Florida Chef “Rediscovers” Long-Lost Family Recipe Featuring St. Pete-Clearwater’s Famous Sugar Sand

Move over chocolate chips. A Florida chef says the secret ingredient to the sweetest cookie yet may be hiding in plain sight: St. Pete-Clearwater’s famous sugar-white sand.

In what’s being called a “culinary breakthrough,” a local chef at Grove Surf Café claims to have rediscovered a long-lost family recipe dating back generations to a time when bakers had to get creative with whatever ingredients were available. The unexpected addition? Locally sourced Sugar Sand — the powder-soft, brilliantly white sand that has made St. Pete-Clearwater’s beaches world-famous.

According to the chef, when used just right, the sand adds a subtle sweetness and delicate texture to the cookie.

After months of testing and perfecting the recipe, Grove Surf Café will unveil a limited batch of April’s Primo Sugar Sand Cookies for one day only on April 1 during the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival on Clearwater Beach, inviting locals and visitors alike to taste what may be Florida’s most unusual dessert.

Guests attending the festival on April 1 will have the opportunity to meet the chef behind the “discovery,” and taste the sweet beach-inspired treat.

While St. Pete-Clearwater’s beaches have long been known for their award-winning beaches and sand that is often compared to powdered sugar, Grove Surf Café embraced the idea of turning that comparison into something delicious.

The cookies will be available exclusively on April 1 at the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival starting at 10am when the festival opens, while supplies last.

Of course, while visitors may debate whether sand belongs in their cookies, there’s no question about one thing: St. Pete-Clearwater’s beaches are among the sweetest in the world. Clearwater Beach was just recognized on the Tripadvisor Best of the Best Traveler’s Choice Awards as one of the top beaches in the U.S. and the only Florida beach to be ranked amongst the best in the world.

For more information on the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival and all there is to experience across America’s Favorite Beaches, visit VisitSPC.com.