FoCo Joe at Home: C.R.E.A.M. (Cookies Rule Everything Around Me)
The founders aptly describe C.R.E.A.M.’s vibes on their website, “It was a throwback to our childhood, when it became a ‘thing’ for us to sandwich rich ice creams and fillings between mom’s fresh-baked cookies.” The ingredients definitely taste homemade, and the store evokes a nice nostalgia of childhood. The store’s name, an acronym for “cookies rule everything around me,” is not quite the same as the Wu-Tang Clan’s 1994 single “C.R.E.A.M.” — “Cash Rules Everything Around Me” — coincidentally released a month before my first birthday. I may be old, but no one is too old to enjoy one of these ice-cream sandwiches.
What makes this place especially great is the abundance of choices. Patrons are able to order their own custom ice-cream sandwich, even with two different kinds of cookies for those who like a little variety in their lives. Because that’s not enough, there’s a selection of toppings, cones, gluten-free cookies, brownies, milkshakes, malts, floats, sundaes and seasonal favorites. With so many options, an indecisive S.O.B. can really ruin this experience. Yet despite the overwhelming number of possible combinations — math majors, help me out here — the store exudes an aura of simplicity. There is nothing overdone here at all.
When I went for the first time I was so overwhelmed, I took forever to decide what to get. As I have throughout this spring, I did my best to go with basic flavors. After holding up the line for a few long minutes, in a state of gleeful despair I finally ordered an ice-cream sandwich with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream between a peanut butter and a carnival cookie. I was there with two friends over the winterim, James Verhagen ’16 and Kelly Leonard ’16, who sandwiched salted caramel ice cream between two snickerdoodle cookies — arguably a smarter order. We were all very, very happy, to be brief.
When I am in FoCo, cookies definitely rule everything around me. So many of my desserts feature cookies in some capacity, including my ice-cream sandwich from my sophomore summer (14X R.I.P.). But here, at C.R.E.A.M., the cookies truly take on a higher power. I love FoCo cookies just as much the next guy — probably more — but I have to say, C.R.E.A.M. knows what it’s doing, too.
Happy May, happier Derby!