america's next top dessert

Our recent cupcake post prompted readers Stephanie and Rachel to comment on what will be the next big thing in sweets. Their guess? Cotton candy. Sounds good to me. Bring it!

Lately, I've seen a rise in upscale takes on childhood favorites, with treats like high-end doughnuts and caramel popcorn replacing the make-your-own s'mores and milk & cookies popular a few years back. And in terms of fruit, the ubiquitous pomegranate seems to be giving way to passionfruit, persimmons, lychees and kumquats, in food and in cocktails.

To get more insight into this topic, I contacted Charlotte Beal, who tracks food and beverage trends for consumer research firm Iconoculture. Here's her take on what we'll be eating in the near future.

What is the next big thing in desserts?
While cupcakes and Pinkberry-style fro yo are still proliferating like Britney Spears and bad press, we’re watching artisanal doughnuts rise up yet again. For instance, there’s an intriguing place in Portland called Voodoo Doughnut that serves a doughnut voodoo doll   doughnut voodoo doll that bleeds raspberry filling when stuck with a pretzel stick.

Also, watch for more celebral, molecular-gastronomy-ish restaurants that blur the line between savory and sweet (Room 4 Dessert and Tailor in NYC, to name two). Also: energy candy (infused with caffeine). Think Snickers Charged and Extreme Sports Beans from Jelly Belly.

Chocolate is a whole trend-worthy category unto itself. The next hot ice cream condiment just might be chocolate fleur de sel (mix melted choc and fleur de sel, let harden, break into bits). “Healthy” chocolate isn’t going away anytime soon (antioxidants, probiotics), and “ethical” chocolate is also making a huge play (fair trade, sustainably produced, etc.).

The demand for customizable chocolate boxes is exploding — shoppers want to be able to pick their ideal collection down to the truffle. We’re tracking more “dark milk” chocolates — blends that satisfy a more sophisticated palate but temper bitterness with lower cacao content. In fact, as consumers get more sophisticated, watch for more desserts across the board that taste like something (fruit, chocolate, anything) rather than just sugar with a capital “S.”

Where are our dessert influences coming from? Are they primarily childhood faves, specific cuisines, seasonal fruits?
Childhood memories and comforts will never go out of style — what we call Memory Marketing at Iconoculture. Add to that the desire to personalize experiences, and the interest in all things quality/unique/premium/seasonal, and it’s a very interesting time for desserts.

How and why do trends like cupcakes, tableside smores and chocolate fondue start?
A) They taste good, and B) they resonate with consumer values that are both timeless and timely — things like nostalgia, comfort, personalization, convenience. Often trends start abroad, or in high-end establishments, then trickle down to mainstream adoration.

Never underestimate the Japanese to come up with the next great food trend. People over there are going crazy right now for Dagashi (“cheap candy” bars) that serve old-school candy but also beer, and “muffles” (mochi waffles).

At Iconoculture we also just wrote an observation about this banana stuffer from a Buenos Aires company, DestapaBanana. A device sucks out the cylindrical center of a banana, then stuffs it with flavored whipped cream. What kid — young or old — wouldn’t love that?

Comments

Wow, thanks for the shout out!

Voodoo Doughnuts is awesome.

Here's a few good places for those trendy chocolates you mentioned:

http://www.emergingthoughts.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=57

Mmmm!

Shout out, woot woot!
Muffles, those mochi waffles, sound awesome! I don't know that they would taste good to me, but they sound so intriguing.

Snickers Charged and Extreme Sports Beans--it had to happen, and yet I can't quite believe it! Could there be some kind of caffeine party in there, where you serve those, Jolt (do they even still make that?), Red Bull, coffee and chocolate? Sort of an update on the '60s drugs party with acid and mushrooms and pot and bowls of Quaaludes, only more...jittery? Crazy, man!

Have you tried Mom's Originals Gourmet Pretzels?!? WOW - they are the perfect mix of salty and sweet, they are SSOOO good to have around or at parties. I hosted a baby shower and had Mom's and EVERYONE LOVED them! Highly recommended - THESE are the new desert treat!

I forgot to post the web-site for Mom's Originals...

http://www.momsoriginals.com