The Chipwich Is Back For Summer

For many of us, no childhood frozen treat was more decadent or desirable than the Chipwich, a thick slab of ice cream sandwiched between two cookies and rolled in chocolate chips. But if you haven't been paying close attention, you might not have even realized that it's been years since Chipwiches were last sold; official Chipwiches haven't rolled off the production line since 2011. But thanks to one enterprising entrepreneur, Chipwiches are back, baby, and will soon be returning to a supermarket and ice cream truck near you.

Old-School Snacks We Bet You Completely Forgot Existed

The Chipwich's story is a long one. According to NJ.com, the treat was invented in 1976 in Englewood, New Jersey, by a sweets shop owner named Richard LaMotta; by the early 1980s, Chipwiches had become popular around the country largely due to being sold from pushcarts in metropolitan areas. The Chipwich was massively successful, and more than a billion had been sold around the world before the brand was purchased by a Canadian company called CoolBrands in 2002. It was then sold to Nestle in 2007, but because it was too similar to its Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich (which may have been inspired by the Chipwich in the first place), Nestle took the Chipwich off the market in 2011.

Because there are so many imitators around, you might not have even realized that the original Chipwich was long gone. But one man did: David Clarke. Last year, the entrepreneur formed a company called Crave Better Foods, with a singular goal of bringing back the Chipwich. The new cookies weigh slightly less than the originals, but the ice cream is premium, the cookies are slightly more "homestyle"-looking than before, and the new Chipwiches (which sandwich vanilla ice cream between two chocolate chip cookies) will be just as good — if not better — than you remember. It's an ideal treat if you can't make it to the best ice cream stand in your state.