The Great Pink Sugar Cookie Showdown in Southwestern Utah
My journey into Southern Utah’s frosted cookie rivalry started innocently enough. After spending much of 2020 in Colorado, it was time for the 13-hour drive back to Los Angeles through scenic but limited highway options for roadside treats. It’s a long stretch of Subways, Starbucks, and McDonald’s, except for the southern tip of Utah along Interstate 15, where some stop for Dixie State University or a break after visiting Zion National Park. As a junk food-loving newcomer, I was eager to try local chains like Iceberg Drive Inn and Arctic Circle in one trip.
Though I was thrilled to finally try fry sauce and 'thick shakes,' nothing could prepare me for the unintentional allegiance I formed through a legendary local delicacy just steps away from the gas pump at Dutchman’s Market.
With its unassuming beige exterior and brown stucco roof hiding pastel treats inside, Dutchman’s Market is more than just a typical rest stop. This family-owned boutique, bakery, and gas station offers everything from Danish Maileg stuffed toys and charming home goods to Doritos and Diet Coke at its Santa Clara location, just minutes from the picturesque pioneer town of St. George. Above all, it’s renowned for its homemade cookies, including $1.50 chocolate chip, peanut butter, coconut, oatmeal chocolate chip, and, most notably, a sugar cookie topped with pink frosting.
Pale pink sugar cookies have become a Utah staple—straddling the line between dessert and snack time, especially when enjoyed with a fountain soda. Served either cold or at room temperature, these surprisingly substantial cookies are rarely dry, with thick layers of rosy frosting making each bite overwhelmingly sweet. They’re delicious and widespread, yet seldom credited with their origin at Dutchman’s.
Conflicting origins are a staple for regional dishes, just as strong loyalties to various owners are common. Did Teressa Bellissimo or John Young truly create Buffalo wings in upstate New York? Is it Cole’s or Philippe who first served the French dip sandwich in Los Angeles? And if you find yourself in New Haven, will you choose Sally’s or Pepe’s for pizza? Utah’s pink sugar cookies are no exception to this debate, much to the surprise of their enthusiasts.
Tracing the origins of these frosted delights reveals a family recipe that Nick Frei, co-owner of Dutchman’s Market with his wife, Liisa, has lovingly refined. Hand-scooped, pressed, and adorned with buttercream frosting, these cookies are a must-try for those in the know. However, the beloved pink sugar cookie also represents what happens when a creation evolves beyond its origins. Variants can now be found throughout the state, with many snackers unaware that they first appeared at a self-proclaimed tiny gas station in a quaint little town.
Credit for this phenomenon goes to Swig. Renowned for its syrup-infused “dirty sodas,” this Southwestern soda chain produces flavor-packed, glittery drinks akin to a bizarre carbonated Starbucks, popular among many Mormons who enjoy cola while abstaining from coffee and tea. Unique blends like the fan-favorite Raspberry Dream (Dr. Pepper with raspberry puree and coconut cream) have garnered a dedicated following, leading to the establishment of 30 locations in Utah and Arizona. Yet one of their most iconic offerings isn’t a soda at all; it’s a pink frosting-topped sugar cookie modeled after Dutchman’s.
The Freis started constructing the original Dutchman’s Market in 1986.Pink sugar cookies are a beloved treat across Utah.In 2010, as she prepared to launch the first Swig location (which now boasts 30 locations nationwide), founder Nicole Tanner wanted a homemade cookie on the menu, something that didn't resemble mass-produced goods. A friend recommended Dutchman’s cookies, and Tanner was instantly captivated. Swig quickly became Dutchman’s inaugural wholesale client, with the cookie emerging as one of Swig’s bestsellers.
However, in September 2012, a severe flood devastated Dutchman’s, forcing it to close for eight months and cutting off the supply of their pink frosted cookies.
“It was terrible!” Tanner recalled. “They couldn’t provide our cookies anymore and were uncertain about when or if they would ever reopen. We felt awful for them, but we had to quickly figure out how to meet the cookie demand for our rapidly growing business. So, we started crafting recipes to closely replicate the cookies we had been selling, ensuring our customers would keep coming back. After several revisions, we finally created what we believed were the perfect cookies for Swig.” The Freis suspect that someone at Swig might have started baking their own cookies and labeling them as Dutchman’s even before the flood, although proving this is challenging. Tanner previously pointed out the benefits of using their own recipe to St. George News in 2014.
Initially, Swig offered Dutchman’s cookies before transitioning to their own recipe.Soon after, Tanner launched her own bakery, and as Swig expanded to more locations, they upgraded to a larger facility in Salt Lake City to bake and distribute all of Swig’s cookies. Now, nearly ten years later, the cookies from Swig and Dutchman’s are almost indistinguishable visually.
