Add Appeal to Desserts with Cookie Inclusions

Posted in Desserts on May 3, 2023

Chocolate chip cookies bring great flavor, texture to baked desserts, milkshakes, ice cream, and more

As a stand-alone snack or dessert, cookies offer consumers hand-held, portable treats that often provide a taste of nostalgia.

Cookies are the second most popular dessert variety on restaurant menus, with penetration of 41.5%, following only cake on the list of the most common dessert offerings, according to Datassential’s 2022 Dessert Keynote report. Cookie penetration on dessert menus has risen 3% in the last four years, making cookies the fastest-growing item of any of the 15 most popular offerings to appear on restaurant dessert menus.

Datassential also found that cookies are consumers’ favorite snack food variety, liked or loved by 87% of those polled.

Combined as an inclusion in other desserts such as ice cream, milkshakes, or brownies, some of the best-selling cookies in restaurant menu items can add texture, flavor and, in some cases, the power of brand appeal. Chocolate chip cookies are especially popular and one of the best-selling cookies, with 85% of consumers reporting that they like or love them, according to Datassential Haiku.

In the video below, Mondelēz Foodservice Chef Patty Mitchell talks about all of the ways CHIPS AHOY! can add a flavor and texture to treats. 

For operators seeking to drive sales with cookie dessert ideas for restaurant menus, incorporating the delicious flavor and nostalgic appeal of chocolate chip cookies in their dessert menus is a great idea. This may be the perfect time for a tie-in with CHIPS AHOY! ®, as the Mondelēz International brand is celebrating its 60th birthday.

In fact, Mondelēz Foodservice Brand Ambassador Chef Paola Velez was inspired by the flavors found in the new CHIPS AHOY! Chewy Confetti Cake Cookies, she made her own special dessert to celebrate the brand’s 60th birthday. Her festive birthday cake features layers of sprinkle-filled yellow cake, a chocolate ganache made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! cookie pieces and white chocolate buttercream.

Elevate ice cream and milkshakes with cookie inclusions

Among the operators that have incorporated CHIPS AHOY! cookie pieces in their desserts is The Dolly Llama, a growing waffle-and-ice cream concept with locations in several states. The Dolly Llama partnered with Mondelēz Foodservice on two different occasions last year to offer month-long limited-time offerings with OREO® and CHIPS AHOY!.

In both partnerships, the company wanted to create something unique, a cookie dessert idea for their restaurant menu that customers hadn’t seen before, says Eric Shomof, co-founder of The Dolly Llama.

For the Mini OG Ice Cream Sandwich Made With OREO Cookie Pieces, The Dolly Llama’s culinary team mixed OREO Cookie Pieces into the waffle batter, and experimented until they achieved the desired consistency, he says. In between the two waffles infused with OREO cookie pieces, The Dolly Llama placed a scoop of its house-made Cookie Monster Ice Cream.

For the second limited-time offering with CHIPS AHOY!, “it was also key to be unique and offer something out-of-the-box,” says Shomof. “The Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter Shake with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces is unlike anything else on The Dolly Llama menu and oozes the flavor of CHIPS AHOY!.”

Keeping the cookie flavor front and center is paramount when incorporating cookie inclusions in desserts, he says.

“We wanted to ensure that the highlight of the dessert item is the cookie,” says Shomof, adding that two additional partnerships with Mondelēz are on tap for 2023.

Another operator that has incorporated CHIPS AHOY! cookies as dessert inclusions is Wienerschnitzel, the quick-service hot-dog specialist.

“If you ❤️ CHIPS AHOY! cookies, you gotta try our NEW Shakes in Chocolate, Mint, and Strawberry flavors—all made with @chipsahoy Cookie Pieces!,” the company declared in a recent Facebook post.

Get inspired by these culinary contest winners

For other cookie dessert ideas for restaurant menus , consider the winners of last year’s Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookies Pieces Recipe Contest, hosted by Chef’s Roll.

The Grand Prize Winner, Rachel Bossett, pastry chef at Dirt Candy, a vegetarian, Michelin-star winning restaurant in New York City, created a Milk & Cookies Snack Bar made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces. The small snack bar featured layers of salted cookie butter caramel made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces, milk ganache, and praline made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces and coated in dark chocolate.

The two runners-up were:

Arely Chavez, pastry chef at Born and Raised, a San Diego steakhouse, created a Baked Alaska with Rum Flambé made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces. It featured a tart shell made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces, filled with buttermilk ice cream made with salted caramel, and Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces, topped with Italian meringue, and flambéed with rum.

Gabriel Maysonet, owner and chocolatier at K K Ô Chocolate, a gourmet chocolate shop in Mount Dora, Florida, who crafted a Cookies & Milk Petit Gâteau made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces. It featured a layered gâteau of white chocolate mousse made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces, vanilla bean cake, cookie butter made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces, and a croquant made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces, coated in a dark chocolate mirror glaze and topped with ice Cream made Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces.

The CHIPS AHOY! flavor profile is perfect to make it one of the best-selling cookie options. It complements dishes that feature butterscotch, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, and chocolate, according to Chef’s Roll.

“This is a delicious way to add flavor and texture to your favorite recipe or to find inspiration to create a new recipe,” Chef’s Roll said in announcing the contest.

Visit this CHIPS AHOY! culinary hub for more ideas about how to boost your menu with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces, such as this Sticky Bun recipe or this recipe for Sopapillas that incorporates Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces into the dough, and also as crumbled topping.