124 ice cream topping recipes

Pick any three berries, simmer them in blackberry wine with orange zest, then drop a buttery biscuit topping on top and bake until golden. A warm, bubbling berry cobbler begging for a scoop of ice cream.

Four-ingredient cherry dump cake with a buttery yellow cake mix crust, two cans of cherry pie filling, and a nutty crumble topping. Served warm with ice cream.

Frozen pumpkin pie made with vanilla ice cream, pumpkin puree, and brown sugar in a baked pie shell. Topped with meringue and flash-baked like a Baked Alaska.

Meringue pecan pie binds Ritz cracker crumbs and chopped pecans into a stiff egg-white meringue, then bakes into a chewy-crisp slice. No pie crust required. Top with ice cream or fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Old-fashioned strawberry cobbler with a crumbly egg-and-flour topping dotted with butter. Uses fresh or frozen berries and bakes in one pan. Serve warm with ice cream.

Frosty chocolate pudding boosted with melted unsweetened chocolate, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and toasted coconut. A quick semi-homemade dessert with extra-rich chocolate flavor.

North Pole cherry pie: vanilla ice cream packed into a baked pie shell and topped with cherry pie filling. Three ingredients, no oven needed, frozen and ready to slice.

Flambed ice cream sauce of buttered green grapes, hot chiles, rum, honey, and warm spices. A sweet-heat dessert topping that takes 20 minutes and shocks the palate awake.

Maple mocha topping made from whipped egg whites, maple syrup, instant coffee, and vanilla. A light, fluffy no-cook sauce for ice cream or angel food cake with zero fat.

Spicy fruit compote simmers dried fruit in port wine with cinnamon, cloves, and lemon, finished with fresh banana. A warming dessert or breakfast topping for yogurt, ice cream, or pancakes.

Flowerpot baked Alaska bakes individual servings of ice cream, yellow cake, and meringue inside real flowerpots with a fresh bloom poking out the top. A showstopping vintage dinner-party dessert.

Mocha meringue pie with a chocolate-pecan meringue crust standing in for pastry. Coffee ice cream fills the crisp shell and freezes solid, topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls. A pour of Kahlua over each slice finishes it.

Hot chocolate float with steaming cocoa and a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream melting on top. A 3-ingredient, 10-minute treat where hot meets cold in every sip.

Fruit salsa sundaes scoop vanilla ice cream into crisp tortilla bowls and top with peaches, strawberries, candied ginger, and lime zest. A Tex-Mex inspired summer dessert that takes 25 minutes.

Peach Melba dessert sauce: a simple compote of peaches, raspberries, and sugar simmered into a glossy ruby topping. Spoon warm or chilled over vanilla ice cream for the classic Escoffier dessert.

Spiral sweet bread rolls filled with almond butter and plump currants, topped with vanilla cream icing and toasted almonds. These elegant French-style snails are a stunning addition to any brunch spread.