Rip Van started in a Brown University dorm room, where co-founder Rip Pruisken — who grew up eating stroopwafels in the Netherlands — was hand-making them at 3am and selling out on the campus green. The question that followed was whether the ritual could survive a better recipe. It can: our wafels keep the crisp-then-chewy texture and the caramel that goes soft over coffee, and lose most of the sugar.

What's in a Rip Van stroopwafel. Each wafel is 120 calories with 3g sugar, 6g fiber and no artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives. The fiber is prebiotic, which is what lets us cut sugar without the thin, dry texture most low-sugar cookies have. Wafels are individually wrapped, so they travel, pack into a lunchbox and sit in a desk drawer without going stale.

How to eat one. The Dutch way: rest the wafel on top of a mug of hot coffee or tea for a minute, let the steam soften the caramel, then eat it warm. It's also good cold, straight from the wrapper, or warmed for ten seconds in the microwave over ice cream.

Which wafel to start with. If you've had a stroopwafel before, start with Dutch Caramel & Vanilla — it's the one with over a thousand reviews. If you want something that tastes more like a bakery cookie, Snickerdoodle or Chocolate Brownie. For a keto-friendly portion, the Mini Wafels are 34 calories and 1g sugar each.

Rip Van wafels are also at Target, Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods and 15,000+ other stores — find one near you. Read more: What is a stroopwafel?