When I was a little girl, I remember standing at the end of our driveway, dollar bills in hand, waiting anxiously for the ice cream truck to make it to my house. What could be better than prepackaged cool treats delivered right to your driveway every night? I feel like the ice cream truck jingle used to be the soundtrack of my summers.
As nostalgic as I am, I only remember the best of treats (probably because every treat was amazing). Here are some classic ice cream truck treats ranked from least awesome to the best of the best.
12. Snow Cone
A favorite at festivals and carnivals, these icy mounds covered in sweet syrup instantly cool you down on a sweltering day. However, they're best when they're made fresh, so I wouldn't go for these pre-packaged ones.
11. Push Up Pops
Who could forget the fun of these orange-y, creamy pops, pushing them up from their tube until all you had left was wet cardboard. Beware: These melt so quickly in the hot summer sun that they either have to be eaten immediately, or skipped for a longer-lasting treat.
10. Fudge Bar
Fudge bars are a classic ice cream pop, with everyone's favorite ice cream flavor made handheld for easy eating. They're a bit boring, but if you're craving chocolate, this is the perfect treat.
9. Strawberry Crunch Bar
Made to resemble strawberry shortcake, the crunchy crumb coating covers a vanilla and strawberry center in a pretty pink color that is totally ready for Instagram.
8. Chocolate Crunch Bar
In the world of ice cream, chocolate always beats out strawberry. These bars provide the perfect crunch of chocolate combined with smooth chocolate and vanilla ice cream to cool you down and satisfy your taste buds.
7. Bomb Pop
Patriotism never tasted so sweet with these popsicles, which consist of cherry, lemon, and blue raspberry flavors. Now that you're an adult, you can enjoy these popsicles as shots instead at your next patriotic holiday.
6. Ice Cream Sandwich
Over-the-top ice cream sandwiches using cookies or waffles may be a new trend, but this ice cream truck staple remains a classic. With chocolate wafers that always stuck to your fingers and plenty of vanilla ice cream inside, these sandwiches are beloved by all. Try using them to make an ice box cake for your next summertime party!
5. Chipwich
The best thing to ever happen to ice cream sandwiches — it combines ice cream with chewy chocolate chip cookies, all coated in crunchy mini chocolate chips. The ratio of cookie to ice cream is exactly enough so that you feel satisfied and chilled on a long hot day.
4. Screwballs
These icy cones are filled with a sweet cherry ice, and at the bottom hides not one, but two gumballs. They're loaded with sugar, so they were perfect for fueling games of kick the can or hide and seek back in the day.
3. Malt Cup
These are basically big cups filled with ice cream, and they definitely gave you the most for your money. The other flavors, like cookies and cream, are also delicious.
2. Choco Taco
I have an undying love for tacos, and these dessert tacos are a brilliant variation. The crunchy waffle shell, soft ice cream, and crispy chocolate coating all combine to make an ice cream truck favorite.
1. SpongeBob Ice Cream Pops
The undisputed king of the ice cream truck, these fruit punch and cotton candy flavored pops were the favorite of every kid on my block. And the gum ball eyes were the perfect addition to it's ridiculous (ridiculously awesome) shape.
So the next time you hear that iconic music coming down your street, grab your wallet and go get a cool treat. You can reminisce about your days spent running around in the summer sun while enjoying a delicious (and probably nostalgic) ice cream. Your inner kid will thank you!