The Leftover Breakfast Staple That Makes A Perfect Ice Cream Topping

You might say that ice cream is the perfect dessert, and we certainly wouldn't argue. While we love all the classic toppings — from nuts to sprinkles to maraschino cherries, pretzels, gummy bears, cookie pieces, and everything in between — sometimes we just want something a little different. You can easily upgrade your ice cream with a snack from your pantry, but you get even more creative with leftover cereal. 

Cereal transforms the idea of ice cream toppings from nice but sometimes boring into a new textural experience. It brings unexpected flavors into the mix along with a touch of nostalgia. For many, breakfast cereal has ties to childhood, and that feel-good memory trigger combined with the sugary-sweet crunch it brings to your frozen confection has all the makings of pure comfort food. 

While the idea has gone viral in recent years, it's actually not all that new. New Englanders have been enjoying the flavor of Grape-Nuts ice cream since the early 1900s. The concept of cereal milk became wildly popular around 2006 when chef Christina Tosi developed it using Kellogg's Corn Flakes as a flavor for panna cotta at David Chang's Momofuku. Then she turned cereal milk into all kinds of treats at her own Milk Bar restaurant, including soft-serve ice cream. Of course, the next logical step with cereal milk ice cream is to top it with more cereal. Corn Flakes, especially the frosted variety, are delicious on just about any flavor of ice cream you can imagine.

Nowadays, you'll find ice cream parlors that have morphed into cereal bars, offering an astonishing array of cereals that can be used as toppings or mixed into the ice cream itself. It's super easy to do at home too with leftover cereal. In fact, a nearly done box of cereal is excellent for this because those crumbly bits at the bottom of the bag are just the right size. Chunky pieces may not stick to cold ice cream as well — so crushing up larger pieces before using is a good idea. 

For inspiration, consider traditional flavor pairings. Think chocolate ice cream topped with Cap'n Crunch's Peanut Butter Crunch or strawberry ice cream with Cocoa Puffs. Enhance salted caramel ice cream (with or without espresso) with some Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Apple Jacks. Delicious vanilla goes great with Golden Grahams, Honey Smacks, or Lucky Charms. Cookie dough ice cream is delightful with Cocoa Pebbles, Cookie Crisp, or Reese's Puffs.

For a next level dessert night, try a twist on Drumsticks — that throwback favorite of filled cones coated in chocolate and peanuts. In this case you'll be using cereal instead of nuts (and sorry to tell you, but Drumsticks don't contain real ice cream). Start by filling cones with scoops of vanilla ice cream, dip the tops in chocolate sauce, then roll them in cereal. This works well with small, lightweight varieties of cereal like Cocoa Krispies, Fruity Pebbles, or crushed Froot Loops.