The Toasty Addition You Never Knew Your Ice Cream Was Missing

Ice cream is one of the most malleable desserts in the world. Its multitude of variations and flavors have grown far beyond the original chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, now including delicious and bizarre flavors such as moose tracks and Hidden Valley Ranch (for some reason). Combine that with ice cream's ability to be complemented by so many different unique toppings, and you get an unequivocally diverse and delicious dessert.

But, when it comes to upgrading and improving desserts like ice cream, we can always go further. In a world of elaborate toppings that wildly change the taste of a bowl of ice cream, one ingredient can enhance your creamy treat's taste without completely overhauling the dessert. That ingredient is none other than breadcrumbs, which can be integrated into your ice cream in numerous different ways to make a big difference to the end result.

So, how does this household item lend itself so well to one of America's favorite desserts? Well, it's all about that toasty taste that ingrains itself into the ice cream and makes it a one-of-a-kind addition to the treat.

Similar to ice cream, breadcrumbs are diverse and malleable, with different kinds of grain and toasting techniques producing different results, some of which work with sweet foods better than others. One kind of breadcrumb that stands out in this department is graham cracker breadcrumbs, which are likely the sweetest variation you'll find. The combination of graham crackers and ice cream is not a new one, with many cheesecake-flavored ice creams including chunks of graham crackers to replicate its delicious bread-y crust.

However, graham cracker crumbs are not the only way to go when it comes to the union of breadcrumbs and ice cream. In fact, many different kinds of breadcrumbs can work, with the general consensus being that as long as they are toasted or double-toasted, they will assimilate well with most ice creams.

Furthermore, the end result of uniting ice cream and breadcrumbs will depend heavily on when you add the breadcrumbs to your creamy dessert. Adding breadcrumbs while in the process of making your favorite homemade ice cream gives the dessert a unique and delicious texture, unlike any given carton of ice cream you'll grab from the store. Otherwise, you can add caramelized breadcrumbs — made using a hardy sourdough or French loaf as a topping after your ice cream is complete, making it less intertwined with the ice cream while still gifting you with its sweet and toasty presence.