Both Dutchman’s and Swig sell their cookies in bulk for baby showers, weddings, and various events. However, some locals I spoke with seemed unaware of the cookies' true origins, perhaps because Dutchman’s and Swig are not the only players in the market. Sodalicious, a regional soda chain that had a legal dispute with Swig over their similar business models, also produces its own pink cookies after initially selling Dutchman’s. Additionally, the emerging cookie chain Crumbl features them on its rotating weekly menus across 191 stores nationwide. Quickly gaining popularity on TikTok, Crumbl’s version, which heavily emphasizes almond flavor, is served in an eye-catching light pink box.
Although you can’t trademark a cookie recipe, it’s evident that Swig has emerged victorious in terms of name recognition among the public. A Google search for “Dutchman’s Market cookies” yields copycat recipes inspired by the trendy soda chain: Almost Swig Sugar Cookie Recipe, Original Swig Cookies, and Copycat Swig Sugar Cookies. “The Swig sugar cookie has undoubtedly established a name for itself over the years, thanks to Pinterest recipes and bloggers who can’t get enough,” Tanner notes. A shelf-stable frosted cookie mix branded with Swig was available online as recently as 2017, and the cookies were once integral to the chain’s original name, Swig n’ Sweets, a legacy that is still evident in Swig’s URL, SwigNSweets.com.
However, as with many imitations, one remains a lesser version. London Blackburn, 37, began frequenting Swig eight years ago and observed a noticeable decline in cookie quality as the business grew. After relocating closer to Dutchman’s Market, Blackburn now prefers to get her treats and sodas from Liisa and Nick’s establishment. “The cookies have a more artisanal appearance, resembling the handmade look of Swig’s cookies in the past. They were also more affordable,” she explains. “I’ve pretty much stopped going to Swig and now exclusively visit Dutchman’s — and so do my friends.”
Swig currently operates 30 locations across the country.In addition to cookies, Swig’s main draw is its custom sodas enhanced with flavored syrups.Jessica Walton, 31, concurs. “I definitely prefer the Dutchman’s cookie over the Swig cookie now,” she states. “The textures of the cookies are different. Dutchman’s feels like a homemade treat that grandma baked just for you, while Swig’s tastes mass-produced for their numerous locations across several states, lacking that personal touch.”
The primary difference appears to be just that. Liisa believes the Dutchman’s bakers' experience — knowing when to add more flour or how to adjust the recipe in humid conditions — is an essential, unmeasurable component of their pink sugar cookie. Produced in a kitchen so small that a tour would only take “about 30 seconds,” Nick and the bakers still manage to create over 25,000 cookies during a busy week, emphasizing quality above all. (The Freis currently supply wholesale Dutchman’s cookies to nearly two dozen other locations in Utah, Idaho, and Nevada, with Nick making weekly trips to Salt Lake City to trade cookies with other business owners in a parking lot, reminiscent of a pink-frosted drug deal.)
“Some of our vendors who used to sell our cookies wanted us to lower the price by using margarine or something similar, but we’ve always refused. I believe that being consistent with fresh and quality ingredients has kept us competitive,” Liisa explains. When asked to describe the flavor, she hesitates but insists, “It’s probably the best sugar cookie you’ll ever taste.”
The cookies from Swig and Dutchman’s, photographed next to each other, are nearly indistinguishable.While they acknowledge it may sound cliché, the Freis attribute “love” as a magical ingredient, reflecting the strength of their community that supported them during the eight-month closure of Dutchman’s after the devastating flood in 2012, and continues to do so today. “We have customers who enjoyed cookies here as kids, and now they bring their own children,” she notes after 35 years in the industry. “We’ve been part of this community for so long.”
Dutchman’s might not be credited with creating this beloved regional treat, but they certainly deserve recognition. The Freis adopt a homestyle approach that larger chains struggle to replicate. At Swig, the cookie is merely an accessory, whereas at Dutchman’s, it takes center stage — a local treasure that makes road trips memorable, gives resonance to origin stories, and eases the final hours of long journeys. Having tried both, I can confidently say that Dutchman’s cookies excel, not only in taste but also in the values they represent: a legacy thriving beyond the gas station in Santa Clara, Utah, while a soda chain markets imitations along I-15.
Carlye Wisel is a theme park journalist who covers topics like the invention of Butterbeer and Disney’s secret food lab on her podcast, Very Amusing With Carlye Wisel. Louiie Victa is a chef, recipe developer, food photographer, and stylist based in Las Vegas.Fact-checked by Andrea López-Cruzado
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