The Cookie Dough Parlor in Pinole is a confectionery dream, following the new trend of cookie craze and serving both safe-to-eat cookie dough and ice cream in deliciously enticing recipes.

Husband and wife Pezhman Pakneshan and Mahsa Gholami opened their store to bring their vision of flavors to ice cream and cookie dough.

The Cookie Dough Parlor takes household name dessert brands and transforms them into sweet little bowls of guilty pleasure.

An example is “Cookie Monster,” which is a cookie dough flavor that resembles the color of Sesame Streets Cookie Monster and has the cereal “Cookie Crisps” embedded into the dough.

The unique cookie dough recipe is not made with eggs, so it’s safe to eat and doesn’t disturb customer’s stomachs when consumed raw.

Another special feature of the cookie dough is that it can be eaten raw right away or saved to be baked on a later day. I found that having the option to do that made the Cookie Dough Parlor even more of a versatile experience and ahead of other similar businesses.

When I walked inside I was greeted by the co-founder, Mahsa Gholami, and she instantly took notice that I was a new customer. She wasted no time explaining what the store is and what made it special.

Not once did I feel like I didn’t understand what the store had set out to do — provide ice cream and cookie dough to the masses.

After trying all the flavors of ice cream and cookie dough I was impressed by the home-made taste of it all, especially the basic flavors like strawberry and chocolate. The sweetness isn’t overpowering. It doesn’t overdose on sugar like processed sweets usually do. My favorite combination ended up being strawberry ice cream and brownie cookie dough.

If you’re worried that ice cream and cookie dough isn’t enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, don’t be. The Cookie Dough Parlor has you covered.

You can add hot caramel sauce or hot fudge, whipped cream, pretzels, caramel popcorn, even kettle corn chips if you wanted to.

Marketed toward kids and young adults, the Cookie Dough Parlor posts all-inclusive signs for those looking for a sweet treat. This draws larger crowds during the day because of its proximity to Pinole Valley High School. Because of its friendly appeal to youth and diversity, people feel comfortable enjoying sweets and pleasant conversations.

I give this store four stars out of five.

The selection is wide and accommodating enough for those with or without a sweet tooth, but loses points for availability. Cookie Dough Parlor is open from 12:45-9:30 p.m., which is where the problem lies.

For those looking for a trendy new shop during a night out, unfortunately they won’t be able to explore the ice cream and cookie dough because of the early closing hours.

If someone is looking for something new around Pinole, or after a game at Pinole Valley Lanes, the Cookie Dough Parlor is at 1418 Pinole Valley Road and is the perfect place to indulge in a bowl of safe-to-eat cookie dough or one of its many flavors of ice cream.