Hack Your McDonald's Ice Cream By Turning It Into A Luscious Apple Treat

Who can deny the understated deliciousness of McDonald's vanilla soft serve? It's equal parts smooth, creamy, and sweet, making it the perfect vessel to elevate your dessert game. The ultimate hack is to get yourself an ice cream cone and pair it with another restaurant favorite — the baked apple pie. In turn, you get your own apple pie a la mode, like the homemade version of the classic apple pie and ice cream. 

To get this delectable treat, you must order an ice cream in a sundae cup and a baked apple pie. Break the rectangular pie over the vanilla goodness. Each spoonful fills your taste buds with contradictory temperatures and complimentary flavors. The warm baked apple pie pairs well with the cold, melty ice cream. Each apple pie features zesty bursts of apple filling and a sugary, flaky lattice crust. If you're looking to hack the system even more — order a caramel sundae and a baked apple pie. The buttery toffee notes in the caramel coat the vanilla ice cream. This saucy mixture of ice cream and caramel complements the warm bites of apple and broken-up rich crust fragments, similar to the savory, sweet, decadent notes in these salted caramel apple pie cookies.

While apple pie and simple vanilla ice cream are undeniable complements, there are other hacks you can make with your soft-serve. If you want another menu-based idea for McDonald's ice cream, take inspiration from these macaron ice cream sandwiches and buy two chocolate chip cookies to make a yummy sandwich. Take one chocolate chip cookie and press the ice cream into the center, spreading it around the surface before smashing the other confection on top. If you're feeling super fancy, wait until you get home and roll the exposed edge with rainbow sprinkles, crushed candies, or more chocolate chips for loads of texture. 

Another idea is to skip the sandwich and break warm chocolate chip cookies into a hot fudge sundae for the ultimate experience. The gooey, thick fudge sauce pairs well with the chocolate in the cookies, while the ice cream provides a subtle vanilla flavor that marries the three together. If you want to upgrade your McDonald's ice cream with items you have at home, consider olive oil and flaky sea salt for a gourmet touch. The sweetness of the ice cream works with the salty flakes, while the rich, grassy notes in the olive oil create a harmoniously balanced flavor profile you never thought you'd get out of a soft serve cone.