Fundraiser after fundraiser, people have shown their support of The Cookie Counter, which started as a food truck selling animal-product-free ice cream sandwiches.

Special to The Seattle Times

Three times over, Seattle customers proved how much they wanted The Cookie Counter, a vegan dessert business featuring unusual ice cream flavors, nostalgic treats, fancy sundaes and pastries. First, fans supported a Kickstarter for owners Chelsea Keene and Chris Olson to operate a food truck selling their animal-product-free ice cream sandwiches. Then they cheered on a second fundraiser to open a dessert shop in the heart of Greenwood this past summer. When the shop shut down in the fall (blamed on contractor problems that led to construction delays, followed by a car crash), fans didnt want to let the business go. They rallied, raising money to get the shops doors open again in May, bringing it up to a total of more than $70,000 raised to support The Cookie Counter over the years. Now, its become an inviting gathering spot that brightens up the block.

The setting: Simple and sweet, from the teal accents to the shelves of board games to the decorative crocheted hearts.

The menu: Ice cream sandwiches, cones, elaborate sundaes with names like Call The Dentist, pretty ice cream soda floats, soft-serve, milkshakes, and a pastry case filled with both glutenized and gluten-free pastries, including brownies and cookies and popster Pop-Tart replicas. (Add a scoop of ice cream to any bakery item for an extra $3.)

7415 Greenwood Ave., Seattle; open noon-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays (note: Between June 21 and mid-September theyll close at 10 p.m. instead); seattlecookiecounter.com

What to try: For my family, the answer is Fluffernutter ice cream. After all the times my kids have turned down marshmallow treats because of the animal products used in gelatin (Horse hoofs, the 6-year-old grumbles, though my understanding is that its more often derived from cows and pigs), it was a treat for me to tell them none of the flavors were off-limits. Your own favorites may depend on your own familys dietary restrictions or preferences. Sundaes ($8-$14) and floats are attractive, and we liked the (yes, vegan) chocolate shell over our single scoop, which doesnt entirely coat the ice cream, but is drizzled over and around it. I thought the gluten-free peanut butter blondie ($3.50) was more successful than the chocolate chip cookie ($2) or brownie ($3.75).

Be aware: The coconut milk and coconut cream used in the vanilla ice cream gives it a distinct overtone of coconut. Its good, but it may not fit your expectations of vanilla, and it seemed an odd match for the espresso in my otherwise adorable affogato ($6), a shot of espresso over ice cream topped with (again, it goes without saying, but vegan) whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. The shop does clearly post ingredient lists for all the ice cream flavors.

Wait, theres more: The ice cream truck that the business began with (a 1974 VW bus named Mavis) operates mid-May through mid-September, selling prepackaged items including ice cream sandwiches. Check out the schedule at seattlecookiecounter.com or look for flavor and location updates on Instagram at @seattlecookiecounter.

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Fans show their love of The Cookie Counter's vegan treats - The Seattle Times