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You won't believe the doughnut ice cream sandwiches coming to Fountain Square

People wait in line for these giant ice cream-stuffed doughnuts, even on snowy winter days

Liz Biro
IndyStar
A vanilla bean iced cinnamon roll hugs caramel apple pie ice cream and bacon crumbles at The Yummi Bunni, a Fort Wayne ice cream parlor coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square neighborhood in summer 2018.

Makenna Click wanted to give the Midwest something “amazing and exciting and unique that we can call our own,” a place locals would brag about, tourists would hang a u-ie for and food writers would list alongside nationally known greats like California’s In-N-Out burger joint.

So Click split open a glazed doughnut, stuffed it with premium Wisconsin ice cream in classic and oddball flavors like espresso bourbon and added tear-worthy toppings like Cap'n Crunch and local apple pecan jam.

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She called the creations “buns” and made them the stars The Yummi Bunni ice cream shop she opens this summer in the Fountain Square Theatre building.

Breakfast cereral and all sorts of cookies are among toppings available at The Yummi Bunni, a Fort Wayne ice cream parlor coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square neighborhood in summer 2018.

Trained in interior design, Click didn’t invent the doughnut ice cream sandwich, and Fountain Square is not The Yummi Bunnie's first location. Doughnut ice cream sandwiches had been around for several years when Click debuted The Yummi Bunni in November 2016 in Fort Wayne, months before doughnut ice cream sandwich shops hit New York City.

What makes Click's buns distinctively Midwestern are No. 1, the heft of the things. The Heartland loves big and sweet. Also, Click works with local food artisans for the doughnuts she uses, the beer that goes into her Scotch ale caramel crunch ice cream and the jams and other toppings she spoons over ice cream.

Chocolate ice cream loaded with brownie pieces, caramel cups and sweet fudge ripple inside a sweet glazed bun smeared with cherry pie filling at The Yummi Bunni, a Fort Wayne ice cream parlor coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square neighborhood in summer 2018.

Click seems to have achieved her goals. Locals wait in line for The Yummi Bunni buns even on snowy winter days. Those lines caught the attention of NBC's "The Today Show," which featured The Yummi Bunni. Click likes the attention, but it's a heartfelt calling that drives her.

"I love being in the shop, meeting people in the community and giving them something that makes them smile, that makes them happy," she said.  

Click has not set an exact opening date for the 1105 Prospect St. shop in Indianapolis. Here's more of what you'll find there.

Two freshly baked chocolate chip cookies are sandwiched with Mint Avalanche ice cream and rolled in Cocoa Krispies cereal at The Yummi Bunni, a ice cream shop coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square area in summer 2018.

The Yummi Bunni doesn't just serve ice cream in doughnuts. Sometimes its sandwiched between freshly baked cookies. For Cinco de Mayo this year, The Yummi Bunni special was cinnamon-sugar churros ice cream sandwiches. 

Churros have been an ice cream sandwich option at The Yummi Bunni, a Fort Wayne ice cream parlor coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square neighborhood in summer 2018.

The Yummi Bunni works with local doughnut shops. That means when inspiration strikes, The Yummi Bunni team has quick access to ingredients for new offerings like the cinnamon roll ice cream sandwich.

Ice cream sandwiches sometimes come on cinnamon rolls at The Yummi Bunni, a Fort Wayne ice cream parlor coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square neighborhood in summer 2018..

The Yummi Bunni stocks small-batch and artisan sodas, some made in Indiana, for colorful ice cream floats. Coffee floats are also available.

Colorful ice cream sodas featuring some fizzy drinks from Indiana at The Yummi Bunni, a Fort Wayne ice cream parlor coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square neighborhood in summer 2018.

The Yummi Bunni ice cream flavors change just about weekly. They range from vanilla, strawberry and chocolate to cotton candy, lemon meringue and cake batter fudge.

The Yummi Bunni serves “super-premium” ice cream made in Wisconsin. The mix contains cream and 14 percent butterfat.

That uncle in your family who always likes a little nip? The Uncle Eddie bun is a tribute to him. Bourbon espresso ice cream with chocolate chunks is sandwiched with salty pretzels.

A spilt, glazed doughnut is stuffed with bourbon espresso ice cream and coated in salted waffle pretzels at The Yummi Bunni, a Fort Wayne ice cream parlor coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square neighborhood in summer 2018.

When you're ready for a cone, The Yummi Bunni makes its own waffles, including a black cone that gets its color from activated charcoal.

Activated charcoal cones filled with ice cream at The Yummi Bunni, a Fort Wayne ice cream parlor coming to Indianapolis' Fountain Square neighborhood in summer 2018.

Follow IndyStar food writer Liz Biro on Twitter: @lizbiro, Instagram: @lizbiro, and on Facebook. Call her at (317) 444-6264.