Neil Hershman, the owner and CEO of 16 Handles, has acquired bakeable cookie dough brand, DŌ Cookie Dough Confections. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Hershman will immediately retain the role of CEO and owner of DŌ. He is joined by DŌ's founder and co-owner Kristen Tomlan, who will continue to play an integral part in this new stage of growth as the chief brand officer. 

Tomlan founded DŌ in 2014 because of her love for unbaked cookie dough. Her take on the treat has been a viral success and cuaght the attention of celebrities including Reese Witherspoon, Kim Kardashian, Ryan Seacrest, Chrissy Teigen, and John Legend.

"I started DŌ in a quest to create a worry-free indulgence that I could selfishly eat, bake, and share with others. The mission for this brand was always about spreading joy, which has been and always will be my favorite part of the baking process," said Tomlan. "It's been a dream come true to collaborate with 16 Handles' New York City locations over the past five years, so expanding the partnership and growing our brands together is exciting for us both. I'm looking forward to this next chapter and being able to continue to spread happiness through these two iconic New York desserts."

Over the past four years, Hershman has quickly built a brick-and-mortar dessert empire throughout New York City under various popular brands. He personally owns and operates 12 dessert shops, including the 16 Handles Flagship located in Times Square.

"DŌ is one of New York City's favorite and most unique desserts, and it's been so popular selling alongside our artisanal frozen yogurt at 16 Handles in the past. I'm so excited to take Kristen and my partnership to the next level as we integrate DŌ's addictive edible cookie dough into the self-serve topping bar and to-go freezer at all of our 16 Handles locations, especially as we continue to expand nationally," said Hershman.

DŌ will continue to ship its products nationwide through its website, offer unique and customizable gifting, catering and corporate treats, create unique class experiences, develop strategic pop-up retail locations, and produce its safe-to-eat flour and mixes, and sell Tomlan's cookbook.