Nothing cools down the body quite like a snowball.
Not quite an Icee and not quite a snow cone, the snowball is made of thinly shaved — not crushed or pureed — ice and topped with flavors like skylite or the vanilla-flavored, bright orange egg custard.
The desserts have been a part of Baltimore history for well over a century, and were known as “penny sundaes” during the Great Depression. The treat, now often topped with marshmallow, has grown more decadent since, but still hearkens back to those simple, cool desserts sold on the street.
Whether you’re new to snowballs or a longtime enjoyer, here is a list of some of the places where you can get your fix in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard Counties.
Baltimore City
The Peggy
- 3501 Southern Ave., Baltimore
The Peggy, a rebrand of the oldest snowball stand in the country, reopened in 2023 under the ownership of Christopher Heller, and is the only stand in Baltimore City making egg custard syrup with real eggs.
“It’s a sweet treat that’s better for you,” Heller said. “I needed to take [the egg custard] back to the roots that was family- and kid-friendly without any high-fructose corn syrup.”
While the recipe is a secret, it does contain a blend of heavy cream, condensed milk, eggs and vanilla. The marshmallow topping here is also organic, sourced from New York’s Toonie Moonie. You can get locally made Always Ice Cream on your snowball or order the new “Peggy’s Way.” The most indulgent creation yet is finished with sweet cream and a torched marshmallow topping.
— Ana Bak
Quality Snowballs
- 1014 W. 36th St., Baltimore
For Quality Snowballs founder Chad Gauss, crafting your own egg custard instead of using premixed syrup is akin to “reinventing Doritos.”
“There’s certain things you’re just not supposed to make,” said Gauss, who claims the egg custard is perfected by chemistry with its signature bright orange color and vanilla and caramel flavors.
Read More
“[Homemade] will be good,” said Gauss, who also founded The Food Market across the street. “But it’s never going to be nostalgic.”
Quality Snowballs, located in a metal shipping container on Hampden’s Avenue since 2019, likes to make a statement with flavors. The lemon stick is topped with crushed peppermint sticks and a lemon syrup, while the social media-influenced dot cake flavor is heavy on sprinkles.
— A.B.
Icy Delights
- 3930 Fleet St.
This small pink and blue stand in Brewers Hill is one of nine Icy Delights in the area, but the only one within city limits (there are eight in Baltimore County). One of the deluxe flavors is the Marylander, an egg custard shaved ice with marshmallow cream mixed inside — not on top — finished with Old Bay seasoning, whipped cream, caramel and caramel cream candies. It’s a sinful take on the icy treat.
— A.B.
Ice Queens
- 1648 E. Fort Ave.
Ice Queens takes Baltimore and New Orleans, two cities known for snowballs, and infuses them together. The mother-daughter owned shop, which opened in 2020, features an old-fashioned New Orleans-style egg custard. The ice is blended with the signature Big Easy sweet cream, giving the vanilla and caramel flavor of the egg custard an extra layer of sweetness and creaminess. The snowballs at this Locust Point joint can be made “Instagrammable” by adding ice cream from Taharka Brothers and bits of cake, brownies or cookies.
— A.B.
One Sweet Moment
- 2914 Hamilton Ave.
The family-owned One Sweet Moment’s wooden stand offers both shaved and crushed ice snowballs. I found the service at this Hamilton spot to be the best among the list as I asked an onslaught of questions. With its 150 flavors, the customization here seems endless, from sizes to taste combinations. Be sure to ask for a free sample.
— A.B.
Baltimore County
Snoasis
- 6 E. Padonia Road, Timonium
Since opening in 1977, Snoasis has become a summer tradition for generations of Baltimore County families. The family business is known for its powdery shaved ice, homemade syrups and more than 100 flavors, ranging from old-fashioned egg custard to banana split, strawberry cheesecake, Key lime pie and tiger’s blood. Those looking to branch out from a traditional snowball can order a Snowstorm or Mudslide, which layers soft-serve ice cream with shaved ice. Snoasis also serves quarter-pound all-beef hot dogs so lunch and dessert can happen in the same stop.
