Burnt Cinnamon or Strawberry Pink Peppercorn? Those were a few of the flavor choices that greeted us when we walked into The Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz last weekend. The crew behind the counter encouraged us to have as many tastings as we wanted to explore all of the flavors – which we did, much to our enjoyment!

We ended up choosing Burnt Cinnamon (me and Jasper) and Dark Chocolate Sorbet (me and Bryce). The best flavor we saved for taking home in a hand packed pint – Wild Fennel. It doesn’t sound that exciting but it was very flavorful and creamy. Other flavors that day included Lemon Poppyseed, Brown Butter Spiced Pecan, Strawberry Sorbet (with berries from Dirty Girl Farms), Earl of Grey, and of course, Vanilla Bean. Their flavors are seasonal and use local and organic produce and are made on site.

When we walked into the funky little ice cream shop, it reminded me of where I grew up and the little cafes with metal refrigerators and old soda machines where you pull the bottles out once you put in your coins. It was small inside with a few seats (read 5-10 could fit cozily) and had interesting metal work on the walls. The menu was simple (and mostly related to ice cream), yet included lemonade and hot chocolate. One of the more interesting menu items was doughnuts with ice cream and they make the doughnuts fresh to order. That sounded great but like it would be too much sugar for me 🙁 All of the ice cream scoops are served in their handmade waffle cones.

Prices are $3.50 for a single scoop, which is slightly more expensive than a Baskin Robbins type place, but much better quality and tasting ice cream and sorbet! I think the Penny Ice Creamery will become a regular stop when we are in Santa Cruz!

Visit Details: The Penny Ice Creamery, 931 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 831-204-2523. thepennyicecreamery.com