You know how it’s hip at the moment to take a trashy food item that you loved as a child and transform it into a trendy, modern dessert? Well, this is kind of that, but not really.

Because the thing is, although the Wagon Wheel is definitely a treat I remember from childhood, I never really liked them. In fact I hated them. To me they represented a thousand missed opportunities to eat a candy bar that I actually wanted.

Individually wrapped Wagon Wheels wer sold in that impulse-buy candy section at the supermarket; the wall of dreams that me and my brother and sister would gaze longingly at while our adult escorts adopted their game faces and tried to get through the check out as quickly as possible.

The problem was, sometimes that parent or carer would kindly look upon our puppy dog eyes, grab a couple of Wagon Wheels and throw them on the end of the counter. A TREAT! Now, I was never enough of a brat to actually complain about getting the wrong treat…but as far as I was concerned, they were the wrong treat. I wanted a milky way, a curly wurly, a kinder surprise! Not…a wagon wheel.

If you’re not familiar with wagon wheels, let me lay it out for you: imagine a couple of dry old cookies, with a slick of sticky, flavourless jam-glue, a barely-there disk of not nearly enough marshmallow, dipped in bitter and strangely flavourless dark chocolate.

This post is about what I think a Wagon Wheel should be. Two crisp cookies sandwiching a slick of peanut butter fudge frosting, abutting a HUGE cloud-like disc of strawberry jam marshmallow, all coated in a thick layer of quality dark chocolate. Ladies and gentlemen, the PB&J Wagon Wheel!

Obviously the hardest part of making these cookies (which are really more like candy bars) is the marshmallow. So I suggest making your mallows on one day, and then making your cookies on another. As long as the weather isn’t too hot or humid, your marshies should keep at room temperature in an air tight container for at least 5 days.

Once the marshmallows are done, the rest of the assembly is actually super fun. Great to do with kids, in fact, if you’ve got any and you don’t mind cleaning chocolate off them.

I know you hardly need me to tell you this, but these would make an AMAZING edible gift for the holidays. Imagine a box of six, huge, chocolate coated PB&J Wagon Wheels arriving at your doorstep? (I know this recipe makes twelve, but I guarantee you won’t give away more than six)

I’m biased, I know, but I really can’t think of a better gift than that. So now tell me, had you ever heard of a Wagon Wheel before today? And if yes, did you like them? Maybe I was the only kid out there who was anti-wheel? Let me know!

xx Sarah.