The innovative brands combine their expertise to add a twist to Milk Bar’s famous handmade truffles in a unique elevated dessert partnership, testing at one Taco Bell restaurant and two Milk Bar locations

Irvine, Calif. (August 4, 2022) - Taco Bell’s iconic Crunchy Taco shell and New York-based dessert company Milk Bar’s famous truffles are fusing together to form the all-new Strawberry Bell Truffle. Bringing both brands together with familiar-yet-unexpected treats, the summer-friendly dessert aims to bring the best of both brands’ innovations to life. In a first-of-its-kind collaboration for the brands, the truffle will be testing at Taco Bell and Milk Bar outposts in two major markets.

The perfect slice of cake morphed into a convenient bite, the Strawberry Bell Truffle’s vanilla cake is studded with strawberry pieces and soaked in strawberry milk. The cake is then filled with a sweet corn fudge center. The outside is coated with a sweet and slightly salty strawberry and sweet corn cake coating, studded with tiny pieces of Taco Bell’s Crunchy Taco Shell. The unique coating adds an unexpected burst of flavor and satisfying texture for a one-of-a-kind eating experience.

“A collab with our brilliant friends at Taco Bell has been on my bucket list for some time,” said Christina Tosi, Chef and Founder of Milk Bar. “We white boarded ideas and R&D’ed to seemingly no end, but then the masterminds of our culinary team, led by VP, Anna McGorman, struck sweet gold with this unique dessert that packs such delicious flavor and is a true meeting of minds who love to color outside the lines. We’re pumped for you to take a bite!”

The sweet and salty treat will be available in-stores as a two truffle package for $2.99 beginning August 3 until August 16, or until supplies last, at one Taco Bell restaurant in Orange County, CA (14042 Red Hill Ave., Tustin, CA 92780) and at two of Milk Bar’s flagship locations in the Nomad neighborhood of New York, NY (1196 Broadway at 29th Street, New York, NY 10001) and on Melrose in Los Angeles, CA (7150 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90046).

“The Strawberry Bell Truffle is the first mashup of its kind to be served to consumers on a large, test scale from our brands. This one-of-a-kind truffle is the friendship-fueled fruition of a concept made possible by a mutual dedication to innovation,” said Rene Pisciotti, Executive Chef at Taco Bell Corp. “Christina Tosi and her culinary team worked closely with experts within Taco Bell’s very own Test Kitchen on this collaboration, and we couldn’t think of better partners to learn from and team up with.”

The strawberry and corn flavor combination has been a years-long concept in the works for the culinary teams, as past collaborations at closed door celebrations sparked the desire to share these same test kitchen creations for fans on a wider scale. The duo’s first mashup, “Dessert Nachos,” was introduced to close friends of the brand at Taco Bell’s annual Friendsgiving event at Taco Bell HQ in November 2018. The “Dessert Nachos” featured all of Milk Bar's signature cookies cut into triangle "chips" and coated with decadent dark chocolate fudge and vanilla cream "nacho cheese sauce," and then topped with sprinkles, chocolate chips, almond brittle chunks and sweet & salty crunchies. The nachos were a big hit and sparked the desire for additional test kitchen creations that would end Taco Bell meals with a little something sweet – and thus, the Strawberry Bell Truffle was born. Coming up on a four year history together, this may not be the end for the two brands’ powerful partnership. Taco Bell and Milk Bar never say never when it comes to future collabs!

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About Taco Bell Corp.
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About Milk Bar
Milk Bar is a dessert shop that’s been turning familiar treats upside down since 2008. Founded by James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Christina Tosi, Milk Bar first opened its doors in NYC’s East Village, and has developed a loyal fanbase in the decade since. Named one of the most innovative companies in the world by Fast Company in 2022, Milk Bar is currently available across 12 bakery locations in NYC, LA, Boston, Washington DC and Las Vegas, ships treats nationwide through an eCommerce care package platform, and most recently launched a line of grocery products, available nationwide in major retailers such as Whole Foods and Target. Milk Bar is also available on demand in various cities across the country in partnership with delivery providers such as Doordash. For more information, visit www.milkbarstore.com.