Whether you’re stuck working from home – like so many Angelenos and Americans are right now – or considered an essential worker and still carrying on with your duties, the past couple of months have been tough all around. Believe it or not, we’re coming upon the one-year mark that the coronavirus pandemic has swept the globe, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon if the confusing messages routinely coming from government health officials are anything to go by.
And while pies, cookies, and cakes won’t instantly bring us back to normality, a daily dose of sugar will certainly make this period of social distancing a little bit…well…sweeter. The following represent our six picks for places to stop for a sugary treat in Woodland Hills.
Cup and Cone Ice Cream, located at 4874 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, is a homemade ice cream shop in the heart of our neighborhood, offering 12 different flavors and a mom-and-pop business vibe that is sorely missing from most communities today. The shop makes small batches of its ice cream daily in the store with fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and suppliers, with seasonal old-fashioned flavors being Cup and Cone’s specialty area. Also on offer are sorbets in a variety of flavors including watermelon, passion fruit, peach, tequila, and tangerine.
With locations all throughout the Golden State, Afters Ice Cream, situated at 6344 Topanga Canyon Boulevard #1075, suggests “leaving your diet at the door,” what with its myriad of delicious flavors, wild creations, and more. Afters is more than just an ice cream shop, it’s often considered a lifestyle by its legions of California-based fans, its handcrafted ice creams and signature flavors representing the foundation that keeps the business standing apart from chain competitors. Unique customer favorite variants include Milk and Cereal, Cookie Monster, and Jasmine Milk Tea, all of which fuel Afters’ creative kitchen to keep pushing the boundaries of ice cream fantasies.
Boasting locations in Florida, Nevada, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and California, Sloan’s Ice Cream, situated at The Village at Westfield Topanga, 6250 Topanga Canyon Boulevard Suite 1560 in Los Angeles, has been described as an “ice cream utopia for the young and young at heart,” offering copious amounts of unique flavors all made with the finest ingredients. What’s more, the heavenly aromas of freshly baked waffle cones, cookies, and brownies are irresistible, with entire walls of bulk candy, fabulous chocolates, chocolate apples, whimsical gifts, and fluffy friends surrounding every direction. This is, indeed, an experience like no other in Woodland Hills.
Jeni’s, located at 4751 Commons Way Suite A in Calabasas, is devoted to creating the best of ice cream while bringing people together. The shop’s ice cream creations boast uniquely smooth textures and buttercream bodies with bright flavor and clean finishes; as such, Jeni’s uses no synthetic flavorings, dyes, or off-the-shelf mixes. The brainchild of Jeni Britton Bauer, who has been making ice creams professionally for two decades, Jeni’s was founded in 2002 and has become famous for its usage of whole ingredients and dairy from grass-pastured cows rather than a commodity ice cream mix – all coupled with inspired flavors that sparked the artisan ice cream movement more than a decade before it would become a top food trend.
Wanderlust Creamery was founded by Adrienne Borlongan and Jon-Patrick Lopez, who used their inspiration to create flavors made from memories of childhood, places they’ve visited, and places they want to go. These unexpected flavor combinations are precisely formulated to ensure a creamy texture that’s light on the palate, irrespective of whether it’s made with 100-percent organic milk from the Straus Family Creamery or with dairy-free ingredients. Wanderlust’s current flavor roster includes seasonal flavors as well as signature variants, which are always available year-round and include Sticky Rice + Mango, Japanese Neapolitan, Kinder, Vietnamese Rocky Road, Violet Marshmallow, and more.
The Funnel House, with locations in Long Beach, Huntington Beach, and Northridge, provides the opportunity to sink your sweet tooth into a soft, slightly crispy funnel cake with powdered sugar – enough to warm you up even on the coldest of L.A. days. Get creative and add some delicious fruit toppings, or go all out and add ice cream, whipped cream, and syrup toppings for an amazing funnel sundae. Love cookies? The Funnel House also offers a wide selection of freshly-baked treats that will even compete with grandma’s recipes; create your own ice cream sandwich, too, with your choice of two cookies smashed between your favorite ice cream. Churros, beverages, brownies, banana bread, and cinnamon coffee cake are also on the menu.
As always, please check with any of the aforementioned businesses directly for their COVID operating schedule.
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