The Dairy Queen CEO’s Favorite Treat Isn’t On the Menu

And it took 7 years to develop.

Sure, Dairy Queen offers a selection of delicious burgers, saucy chicken strips, and some of the crispiest onion rings you can find, but everybody knows—the real highlight of DQ is the desserts.

DQ treats are the reason to make a pitstop on a summer day or swing by the drive-thru after catching a movie. They’re the sweet cornerstone upon which Dairy Queen was founded and the reason customers return generation after generation.

But, with a dizzying number of options on an ever-changing menu, from shakes to sundaes, dipped cones to Dilly Bars, and over 170 flavors of Blizzards, it could seem impossible to determine the best treat of them all.

That is, unless you know the DQ dessert business like the back of your hand, like Dairy Queen CEO Troy Bader.

The Dairy Queen CEO’s Favorite Blizzard

On a recent visit to the DQ headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I got the chance to ask Bader the question we all want to know: "What’s your favorite treat on the menu?"

The question had him almost wincing in pain at the thought of choosing just one, but eventually, he came to a conclusion—the S’mores Blizzard.

What Is the S’mores Blizzard?

The S’mores blizzard is something special, alright. We’ve long known fans consider it the best Blizzard flavor ever—in fact, it was ranked #1 among the 19 most popular Blizzard Treat flavors by fans. But, we never knew its elite standing would be officially recognized by the C-suite.

The S’mores Blizzard first launched on the menu 11 years ago, after not one, not two, but seven years of testing. Why did it take so long? DQ wasn’t going to serve the flavor to fans until the recipe was perfect, capturing all the nostalgia, comfort, and “memories of camping trips and sleepovers” expected from the home-style sweet.

“We went to probably four or five focus groups,” shared Director of Transformative Product Innovation Mary Joyce, adding that each consumer seemed to think of the s’mores experience in a different way. But after sifting through piles of collected feedback, they realized, “When you think of a s’more, it’s the graham that pulls you through the entire experience.”

So, in 2013, the DQ team finally unveiled the S’mores Blizzard to the world—the signature, super-thick soft-serve swirled with a thick, batter-like graham paste, complete with crushed graham cracker pieces, marshmallow-filled chocolates (stamped with a teeny little DQ symbol) and marshmallow. Seven years of work, and they absolutely nailed it. 

Between the luscious graham-flavored base, the marshmallow fluff, and the toothy chocolate squares, the treat tastes like an ooey-gooey s’more has just melted in your mouth. It has the same warm, rich, and uniquely satisfying flavors you love from a campfire s’more, but in a totally new frozen format.

Unfortunately, the fan-favorite flavor isn't a permanent menu item. It was featured last year as April's Blizzard of the Month but hasn't returned so far in 2024.

So, even as we enjoy the new seasonal offerings—Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Party Blizzard, Picnic Peach Cobbler Blizzard, and returning favorite Frosted Animal Cookie Blizzard—we’ll always be longing for the pinnacle of Blizzard perfection to come back to the menu. And we’re pretty sure the DQ CEO will be, too.

Read the original article on All Recipes.