Three local businesses are bringing a sweet twist to Owensboro Times Pizza Week, each offering its own take on a dessert pizza. From bourbon-inspired creations to snickerdoodle crumbles and pineapple upside-down flavors, the three shops say they’re ready to give people something different to try.
Bluegrass Bourbon Dessert Bar is rolling out “The Bourbon Split,” a gluten-free pizza that plays off the idea of a banana split. The sauce mimics pizza’s familiar mix of red and white with a strawberry cheesecake filling. It’s topped with banana, charred pineapple, marshmallow fluff to resemble mozzarella, and finished with a cherry bourbon fudge drizzle.
Owner Tyler Dill said everything is made from scratch, including a flaky pie-style crust instead of a cookie base.
“I wanted it to still feel like pizza when you take a bite, not just a cookie with toppings,” Dill said. “It’s all from scratch, gluten-free, egg-free, and probably one of the best desserts you’ll have here.”
Bluegrass Bourbon Dessert Bar is located at 231 Williamsburg Square.
Becca Bakes, located at 4026 Frederica Street, is featuring “Something to Snicker About,” a six-inch personal dessert pizza that comes packaged in a mini pizza box. The pie starts with a sugar cookie crust and is topped with snickerdoodle cookie crumbles, an oatmeal cinnamon mixture, and finished with a cream cheese cinnamon drizzle.
Owner Rebecca “Becca” Westerfield said she tested several options before her staff and customers overwhelmingly chose the snickerdoodle version.
“We decided to lean into the pizza theme, so instead of our regular cupcake display, our front counter will look more like a pizzeria during the week,” Westerfield said. “For us, it’s about having fun and letting people experience something new.”
Becca Bakes is located at 4026 Frederica Street.
Doozie Doez will offer “Pineapple Paradise,” inspired by a pineapple upside-down cake. Owner Hannah Bailey built the pizza on a brown sugar cookie base layered with pineapple and cherry jam, then added a cheesecake filling to represent the “cheese.” It’s topped with roasted cinnamon-sugar pineapples, cherries, and a brown sugar glaze swirl. Each order also comes with two cinnamon-sugar cookie “breadsticks” and a cherry sauce meant to resemble marinara.
“Everybody debates pineapple on pizza, but dessert is different,” Bailey said. “I thought it would be fun to play off the pineapple upside-down cake, and I wanted something beyond the traditional cookie and fruit.”
Bailey said she expects high demand after selling out quickly during Burger Week earlier this year. She will operate mainly out of Crazy Me Gifts & Apparel, 235 E. 20th Street, and plans to offer preorders later in the week.
All three owners said the competition is less about winning and more about introducing new customers to their businesses and celebrating Owensboro’s food scene.
OT Pizza Week will take place from September 19-28. For a full list of participating restaurants and a description of options, click here.
