitrogen. The largely monochromatic ice cream parlors are lined with mixing machines where you can create your own ice cream recipe and relive your first encounter with dry ice. I'd say the ice cream is a little denser than what I normally get, but it's still great.

5. Diddy Riese

If you love cookies, you're going to love Diddy Riese. While it has multiple specialties from sundaes, ice cream sandwiches and brownies, there's nothing I more aggressively crave than the white chocolate chip cookies. They're the perfect amount of sweet and gooey. I recently found out that Diddy Riese ships across the US. If life wasn't good before, it is now.

6. The Dolly Llama

The Dolly Llama takes everything that's good about self-serve froyo shops and waffle cones and takes it to another level. I think the best item you can get here is definitely the bubble waffle cone, which comes with a scoop of ice cream, two toppings and a sauce, all in a warm waffle cone. The ice cream flavors are also incredible (I recommend coffee or Cookie Monster).

Feature Image via Salt and Straw.