Some dessert connoisseurs enjoy a slice of cake or maybe a bowl of ice cream, but one new downtown Durango business says edible cookie dough is where it’s at.
At least that’s what Emily Black, owner of Dough!rango Dough Bar, has found. The new business was scheduled to open Saturday in the 500 block of Main Avenue in a stand near the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train station.
Black found through her other business venture, Black Bear Bakery, that people love cookie dough. Black Bear Bakery is an online baking catering service that primarily focuses on weddings.
Black said she’s always had a sweet tooth and decided to start baking. In 2021, her online catering business started taking off.
“I saw the edible cookie dough trend, and knew that there wasn’t anything like that in this area, so I decided to jump in to offer this unique dessert to the area,” she said.
Black may be onto something as the cookie dough market saw a 9% year-over-year jump in 2017, according to data published by Future Market Insights in 2022.
Furthermore, Future Market Insights also reports that the global cookie dough market size is projected to grow from $12.3 billion in 2023 to $21.5 billion by 2033, at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% from 2023 to 2033.
Dough!rango Dough Bar has a small menu offering three different items. There’s the Ultimate Cookie Dough Sundae with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, three scoops of cookie dough and a topping of the customer’s choice.
There’s also the standard dough cup, which offers three scoops of cookie dough and a topping of choice. The stand will also offer two-packs of baked cookies.
“We make all of our dough by hand,” Black said. “There’s no eggs and the flour is heat treated, making the cookie dough safe to eat.”
She said dough flavors will rotate weekly and the toppings may change as well.
Black hopes to benefit from being located across the street from the train station ahead of the summer tourism season.
“It would stand to reason that with a couple hundred-thousand people riding the train every year, businesses want to be there due to that traffic,” said Business Improvement District Executive Director Tim Walsworth.
However, Walsworth said businesses have tried that kiosk location in the past and struggled. But with Black’s business concept, he thinks it has the potential to do well at the end of Main Avenue.
“Knowing the train is bringing in tons of families, it sounds like a great idea,” Walsworth said.
Black said the stand’s business hours will vary at first.
“Once kids are out of school, the hours will be more consistent for the summer,” she said.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
