Tacos are a favorite standby in most households, and it's easy to see why: They're customizable, delicious and quick to make. But even the most-trusted menu items need a bit of freshening up from time to time to keep things interesting. What better way to do that than with chocolate? You'll forget all about the meat and vegetable fillings when chocolate and ice cream are involved — and everyone will be looking forward to a repeat of taco night. Here's how to do it.

Get an oval carton of ice cream. The "taco shells" will be chocolate, so be sure your ice cream will complement them. Oh, who are we kidding? Everyone knows everything goes with chocolate. Pick your favorite flavor!

Slice the rounded ends off, straight through the container. Then cut 5 to 6 half-circle slices (each slice should be the shape of a taco).

Lay the slices out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, then set it in the freezer until the slices are firm.

For the chocolate shells, you'll need:

1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour

Pour all the ingredients into a medium bowl and mix until fully incorporated.

Once your waffle cone maker is heated and ready, drop 1 to 2 tablespoons of chocolate batter over the surface, then close the lid. Cook the batter for approximately 1 minute, or per the machine's instructions.

Carefully remove the hot waffle cone, which is about to become your taco shell, and place one of the frozen ice cream half-circles onto it. Press the chocolate taco together and refreeze. Note: It's best to do 3 to 4 at a time and then get them back into the freezer. Try not to let the ice cream melt; it will make the chocolate tacos soggy!

Lettuce, cheese and veggies need not apply. Add the following taco toppings and cake embellishments to individual bowls:

Chocolate wafers
Chopped peanuts
Chopped Oreos
Chopped chocolate chip cookies

Melt the chocolate wafers and let them cool to room temperature. Dip the open (ice cream) side of the taco into the chocolate, covering the exposed ice cream. The melted chocolate will help the toppings stick, so be sure to use enough.

Immediately dip the coated taco into the chopped peanuts or garnish of your choice. Get creative, and don't feel like you need to make each taco the same. Keep the tacos frozen until you are ready to serve the cake.

While the tacos are firming up in the freezer, make your cakes. Prepare them in 8-inch round cake pans. You will need 3 layers of cake for this taco-topped cake, so either double your favorite chocolate cake recipe or use 2 boxes of chocolate cake mix. Save the fourth layer for later. Prepare 1 batch of your favorite whipped buttercream recipe.

Get your chopped Oreos and chopped chocolate chip cookies. (If you don't have any leftover cookie crumbles after decorating your tacos, just smash some more cookies.)

Set 1 layer of cake on a cake stand. Spread about 3/4 cup of buttercream on the cake. Spread half of the chocolate chip cookie crumbles on top. Set the next chocolate cake layer on top and press down slightly. Make sure the cake is level.

Cover the second cake layer with about 3/4 cup of buttercream, then sprinkle half of the Oreo crumbs on top of the buttercream. Place the final layer of cake on top.

Remove the frozen chocolate tacos from the freezer and place them on the top of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate cookie and Oreo crumbs all over the cake and tacos; add the chopped peanuts. For the sweetest finish, drizzle the towering dessert with chocolate sauce.