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Tacos are one of many Mexican foods that transcend cultures. Due to their popularity, many Mexican taco styles are available, but other cultures have started riffing on the idea, from the Southwestern United States to India and back. There are even ice cream tacos with all the typical fixings wrapped in a waffle cone shell, turning the classic dessert almost literally on its side. While you can’t exactly buy waffle taco shells at the grocery store, you can make them at home. Certainly, you can do it using store-bought waffle cones, but that requires softening the cone with a warm, damp towel and unrolling it before reshaping it. However, a more interesting — dare we even say more flavorful — shortcut is swapping the waffle cone for a stroopwafel.
Stroopwafels are a Dutch delicacy with a folklore-filled history. It’s actually two thin, crispy, cross-hatch-textured wafers with a filling of buttery caramel syrup, chocolate, or honey sandwiched between them. They’re a better choice than waffle cones since they’re easier to heat and form. Stroopwafels also inherently enhance the overall flavor by contributing their filling to the mix.
How to make and top stroopwafel taco shells
Molding stroopwafels into a taco shell shape doesn’t take long. Softening them should take no more than 30 seconds in the microwave or oven. From there, bend them by hand — just be gentle enough to avoid breaking them in the process. To help them keep their shape until they cool, you can use taco shell molders like the two-pack of Chef Tacos taco shell molder. But if you don’t want to buy special tools, you can also hang them on a cooling rack set over a bowl or wedge them between the cups of an upside-down muffin pan.
After they’re shaped, it’s a good idea to place them in the freezer for 15 minutes before gently filling them softened ice cream. Then pop them into the freezer for another 15 minutes or so to keep the ice cream from melting and sliding around while you add the toppings. In fact, you should pop them back into the freezer any time they get difficult to handle and only take out one at a time to dress.
Dipping them in chocolate helps further secure the ice cream in the taco, but it’s not the only route to take. Strawberry or pineapple sauce provides a refreshingly sweet element. There’s also the option of topping them with peanuts or pistachios for an added salty crunch. You can get extra-creative by making ice cream tacos based on different desserts, such as a chocolate-dipped ice cream taco with toasted mini-marshmallows and graham cracker crumbles for a campfire s’mores taco.
