There’s a good chance you’ve seen composed ice cream cones from Normal, which have gone viral for their decadent toppings. In case you haven’t, check out the piece I wrote for the May/June issue. The soft serve topped with cotton candy, cake pieces, homemade sprinkles, and countless other toppings are certainly worth checking out.
What many don’t realize is the variety of other frozen confections offered from the ice cream truck. Owner Alexa Norlin flexes her creativity in a new way through her selection of bars, sandwiches, and the ever-popular choco taco. Whereas the cone flavors change monthly, these treats could change from one day to the next if they sell out. They often do, so be sure to order if you see something you like.
Because the bars and sandwiches are prepped ahead of time, the flavors aren’t limited to the ones offered in the truck. The ingredients are just as gourmet as you would expect from Normal. You’ll find an assortment of different dips, sprinkles, fillings, and other elements in these unique desserts.
My personal favorite, the caramel apple sandwich, consists of salted caramel in the middle of tart green apple ice cream sandwiched between two shortbread cookies. Bars are dipped in everything from dark chocolate and passionfruit then coated with dehydrated fruit, cookie crumbs, honeycomb pieces, or whatever else Alexa can think of.
Some of Alexa’s best creations come for holidays and special events. Her Easter eggs sold record numbers while the recent pride cakes were so popular they could become permanent menu items. Sometimes, though, the special days come just when Alexa feels like it, like her doughnut sandwich Sundays.
My one complaint is that these goodies are deep-frozen, meaning they’re served to you pretty solid. The simple solution is just to let it thaw a few minutes before biting in. This is easier said than done when you have a sweet tooth like mine. Nevertheless, I’ve never gotten something from Normal I didn’t like.
I expect the creativity will only get even better when the Central 9th storefront opens, hopefully later this year. Until then, you can enjoy the ice cream from the retro truck parked at the east entrance of Trolley Square.
normal ice cream
- Trolley Square, 600 S. 700 E., SLC
- Wednesdy to Friday, 4-11 p.m., Saturday 1-7 p.m., Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
- normal.club
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