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East Dallas' beloved Hypnotic Donuts opens shop with doughnut ice cream sandwiches

A child literally screamed for ice cream last week inside Hypnotic Emporium in East Dallas. So it's true what they say?

The new throwback soda fountain, located next-door to its cult-favorite sweets shop Hypnotic Donuts on Garland Road near White Rock Lake, is now quietly open. The servers at Hypnotic Emporium wear white garrison caps and colorful bowties. Patrons -- some, squealing kids -- sit up at the soda fountain bar that looks like their grandparents' favorite hangout decades ago. The counter might be sticky; that's all part of the charm at this laid-back shop.

Sugar alert: Hypnotic Emporium sells doughnut ice cream sandwiches.

This is 'The Dream,' a doughnut ice cream sandwich.
This is 'The Dream,' a doughnut ice cream sandwich.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)

The doughnut ice cream sandwiches are called The Dream: a yeast doughnut (made next door at Hypnotic Donuts) with three scoops of the ice cream of your choice in the middle. The servers then press the doughnut, sort of like a panini, and drizzle it with caramel or chocolate sauce.

For $6, this hot-and-cold sweet treat is something you've got to try.

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"You probably don't want to order it to go," Hypnotic co-owner James St. Peter says of the grilled doughnut ice cream sandwich. He's right: It's drippy. They have wet wipes behind the counter if you find yourself in a sticky puddle.

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The husband-and-wife duo James and Amy St. Peter have turned Hypnotic Donuts into a beloved brand name in the Dallas area. Their series of funny doughnut running events and wacky concoctions, like a pastry with a whole strip of bacon on top, helped make sweets-eaters eager to know when their new ice cream shop would open.

Keep an eye out for 3 things at Hypnotic Emporium:

1. Ice cream, duh

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All of Hypnotic Emporium's ice creams are made by Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream, a Denton-based company. (In fact, Beth Marie's operates a few doors down from Hypnotic Donuts' Denton shop. And no, the Denton store will not open a soda fountain like the one in Dallas. That would compete with their friends at Beth Marie's.)

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Some of the 120 rotating ice cream flavors include campfire s'mores, honey lavender, cupcake, cappuccino chip, peanut butter fudge with peanut butter cups, and an electric blue colored bubble gum. Two scoops in a housemade waffle cone will run you $3 to $7.

All ice creams can be made into milkshakes, sundaes or floats. Hypnotic Emporium also makes phosphates -- a sweet and sour drink St. Peter describes as "like Sour Patch in liquid form." The soda shop, fittingly, also pours its own house-made sodas in flavors such as root beer, cherry and grape.

2. Hard-to-find candies

Assorted sour candies sold in bulk at Hypnotic Emporium.
Assorted sour candies sold in bulk at Hypnotic Emporium.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)

Hypnotic Emporium operates as a small a candy shop, but you won't find any Reese's or Snicker's here. The St. Peters have sourced an eclectic group of remember-when sweets such as candy cigarettes, vintage Hershey bars and saltwater taffy.

3. Kids toys

You can eat ice cream OR play with it.
You can eat ice cream OR play with it.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)

Your trip to Hypnotic Emporium might cost more than a cone if your kids are tagging along. Hypnotic Emporium has a small selection of throwback toys, most of which St. Peter says are $5 and under. They're simple, silly toys like a set of build-your-own plastic ice cream cones or other wooden trinkets. No Malibu Barbie.

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Hypnotic Emporium "officially" opens Wednesday, March 2, but it's open now for those in the know. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 9005 Garland Road, Dallas. facebook.com/hypnoticemporium.

Look inside Hypnotic Emporium: