I purchased the vegan white chocolate raspberry cookie at the pop up location at the downtown…read moreBloomington farmer's market. "Vegan" was clearly written on the blackboard outside the door, on the basket holding the cookies, and on the packaging of each individual cookie. On the ingredients list on the individually wrapped cookies, it states "egg" as one of the primary ingredients. Eggs are not vegan. This could cause stomach upset or an allergic reaction to someone expecting the "vegan" cookie to actually be vegan. I had to throw out the cookie I bought as I could not eat it. I would suggest removing the vegan label associated with this recipe.

Their macarons are very good! A little pricey but very good for macarons. Their shop is adorable…read moretoo.

Thanks for the special request of the Dr. Seuss cookies! They were perfect and my student enjoyed…read morethem for our Read Across America day.

I stopped going to the local bakeries years ago when the two main businesses started going down…read morewith taste and quality in my opinion. THEN...someone introduced me to this business I had never heard of. WOW...if you haven't been run...don't walk! They have SO MANY sweet treats and all really delicious. Their prices reasonable, outstanding quality, love you can buy individual treats and drum roll...you can get individual squares of wedding cake. *The crowd goes wild* No joke I've had almost everything there I think and they are without a doubt the best cookies, cakes, breads, brownies and treats I've ever had in this area. They even topped the famous chocolate frosting that at one time I thought was the most amazing thing to ever hit central IL. Favorites are smores bars, chocolate dipped marshmallows and fruit and nut breads. This is my new it place for special occasions and treating myself! It blows away every other bakery in the Peoria area!

Uncle Bobs has the BEST ice cream!! We usually buy it from Hyvee, but made a trip to the motherland…read more(aka the storefront in Eureka). It's a cute little store with indoor and outdoor seating and a drive through. The employees were friendly and helpful. They gave my dog a pup cup which was so thoughtful!!

Review Visit: April 1st, 2015…read more Good ol' Uncle Bob. He is the Uncle you never hear of. But when you do, you love him. Well, that's how I feel about Uncle Bob's Homemade Ice Cream. I discovered this place while grabbing coffee in Eureka, IL. Oh boy, was it a good discovery. I sampled a few ice creams and loved each one. Conveniently when I was there, they also had dollar hot dogs! So between amazing ice cream and cheap hot dogs, I was in heaven. If you love ice cream and haven't visited Uncle Bob's, do yourself a service and go try some! The do sell Uncle Bob's ice cream at some local eateries, so keep your eyes peeled if you can't make it to the Eureka location.

Maria did such a great job creating custom hedgehog cakes that our family requested. One was a…read morechocolate cake with chocolate icing and hedgehog spikes made out of chocolate, and the other was a yellow cake with chocolate icing and hedgehog spikes made out of slivered almonds. They were so creative and perfectly tailored to what we requested. The five year old who requested the cakes was very pleased, and everyone enjoyed the desserts. Delicious taste and creative presentation. Highly recommend Maria's work!

Cookies by Design in Bloomington-Normal is under a new franchise owner, since October of 2022!…read moreThere is also a bakery inside called Maria's Cakes, also owned by the same owner as Cookies by Design. If you need a custom cake, check out this shoppe! This bakery still offers delicious gourmet cookies, cookie bouquets, cookie baskets, cupcakes and sweet spots. They even have cake and brownie pops! Lots of variety to choose from! One of my favorite cookie is the Lemon Drop and decadent chocolate!

Review Visit: September 17th, 2014…read more Pop. Pop. Get your popcorn here! Popcorn is like a burger sandwich or pizza. You can get your basic form of the food but the sky is the limit on the various ways to prepare it. Pizzas, sandwiches and popcorn are one of the many foods that comes in a million different flavors and combinations. Maybe not everyone loves popcorn (do these people even exist?) but places like Holland's Caramelcorn can offer popcorn lovers a seemingly endless variety to pick from. Having been through the Washington Square a few times, I noticed there were some cool and interesting shops to check out. So, I planned a day to explore the town's square and see what the local community has to offer. Upon finding a parking spot and entering the store, I knew I liked the place. It had this welcoming feeling to it and the person behind the counter was super friendly. The store was wide open and kept the merchandise against the walls. This allowed my friend and I an easy way to browse their wares. If you came here expecting to get much beyond the popcorn and soda, you will be disappointed. This store specializes in the popcorn and random sodas you've never heard of before. Luckily, there is a shop next door called Holland's Mercantile. But that's for another blog post. While we wandered the store, I managed to accumulate a handful of popcorn and sodas to take home with me to enjoy at my leisure. I don't remember how much everything cost but I wasn't worried about spending a few extra bucks to support local businesses. I will be honest, I may not have waited to get home before sampling some of the goods. The soda was a root beer variety and was bubbly and good. The popcorn, which the flavor escapes me, was good, tasted fresh, and had a bit of that grandma's love put in to it. Overall, it was a nice stop to pick up some goodies and to support a local business. If you happen to need some need for gourmet popcorn and odd ball sodas, you can't go wrong at Holland's. I believe they even do bulk orders for businesses. Remember, try to support those local businesses around you if at all possible.

Great old fashion shop, however they only pop once a week per the owner and the prices are higher…read morethan other small midwestern popcorn shops.

What a super neat ice cream and candy shop! Cute decor, friendly service, and yummy treats. We…read moretried the bubble waffles with an Oreo topping. Wow! I cannot wait to go again next time I am in the Morton/Peoria area.

Tasty and yummy I like this place. The dole whip is very tasty and they make the place look nice…read moretoo!!

Good food and home made desserts. Gift shop...Order to go or inside/ Outside seating...read more

My wife and I stopped by for the first time. We had a great experience. Food was amazing and was…read moreserved to us quickly. The place was very clean and well maintained. I would highly recommend this place for anyone looking to find a new spot to try!

Review Visit: October 9th, 2017…read more I feel that popcorn needs no introduction or an in-depth analysis. If you've ever gone to the movies or watched one at home, you've probably put down a few hundred, if not thousands of kernels, many pounds of butter, and a few licks of salt. Now, if you've never been to a place that specializes in popcorn, you are in for a world of flavors you never thought existed. Puppy Chow? Yep. Jalapeno Cheddar? Yup. Thin Mint? Like the Girl Scout's Cookies? Yes! There are almost an endless amount of flavors available at the Great American Popcorn Company. I've been to many places and have seen many flavors of popcorn but today I saw new flavors. Moving on from popcorn, they also have a ton of sodas from companies you've never heard of and they also have plenty of fudge, chocolates and other sweets that'll cure any sweet tooth. The lady behind the counter offered samples of any product they have on display, which is impressive since they have 56,389 items to choose from. During my quick visit there, I sampled some Jalapeno Cheddar popcorn and fell in love. I grabbed a medium-sized bag for about $6. Depending on the flavor, the price can go up for down. I also grabbed some Cookie Dough ice cream and enjoyed that outside where they have some chairs and tables to enjoy your treats. I'm not sure what else to say about this place that isn't pure praise, which might be too sweet for you readers. Ha! Luckily if you don't live anywhere near Morton, IL, there seems to be a smattering of these companies out there. Some other locations include: Galena, IL / Grand Rapids, IA.

Every kind of popcorn imaginable Lots to choose from and…read morestaff is friendly and helpful