TOUT DE SWEET

A TEAM OF HOCKADAY STUDENTS DISHES ON SUMMER’S TOP TREATS

By ELIANA GOODMAN / Photos by KATHY TRAN

WHOOPIE-PIE! Summer is finally here, and Preston Hollow is rolling in the dough. From cake and cookies to pops, the search for “insta-worthy” items is on. My sugar-hungry friends, family and I sampled, slurped and savored some of our neighborhood’s finest. Here’s the scoop.

SusieCakes

6100 Luther Lane

Backstory: Founded by Susan Marich, SusieCakes originated in California and uses recipes inspired from Marich’s two grandmothers, without mixes, artificial preservatives or trans fats. The store, which opened in Dallas in April 2016, is decorated in white with pops of turquoise blue. The staff is kind and flexible; our order was picked up 30 minutes earlier than planned with no problem.

Love: Those who don’t like overbearingly sweet desserts should opt for a slice of carrot cake. Those with sweeter palates should go for the whoopie pie, cream sandwiched between two little cookies.

Like: The classic chocolate cupcake is moist and rich, and the lemon bar is all the right kinds of tart and tangy.

Skip: The marble cake and chocolate chip cookies are average compared to other items.

Insider tip: Do not refrigerate items that you take home. They will last longer at room temperature.

Price: About $3.50 each.

Steel City Pops

6025 Royal Lane, suite 105

Backstory: The stores originated from Jim Watkins and his family near Birmingham, Alabama. Each location is decorated with both the skyline of the local city and the skyline of Birmingham. Steel City Pops now has more than 20 locations.

Love: Savor the coffee popsicle, dipped in a creamy dark chocolate coating, and the cookies-and-cream popsicle, which my brother says is the best cookie to cream ratio he’s ever had.

Like: Try the lavender lemonade popsicle, even though the lavender flavor is potent.

Skip: The dairy-free banana popsicle leaves a weird aftertaste.

Insider tip: The store features a monthly special, which is not on the menu. May spotlighted the white chocolate wedding cake pop, which is an amaretto cream popsicle, dipped in white chocolate, drizzled with raspberry and dredged in almond slices.

Price: $3.49-$4.49.

Sprinkles

8413 Preston Center Plaza

Backstory: This store launched the cupcake trend. The Dallas location opened in 2007, and Sprinkles added an ice cream parlor in 2013. The cupcake ATM allows anyone to serve themselves — especially since there’s still frequently a line to get into the store.

Love: Order the sprinkles sundae, a scoop of ice cream sandwiched within a cupcake of your choice. Don’t miss the peanut butter cupcake with a scoop of cookie dough ice cream.

Like: The chocolate cupcake is creamy on the inside, has a rich flavor and contains the right amount of icing.

Skip: While the cinnamon sugar cupcake has a piquant pop and the sprinkle cupcake is adorably adorned with rainbow sprinkles, they are a little dry.

Insider tip: Join the rewards program. It’s free and saves you money.

Price $3.95-$7.52.

The Dough Dough

5915 Forest Lane, suite 320

Backstory: Eating raw cookie dough at home may cause salmonella poisoning, but this new store sells dough that is safe to eat. Owner Gina Ginsburg lives nearby. The Dough Dough offers more than 15 flavors of cookie dough, including Birthday Party, the Chocolate Grizzly and the Unicorn. Gluten free and petfriendly options are available. But beware, the line can sometimes consist of dozens of people.

Love: Chocolate chip is a yummy classic.

Like: If you’re in the mood for chocolate, try the brownie batter.

Skip: The Junkyard, which is packed with pretzels, M&Ms and chocolate chips, tastes slightly dry.

Insider tip: The dough is so rich that it’s best to split a cup with a friend.

Price: $4 for a single scoop.

Eliana Goodman will be a junior at Hockaday in the fall. She and a team of taste-testers contributed to this report.

GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL SCHOOL is catapulting its eighth graders into the future.

The pre-K through eighth-grade school is known for its creativity, having recently attracted national headlines for its program matching third-grade students learning cursive with pen pals at Presbyterian Village North senior living communities. Another initiative, “Classrooms of the Earth,” has kids hiking more than 50 miles, traveling more than 5,000 miles, canoeing 10 miles and rafting 11 miles.

A recent activity, the catapult and trebuchet project, involves physics and engineering. A catapult works because energy can be converted from one type to another and transferred from one object to another, according to a Scientific American story.

Goggle-clad kids in blue oxford tops and khaki bottoms prepare to do battle. Teacher Chris Jackson gives them a “Tool Time” handout, advising them to check with a teacher before construction.

Power drills are involved.

After circulating through stations to learn about time management, drills, hardware

Good Shepherd Episcopal School Year established: 1959

Enrollment: 579

Tuition: $21,174

(where to grip a hammer), saws and innovation, the kids are ready to go live with their catapult experiments.

Katharine Bales is the eighth-grader documenting the event for the school newspaper. She observes that the devices are made of wood, PVC pipes, lacrosse nets and more.

Safety glasses are required.

Did we mention that power drills are involved?

Mr. Jackson is standing by. Calmly.

Will students be able to use their catapults or trebuchets to send a tennis ball over a wall of boxes to collapse an arrangement of Hula Hoops?

The sun shines. The students are nestled in an architecturally pleasing courtyard. Teachers encircle them, calling out supportive cheers.

The Spanish teacher yells, “Bueno!” The tennis ball flies. Boxes and Hula Hoops fall. Look out, Ursuline, Jesuit and ESD. Here they come. — LISA

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