Sweet Claude's

I arrived at Sweet Claude's (otherwise known as "vegan sweet tooth heaven") just before 7 PM last night. It had been a lazy summer day; cooking in a hot kitchen in the morning, followed by a sticky afternoon in the garden. I was craving relief. I was craving... Tofutti.

In my mind I had conjured up a large cup of unnaturally green pistachio soy ice cream drizzled with hot fudge, so I hopped in my car for the 25 min. drive through the woodsy backroads to this little oasis in Cheshire. Even on an overcast evening, it's as if a beacon of light is shining on the cute red house atop the hill.

Inside, the menu board displayed my options: Cookie, Vanilla with Raspberry Swirl, Chocolate, and Coffee Chip Crunch

While the raspberry swirl sounded healthy and good, I knew it wouldn't compare to the wild raspberries I've been eating every day for the past week on my walks through Edgewood Park. That left me with three variations of Chocolate from which to choose (what to do... what to do...). I narrowed it down to Cookie and Coffee Chip Crunch, and decided to go with 1 scoop of each. Oh, and topped with a hefty portion of "Wet Walnuts" (which, as far as I can tell, are walnuts soaked in corn syrup). Yeah, I know. But how often do I make this drive?

(who could possibly resist this??)

I must report, every bite was as creamy and delicious as you might imagine. My hands will probably get itchy from the non-gluten-free chocolate cookies mashed up in the vanilla soy ice cream, but it will be worth it.

Halfway through my indulgence, I decided to pack up and go with the intention of freezing the remaining portion to be enjoyed the next day (today). Alas, at each stop light, that melting mass got smaller and smaller. Until, all that was left by the time I pulled into my driveway was a soggy container of mocha goodness and a satisfied feeling in my tummy.

ahhh... sweet.