Picture this: It’s one of those brutally hot days, when the Texas air is as still and thick as homespun cream. Far in a South Austin field, behind a row of trailers, there’s a girl. She’s standing in a tiny patch of shade, holding something in each hand. Closer, closer now. We don’t want to scare the wildlife. Now you can see the outline of the huge, fresh-baked cookies, the ice cream sandwiched between them melting faster than an ice sculpture in August, dripping down her wrists and onto her milk-studded, poorly chosen black T-shirt. On her face there’s an expression of pure, unadulterated five-year-old joy. And more ice cream and cookie spackle than there are summertime freckles.

Don’t judge. So what if I had two ice cream sandwiches? I dare you to brave Coolhaus and not flash back to the footprint of your childhood. Except, remember that bland vanilla ice cream between two chocolate wafers, the way the columns of chocolate stuck perfectly to your fingers? Those sandwiches will always have my heart, just as I’ll always love candy necklaces. But comparatively, Coolhaus’s skyscrapers are like Willy Wonka’s everlasting gobstoppers: architecturally interesting, edibly stimulating.

And here we’ve hit on Coolhaus’ shtick (every trailer has to have one, after all). A riff on the name of the famed architect Rem Koolhaas and the influential Bauhaus movement, Coolhaus serves “architecturally inspired ice cream sandwiches.” Translation? A cookie roof and floor with ice cream walls, served to you from a 1985 vintage mall truck with green glass bricks on the roof.  The mini-chain started in L.A. in 2008 and now has outposts in New York and Austin. All of their offerings are made fresh with local ingredients, and their ice cream is hormone- and antibiotic-free. Plus, they serve their sammies in edible rice-paper wrappers. How tastefully green is that?

Especially in the delirious Austin summer, you’ve got to admire Coolhaus’s philosophy: When it’s as hot as an oven out, bake cookies! Then use them to anchor lusciously cold ice cream. My favorite was the ever-popular double-chocolate cookie and Dirty Mint ice cream combo. It’s hard to beat just-baked, decadent cookies with the right amount of crunch and a huge scoop of thick, minty ice cream to cool you down.

I also loved the mascarpone-and-fig ice cream: light and understated, with big hunks of juicy, balsamic fig. Though the soft, cinnamony snickerdoodle cookies were great, I was disappointed with Coolhaus’s recommended combination. Instead, I wish I’d tried the ginger cookies, which promised to be less bland.

But there to save the day was the I.M. Pei-nut butter ice cream with chocolate chip cookies, bright and shining as the Louvre Pyramid, melodious as the notes echoing in the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. What else can I say? This is my dream dessert, come to life. The peanut butter was rich and creamy, a perfectly smooth compliment to America’s favorite chewy-crunchy cookies. But if you’re looking for something less traditional, don’t despair: Depending on the day, the truck serves interesting offerings like lambrusco ice cream and oatmeal cookies with baked apple ice cream, not to mention gastro-experiments like brown-butter-with-candied-bacon ice cream.

As much as I love standing by a trailer in the 104-degree heat with ice cream dripping down my arms, it is a bit ironic that Coolhaus’s architectural bent has not lent them a building with four walls and a blasting air-conditioning unit. But then again, they could just as well riff on old Corbu and say that food trailers are architecture, buildings are bourgeois.

Two trucks: “Smokey,” 3600 Lamar, Thur & Fri 3–8, Sat 12–8. “Betty” roams; for hours and location, check their website and Twitter.

Posted by Megan Giller. To read more from Megan Giller, visit her website at www.megangiller.com.

Tagged: Coolhaus, dessert, ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, Trailer Thursday

I already know what some of you are thinking. “Cake balls,” you scoff. “That’s so 2009.”

Well, it’s 2011, and Holy Cacao’s cake balls are here to stay, for a good reason. These beauties are moist, fluffy, and served in perfect little portions.

If you’re a peanut butter nut like me, there’s no way to resist the Brass Ball, a trufflelike cookie-and-pb center dipped in rich chocolate and crowned with crushed nuts. Or try the Rabbit Cake, a chunky carrot cake globe mixed with cream cheese icing and coated with white chocolate and walnuts.

There’s really no way to go wrong with chocolate. Holly’s Favorite, a chocolate cake encased in chocolate and topped with sprinkles, proved a bit bland but still deliciously classic. But the real kicker was the Diablo, the same chocolate cake infused with ancho chile and cayenne cream cheese, dipped in dark chocolate, and topped with more cayenne and crushed walnuts. What better way to say “Texan”?

Funny you should ask. The liquid version of the Diablo is the scrumptious Mexican drinking chocolate, with melted dark chocolate and cream infused with ancho chile and cinnamon. Holy Cacao’s excellent hot chocolate series recently got a shout-out from Travel & Leisure magazine: Their Mexican frozen version (the same melted dark chocolate and spices whipped with Blue Bell ice cream) was featured on T&L’s list of America’s best hot chocolates.

But cake balls and company are not just for the winter. Next time you’re feeling scorched (from either the Diablo or the summer sun), try the best dessert I’ve had in years, the cake shake. On Holy Cacao’s recommendation, I tried mine with a huge scoop of vanilla Blue Bell and two large slabs of red velvet cake. Dear. God. Imagine the most perfect birthday party of your childhood, with an inflatable bouncy house, face painting, camel rides, and enormous slices of decadent cake soaking with just-melted ice cream so that they’re rich and dense enough to carry you away (no camel needed). This is the joy you will experience with the cake shake, whether you’re five years old or fifty.

After all, dessert never goes out of style.

1311 South First Avenue (512-851-2253). Open 7 days, 12–8.

Posted by Megan Giller

Tagged: cake balls, dessert, Holy Cacao, Trailer Thursday

Yes, folks, I just had a birthday. And no, I won’t tell you how old I am this year. But I will tell you about the best thing that happened to me on that lovely day: a visit to Bananarchy, in South Austin!

Here’s how it works. Order either a half or a whole frozen fair-trade banana, and tell the friendly person in the trailer what sweet sauce you want it dipped in—vanilla, peanut butter, or chocolate (note: because it’s Austin, they also have vegan chocolate). Then choose your topping: M&Ms, cookies, sprinkles, coconut, toffee, or one of six others.

I opted to go overboard with a whole banana double-dipped in chocolate and peanut butter, with M&Ms. My taste buds were happy, but I can’t say the same for my stomach. My health-conscious friend selected a halfsies banana dipped in vanilla and rolled in cinnamon.

If you’re an Arrested Development aficionado, like I am, you’ll recognize the concept of a frozen banana stand from the show, as well as the names of many of their specialties. You can’t go wrong with the Gob, two bananas double-dipped in chocolate and topped with peanuts, or the Afternoon Delight, a whole banana dipped in vanilla with a chocolate and peanut butter swirl, topped with graham crackers and peanuts. (With all of these AD references, I’m sensing a marathon coming on tonight at my house.)

The self-described “revolutionary” dessert stand is perfect for these hot summer days with the kids. They also host fun events once in a while, like Arrested Development–watching evenings or the Bananarchy Awareness Party, a recent fund-raising effort that featured live bands.

I’m definitely not waiting a whole year for another birthday to enjoy one of these babies. In fact, if you’re anywhere near South Lamar and Barton Springs Road tomorrow afternoon, you’ll probably see me eating a melting banana, with a chocolate-covered grin on my face.

Tagged: Bananarchy, dessert, trailer food, Trailer Thursday