My Favorite Foods: At Snapfinger Scoops

Published 8:30 am Friday, July 25, 2025

Any time of the year is a good time for one of the best foods around, ice cream. Ice cream just soothes the soul and the mind. It’s refreshing, satisfying, and just downright awesome.

Sometimes I think about it and just have to indulge. If you have those ice cream cravings like me, I have a fantastic place to visit to get some of the best in town. Snapfinger Scoops is located at The Mill off Chattanooga Avenue in Dalton. Just the sight of the frozen confections will draw you in, and you can enjoy your selection sitting in the food hall or patio area.

The owner grew up in Decatur and was involved in sports. After the games, her reward was going out for ice cream. Her family tradition was homemade ice cream, using the recipes from her mother and grandmother. (It seems that many people have those sweet memories of churning ice cream with the hand crank and waiting for the deliciousness that came after all the hard work.)

The owner finished high school and college (this has nothing to do with the food, but the owner’s high school band was featured in the movie “Drumline.” I find that fascinating), began a family, and had a job in supply chain management.

Her job was good, but she felt the need that there was more that she was destined for and had more to give. Her children were older, and it was the perfect time to explore new things. She opened an ice cream truck in the Decatur area a few years ago, and plans to bring it to the Dalton area for special events.

She was driving in the Dalton area a few months ago and looking for places to enjoy a meal. The Mill came up as a good recommendation, so she stopped by. There was an available store opening at the location, so she took the plunge, and Snapfinger Scoops opened in April 2025 at The Mill. (Isn’t it grand how great things happen the way they happen?) The name comes from the road the owner lived on in Decatur.

The moment you visit her shop and take a look at the ice cream you will be in love. There are always eight flavors; seven are standard and remain the same each week. Those flavors are Southern Strawberry, Very Vanilla, How Chocolate is Chocolate, I Love Cookies and Cream, Better Than Butter Pecan, dairy-free Mango and dairy-free Raspberry. One selection is the Flavor of the Month, and in July the choice is Cotton Candy, and it changes seasonally.

The names are funky and not ordinary, just like the ice cream. The owner came across the recipes her mother and grandmother used to make, and she tweaked them by adding her special secret ingredient.

After one bite, you know only fresh ingredients are used. We Southerners love bits of the strawberries in ice cream, so she added them and created the cute name of Southern Strawberry.

To aid the owner in spending quality time with the customers, her recipes are used to outsource the making of the ice cream, and then the company in Marietta stores the products, and the owner travels to pick them up.

Customers can get one, two or oh snap (scoops), in a cup or waffle cone. The waffle cones included cinnamon as an ingredient and are made fresh in-house. Any flavor of ice cream can also be ordered as a milkshake and topped with homemade whipped cream. If you are unsure what flavor to order, samples are offered to help you decide.

If the delicious ice creams are not enough to satisfy your taste buds, other great things are offered. Tea and homemade lemonade are beverages on the menu. Warm, freshly made-to-order waffles are also featured. With names like Drool Over Me Cinnamon and Sugar, Chocolate on Chocolate, Bring Me a Blueberry (the owner’s favorite topped with vanilla ice cream), Plain Jane Vanilla and Bananas Foster, you will find it hard settling on one to select to enjoy.

Any waffle includes one snap (scoop) of your choice of ice cream. The owner’s family recipes are used, and she puts her magic touch in creating a perfect batter. The owner even prepared a waffle wedding cake for a customer. Layers and all. Talk about creativity! The owner offers the wedding cake by preordering. Another fun fact — they might just have a special off-the-menu treat. Ask about it when you visit.

The best-sellers are the Cookies and Cream milkshake, the Better Than Butter Pecan ice cream and the Drool Over Me Cinnamon and Sugar waffle. Customers know good stuff!

The hours of operation are Wednesday-Friday, noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. A 10% discount is offered to teachers and students. BOGO (Buy One, Get One) is offered on certain special events. You can follow them on their social media accounts and see what’s going on, plus drool over the amazing photos of the ice cream creations.

My selection was a scoop of Southern Strawberry ice cream with yummy cone pieces, which added that special touch. The strawberries were plentiful, the taste was some of the best ice cream I’ve had, the creaminess was so smooth and delicate, and the cone topped off the perfect addition to the confection. In other words, it was very, very good! It offered such a sweet, refreshing taste.

I also could not resist selecting the warm, delicious Drool Over Me Cinnamon and Sugar waffle topped with the Better Than Butter Pecan ice cream. (I’d had the ice cream the week before, and let me tell you, ice cream doesn’t get much better than this. It was so great.)

As the waffle was cooking, I could smell the aroma of a sweet, caramelized, cinnamon treat I was about to consume. I know others in the food hall could smell it, too.

When my tray was delivered to my table, the sight was one of beauty and perfection. I am a visual person, and this did not disappoint. The ice cream and cone in a cup were just waiting for me to dig in. The waffle was huge with syrup, and a large serving of the butter pecan ice cream was just perfectly sitting on top, inviting me to wait no longer and indulge right away. So, I did. Talk about heavenly bites. The warm with the cold was so delightful. The food was as good as it looked and was perfection in every bite.

The owner has always loved ice cream and wants others to love it, too. She enjoys seeing the faces and reactions of customers when they sample the ice cream, especially trying new flavors offered. She’s trying to make others smile through her frozen creations. It’s also a great way for her and others to make new friends. She’s also passionate about bringing jobs to the Dalton area. Yes, hers is a labor of love. (The owner took home economics classes in high school. I rest my case. You know my passion is advocating for home economics.)

Now is such a great time to go out and treat yourself to some of Snapfinger Scoops’ fantastic offerings. You will find your favorites, but sample many things, just to be sure. It’s so easy, just snap your fingers. There’s really no wrong choice, believe me. Our community is so fortunate that the owner was looking for places to eat, found The Mill, and decided to open her wonderful shop in our area. How lucky are we?

Sandra Derrick, a lifelong Daltonian, is a retired educator who taught home economics for 30 years in Whitfield County Schools.