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These treats are no afterthoughts

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It all started with ice cream sandwiched between two pieces of Asian sweet bread.

Andy Nguyen’s father would make the confection for his son and and the boy’s friend Scott Nghiem. The two young friends grew up, modified the idea and turned it into After’s Ice Cream, one of Yelp’s most-reviewed Orange County businesses last year.

Their top product, the Milky Bun, is a warm and sweet doughnut-like pastry filled with unusual ice cream flavors, including jasmine milk tea, banana heath toffee and almond cookie.

Not quite savory enough? Add candies, nuts and cookies.

“It originally started out as just ice cream, which has always been a tried-and-true product,” said Nghiem, 31. “I think where the doughnut came from was us trying to reinvent the ice cream sandwich. We were thinking of something that went with the times because of the cronut craze at the time, and that kind of pioneered the way for how we thought of a new delivery system.”

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The buns and ice cream are made in an off-site Huntington Beach commissary and distributed to the Fountain Valley shop and a second location in Chino Hills. A Long Beach store is planned.

“This keeps the consistency of our product the same throughout all our stores, instead of outsourcing it through individual hubs, where our consistency would change,” Nghiem said. “We didn’t want to offer an awkward experience like that.”

Getting the actual warm bun to hold freezing ice cream was a task too, Nghiem said.

There’s a little food science to it.

“We don’t come from a culinary background,” he said. “We come from an idea background and incubate ideas. We had to find a way to keep the ice cream cold because we heat up the bun. That was hard to deal with, but we worked on the density and how much air can go through it. We also seal it up so the ice cream is tucked away inside to prevent it from melting while also keeping the bun warm.”

The result is contrasting sensations.

“You’ve got this hot and cold combination,” he said. “Where else can you get that? It’s a very magical experience.’’

Since its opening in early 2014, the business has become a popular destination for people with a sweet tooth looking for a late-night dessert. Because of this, customers often form lines that lead outside the shop, at Talbert Avenue and Brookhurst Street.

Nghiem said the company serves about 1,000 customers a day.

Nguyen, 30, said he and his partner have created an enjoyable experience to go along with the treats.

“For us, I think it’s more than the product,” he said. “You come in our store and see the big-name fonts. It’s very youth-oriented, and our music is just pumping out the door. Then you come inside and we’ve just got this bright, colorful ice cream served by our employees, who are having fun.”

One of the most popular desserts, the Cookie Monster Milky Bun, consists of vanilla ice cream, Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies and fudge. And, like its namesake, the Sesame Street character, the ice cream is bright blue.

“My favorite is the Strawberry Cookie Crunch flavor, and that’s only because I know we use real strawberries,” Nghiem said. “Real ingredients make the biggest difference. We’ve tried frozen strawberries, but you could totally taste the difference. We use real everything.

“Once you try to cut corners, like some other shops do, the product is not the same. When you put real sugar and butter into ice cream, you can tell the difference with how it holds and how it tastes.”

The La Quinta High School graduates, who are both from Fountain Valley, had no idea the treat they were rewarded with as children would reward them as adults.

“It’s surreal to see the lines out the door and hear people say things like, ‘I could have come up with that idea.’ They didn’t. We did,” Nghiem said. “And it feels great to be on the other side of that equation for once.”

If You Go

What: After’s Ice Cream

Where:18030 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley

When: Noon to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; noon to midnight Fridays and Saturdays

Cost: $3.50 to $5

Information: aftersicecream.com

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