Dessert pizzas are the star at this Chestnut Hill bakery
“It sounds kind of gross at first, but it’s a frozen pizza just with a fun, sweet twist to it,” said Jacob Boyd.
Every year during the slower months as winter transitions to spring, brothers Jacob and Irvin Boyd and their team of bakers conjure up new menu ideas for Bredenbeck’s Bakery and Ice Cream Parlor. This year: It’s ice cream pizzas.
They start with a 7-inch housemade chocolate chip cookie as the base. Then, one of four Bassetts ice cream flavors are scooped and spread on top as the sauce. Toppings like chopped pretzel pieces or chopped vanilla cake pieces are sprinkled on before the dessert pizza goes in the freezer to chill.
“Someone kind of threw out the idea — it sounds kind of gross at first, but it’s a frozen pizza just with a fun, sweet twist to it," Jacob said.
Take the Philly Special, with chocolate chip cookie crust, salted caramel pretzel ice cream, chopped pretzel pieces, chocolate ganache and caramel drizzles. Or the Celebration, with cookie crust, birthday cake ice cream, chopped vanilla cake pieces, pastel nonpareils and confetti sprinkles, white chocolate ganache drizzle dyed pink, pastel nonpareils, and a dusting of edible glitter.
There’s Cookie Overload that champions cookies and cream ice cream and chopped Oreos, or you could opt for the Dough-lightful with edible cookie dough and a sprinkle of rainbow nonpareils.
The ice cream pizzas, like other Bredenbeck’s treats, are made at its production facility almost two miles away from the Chestnut Hill bakery/ice cream parlor. The team makes about six to eight ice cream pies daily, packaging them in decorated pizza boxes that can be found in a mini-freezer at the ice cream parlor. Each costs $14.95.
Since mid-April, the ice cream pizzas have been a popular item, regularly selling out. The Boyds plan to offer the special menu item until Thanksgiving pie season takes over.
“We’re always looking to increase the customer’s experience and get them excited,” Jacob said. “So every time they walk through our doors, it’s always a new item and always something that kind of keeps them coming back and wanting more.”
