Frozen Treats of Summer: Captain Cookie's Ice Cream Sandwich

Captain Cookie Truck.  Photo by Stephanie Doherty Wilkinson

Every Thursday I eagerly await the tweet from Captain Cookie, notifying me that their location will be at Union Station as it is every Thursday.  At 11 AM, I can barely contain my excitement to wait for an acceptable time to order one of their fantastic ice cream sandwiches.  In the case of my colleague and I, we manage to tough it out until 12 noon knowing that cold, creamy, vanilla and rich chocolate ice cream on warm, freshly baked, chocolate chip cookies and snicker-doodles await us. It is hot and cold, crunchy and chewy all at the same time.

Clockwise from Top: Oatmeal Rasin; Cookie of the Week: Salted Oat with Dark Chocolate, Coconut and Toasted Pecans; Chocolate Chip; and Snickerdoodle.  Photo by A. Kirtland

Captain Cookie, also known as Kirk Francis, is a gifted baker.  He has been perfecting his recipes for nearly twenty years, he made his first cookie at age four and was destined for this from birth; his mother worked in a chocolate chip cookie factory while she was expecting.  Francis opened the Captain Cookie truck in 2011 after receiving success with selling his cookies at other DC locations.

Assorted Cookies from Captain Cookie.  Photo by A. Kirtland

The menu is traditional yet innovative; this week's cookie of the week is a Salty Oat cookie with dark chocolate, coconut and toasted pecan.  I was quite excited for this week's cookie of the week.  It has character and intrigue.  You take a bite and the oatmeal offers a fulfilling bite, reminiscent of a muffin.  It follows with a pop of dark, rich, chocolate; crunchy pecans and the coconut flavor and texture adds an excellent surprise.   It also features vegan chocolate chip cookies next to familiar favorites: ginger molasses, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, chocolate chip and snicker-doodle.

Snicker-doodle with Vanilla Ice Cream. Photo by A. Kirtland

The ice cream sandwiches make the DC heat bearable.  Normally, you couldn't convince me to leave the air conditioning mid-day for anything, but on Captain Cookie days I'm ready to go.  Captain Cookie has a variety of combinations.  There are vegan chocolate chip cookies next to familiar favorites: ginger molasses, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, chocolate chip and snicker-doodle. The ice creams are all organic include vanilla, chocolate and strawberry with the frequent specialty flavor.  This week's was black cherry.  For those cookie and milk traditionalists you can also get local organic milk to go with your cookie.

Chocolate Ice Cream on Chocolate Chip Cookie. Photo by A. Kirtland

We ordered classics: vanilla ice cream with snicker-doodle and chocolate chip with chocolate ice cream.  The servings are generous, at $3.50 you're getting two full sized cookies and a large scoop of ice cream.  Typically, I'd have to share; instead of sharing I just get one for lunch.  The cookies are solid and hold up to the melting ice cream, especially in the high heat of summer, but maintain their chewy centers.  The vanilla is sweet and rich and the chocolate, creamy and decadent. There isn't a polite way to eat them but every bite is more than worth an ice cream mustache. You can follow Captain Cookie on Twitter: @captaincookiedc.