— Chris Franzoni
Shugga Mama Treatz
- 10902 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills
Shugga Mama Treatz operates from a parking lot, but do not let the setting fool you. The Owings Mills stand serves rich, fluffy shaved ice topped with everything from classic syrups to towering specialty creations piled with cake, icing, fillings and marshmallow. The Cotton Candy Supreme combines cotton candy-flavored shaved ice with cake pieces and marshmallow, while a recent pineapple upside-down cake-flavored icing with lemon and butterscotch and a slice of pineapple upside-down cake. The rotating specials and over-the-top presentation are what set this stand apart.
— C.F.
Original Hawaiian Island Snoball
- 10636 Liberty Road, Randallstown
Original Hawaiian Island Snoball has served one of the largest selections of frozen treats in the region since 1985. The longtime family-run stand offers more than 100 homemade snowball flavors, along with signature creations like the Sno Fluff, which layers marshmallow on the top and bottom of the shaved ice, and the Sno Swirl, which combines soft-serve ice cream with shaved ice. A large grassy area behind the stand gives kids plenty of room to play.
— C.F.
Anne Arundel County
B&B Snowballs & Seafood
- 7193 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., Glen Burnie
With its retro look and casual walk-up setup, B&B Snowballs & Seafood feels like a throwback to Maryland summers. The Glen Burnie stand pairs classic snowballs with steamed seafood, serving dozens of syrup flavors alongside fresh crabs and shrimp from a separate pickup window around back. Egg custard is a favorite and comes in traditional, old-fashioned cream and sugar-free versions, with homemade marshmallow or vanilla ice cream available as add-ons.
— C.F.
Kavern Snowballs
- 8370 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., Unit A, Pasadena
The Pasadena staple Kavern has in 30 years grown from a neighborhood shop into a regional producer of its own syrups. Its unassuming front opens into a bright, colorful interior packed with frozen treats. The name combines founders Kathy McLane and Vernon Geis, and the stand still makes its signature syrups with 100% real sugar. Snowballs can be layered with soft serve or finished with thick marshmallow cream.
— C.F.
Planter’s Paradise
- 4553 Mountain Road, Pasadena
A trip to Planter’s Paradise often turns into more than a snowball run. For nearly five decades, the same family has operated the nursery, selling flowers, plants and summer produce alongside its seasonal snowball stand. Customers can choose from dozens of flavors or try rotating weekly specials, like a caramel apple combination made with green apple, butterscotch and vanilla. Adirondack chairs make it easy to enjoy a snowball while taking in one of the county’s more unique summer stops.
— C.F.
Howard County
The Snowball Stand
- 1970 Woodstock Road, Woodstock
Neighborhood gem The Snowball Stand has served up finely shaved, fluffy ice topped with sugary syrups each summer since 1975.
After scanning the lengthy list of flavors, I settled on watermelon. The ice wasn’t rock hard and melted fairly quickly under the hot sun, allowing for the watermelon syrup to really soak through.
The stand’s most popular flavors are egg custard, butterscotch, cherry and lemon-lime. Don’t forget to look at the chalkboard’s flavor of the day.
— Jess Nocera
Pete’s Snowballs
- 9220 Old Montgomery Road, Columbia
Pete’s Snowballs is a Columbia institution that’s really old-school in its ways. (In other words, it’s cash only.)
The no-frills stand on the corner of Old Montgomery Road was opened roughly 35 years ago by the late Panagiotis “Pete” Barlas, a Greek immigrant. He eventually moved to Columbia, where he opened Pete’s Snowballs and a fruit stand.
Banner photojournalist Ulysses Muñoz, who ordered lemon-lime snowballs from Pete’s in high school, got one during our visit and said the taste was nostalgic. I ordered a flavorful peach that helped cool us down after several hours outside.
— J.N.
The Snowy Spoon
- 12260 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville
Wichada Stroup, a Skyesville resident, is the newest owner of The Snowy Spoon, the small but mighty snowball stand that juts out from Kendall’s Hardware off Clarksville Pike.
Stroup offers a mix of traditional snowball flavors, specialty snowballs and Italian ices at the stand, which reopened in March. We chose the Fireball snowball, which tasted like the Atomic Fireball cinnamon-flavored jawbreakers, and the shark snowball.
The shark is a sugar rush in a bowl featuring two flavors — blue bubblegum and blue raspberry — with ice cream, gummy sharks (of course), rainbow sprinkles, and a drizzle of sweet cream.
— J.N.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.