You'll Be Able To Get Stroopwafel McFlurries In The U.S. Soon, According To Reports

Wait. Wait. Stop EVERYTHING. (Well, maybe not everything, but, y'know, everything, metaphorically speaking.) Could it be? Is it true? Is the Stroopwafel McFlurry coming to American McDonald’s locations soon? It hasn't been fully confirmed yet, but signs are pointing pretty strongly to “yes.” Rumors have been swirling since Business Insider published a piece this morning based on some “internal documents” they’d gotten a hold of; these documents, reported the outlet, spoke of a “Worldwide Favorites” menu arriving at U.S.-based McD’s restaurants in June which will allegedly highlight four items from global McD’s locations — among them the Stroopwafel McFlurry from the Netherlands. And hey, guess what? When Bustle reached out to McDonald’s USA for comment, we received a simple, two-word statement in return: “Geen commentaar” — that is, “No comment” in Dutch.

I see what you did there, McDonald’s.

According to Business Insider, the alleged “Worldwide Favorites” menu will reportedly include two sandwiches, a souped-up order of fries, and the aforementioned McFlurry. Hailing from Spain is the Grand McExtreme Bacon Burger, which consists of Quarter Pounder, “McBacon sauce” (whatever that is), actual bacon, gouda, and sliced onions; from Canada, we have a tomato and mozzarella chicken sandwich, although it’s unclear whether we’re looking at the Tomato & Mozzarella With Grilled Chicken sandwich or the Tomato & Mozzarella With Crispy Chicken one; from Australia, we have a whole bunch of fries topped with bacon and cheese; and, of course, from the Netherlands, there’s the Stroopwafel McFlurry, which blends vanilla soft serve with caramel and bits of Stroopwafel. Business Insider reports that the “Worldwide Favorites” menu will be arriving at American McDonald’s locations in June 2019.

In the event that you are somehow unfamiliar with Stroopwafel, they’re a kind of waffle-like cookie with caramel sandwiched in the middle. If you rest one on the top of a mug filled with a hot beverage — tea, coffee, hot chocolate, cider, mulled wine, whatever you like — the heat and steam from the drink warms the Stroopwafel and melts the caramel inside, resulting in the most delightful snacking experience you’ll likely ever have. The history of the treat is somewhat hazy, but they’re believed to have been invented in the Netherlands sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. For some time, they were difficult to get a hold of outside the Netherlands; however, in recent years, they’ve become widely available. Heck, even Trader Joe’s has ‘em now.

The McFlurry, meanwhile, is neither Dutch nor American in origin; it’s Canadian. The treat was invented in 1995 by Ron McLellan, a Canadian franchisee who ran a location in Bathhurst, New Brunswick at the time — and the dessert took off so much that you can get it in nearly 100 countries across the globe now. The available flavors tend to rotate with some regularity; in the United States right now, for example, we’ve only got the classic M&Ms variety and the Oreo version on the menu. But limited-edition takes on the ice cream treat do pop up from time to time, even if they often leave as quickly as they come.

Interestingly, Dutch Stroopwafel McFlurries tend to come and go even on the McDonald’s Netherlands menu. They’re not currently listed on the “Desserts” section of the McD’s Nederland online menu, for example; the only options available right now are Red Fruit & Merengue, Karamel Zeezout (Salted Caramel), Oreo, and M&Ms Pinda (Peanut M&Ms). However, I’ve found mentions of them online circa 2010, 2011, and, most recently on the Dutch language internet at least, 2016, so the evidence suggests they show up fairly frequently. Indeed, the 2016 mention, which comes from Cosmopolitan’s Dutch website, notes (via Google Translate) that the treat typically appears on the McDonald’s Netherlands menu around winter, but usually disappears during the summer.

The last time we got word of the Stroopwafel McFlurry’s existence was in September of 2018 — but not in the Netherlands; in Florida. About 50 locations in Southern Florida had them as a limited time offering last fall while McDonald’s tested four global menu items for a potential promotion in the works for later on down the line.

A potential promotion that, uh, sounds pretty similar to the one referred to in the documents acquired by Business Insider.

Hmmm.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

In any event, McDonald’s hasn’t officially announced either the “Worldwide Favorites” menu in general or the Stroopwafel McFlurry more specifically yet — but if the clues we’ve been given are true, such an announcement is likely coming soon. After all, this isn’t the first time international McDonald’s items have been offered in the United States; it happens from time to time, particularly at McD’s headquarters in Chicago.

Keep your ear to the ground — more is likely coming soon. And I, for one, can’t wait.