Chocolate Tacos

There are some recipes that are just so good you almost don't want to share them with the world. But then you realize how happy the recipe makes you, and you want to share that happy feeling with everyone you know. This is one of "those" recipes.

Since it's Taco Week on Food Fanatic, us fanatics are banding together to post taco recipes all week long. I'm the resident chocolate fanatic, so it seemed sensible for me to make chocolate tacos.

Here's the deal. I've never had a chocolate taco. They don't seem to be a "thang" where I live. I'm in Canada, and we seem to be behind the times with trends. Especially where I live - we'll call it boonieland. Honestly, some days I feel like I live in the culinary black hole.

Luckily I have access to the interwebs. A place to check out all the fun trends in food and watch cat videos for hours on end. The interwebs rule.

All the chocolate tacos I saw photos of used soft tortilla-type things to wrap their chocolate tacos. Well, that's not going to fly in my world. I'm a hard taco sort of gal. I like that crunch. I like a messy taco that falls apart when you bite into it.

So I sat down in front of 10,009 cat videos while I pondered how to make a hard taco shell that was chocolate. Then it came to me. Trumpet cookies are pliable when hot, then when cooled, are the perfect crunchy bite.

I've made trumpet cookies before, but never with chocolate. Generally they are ginger flavoured. I knew with a quick swap of some ingredients I could make this happen. So I watched 8 more cat videos, then set off into the kitchen.

I made the cookies ahead of time since they need time to cool. I used store-bought ice cream because I have more important things to do than make homemade ice cream for tacos that would be inhaled in .0008 seconds. Things like watching cat videos. I mean, who knew a cat could type on a keyboard? Or ride a skateboard, or save a kid?

I decided to toss some strawberries in my chocolate tacos. To me chocolate and strawberries just go together. They should always be intertwined.

Then I melted some chocolate I had lying about. It's sort of shocking how much chocolate a food blogger has lying about. I could open a chocolate factory at this point. It's like an obsession.

I hope you get a chance to make these. I have to admit making the cookies is tedious, but totally worth it if you want a crunchy taco. And who doesn't right? Just make the cookies well in advance, then be super careful not to play too rough with them or you'll end up with broken shells. Which is only acceptable when biting into them. Not before. Just sayin'.

If dessert tacos are your sorta thing, don't miss Kate's banana split tacos too!

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Chocolate Tacos Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Macerated Strawberries:

• 1/2 cup strawberries, cut into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 orange, juiced

For the Cookies:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter, or half a cup
• 1/3 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 cup flour
• 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, good quality

For the Filling:

• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup chocolate ice cream
• 1/2 cup whipped cream
• 6 ounces chocolate, melted

Directions

For the Macerated Strawberries:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cover and allow to sit in fridge until needed. Stir occasionally.

For the Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan combine the sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
4. In a medium bowl combine the flour and cocoa powder. Mix well.
5. Now pour the wet ingredients from the saucepan into the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
6. It's easier to work in small batches for these cookies because they need to be hot to form the shape. Before you start to cook them, take out two to four wooden spoons, or any utensil with a round handle. Set them up on the counter so they are elevated.
7. I take two cups and invert them about 4 inches away from each other, then lay the wooden spoon across the top. That way it makes a sort of balance beam for the cookie to rest on to form it's shape. I set up 2-4 at a time. Then I have a couple of plates nearby lined with paper towels so its soft for the cookies to sit on till needed after they are formed.
8. Make two cookies at a time. Spoon a small amount of the batter onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, spooning the dough onto the farthest end. Then do the same on the opposite end. The dough melts and spreads like no one's business, so make sure to allow room for it to spread.
9. Pop the cookie sheet in the oven for about 6-8 minutes. Take cookie sheet out and use scissors to cut the parchment paper in half, it will make it easier to remove cookie and form the shape.
10. Once you cut the sheet in half, take the first cookie and, working quickly and carefully, place it over the handles you rigged up earlier. It will hang over top and naturally form a moon shape, or taco shape. You can help it out by using your hands but work quickly, these things dry and harden fast.
11. Do the same thing with the second cookie. Allow them to set up for a few minutes, til cool, then remove each one from the spoons and place carefully on the paper towel lined plates.
12. Now you need to repeat this until all the cookies are shaped into taco shells. I was not kidding about it being tedious, but it's totally worth it.
13. Once all the shells have cooled, you can start to assemble the tacos.

To Melt the Chocolate:

1. You can either place it in the microwave for about 2 minutes, checking it every 30 seconds. Or you can use a double boiler method.
2. I typically fill a small saucepan with water, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Then I set a heat proof glass bowl over top (do not let the bowl touch the water) and pop the chocolate inside in broken pieces.
3. This melts it evenly and keeps it smooth while you work on other elements.

To Assemble Chocolate Tacos:

1. Place each taco on a plate.
2. Scoop a little bit of each ice cream flavour inside.
3. Pile on some whipped cream.
4. Toss some strawberries over top.
5. Then drizzle with chocolate.
6. Serve with a big old chocolate loving smile!

Source: Trumpet Cookies adapted from Paula Deen.

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