Vanilla Ice Cream is More than Basic

Vanilla Ice Cream is More than Basic

Yesterday was National Vanilla Ice Cream Day and I celebrated with one scoop with some unique toppings.  Some people would argue that vanilla ice cream is well … vanilla and boring.  I'm afraid I have to disagree!  I encourage you to branch out from sprinkles and get creative.  In my opinion, vanilla has a very distinct flavor; I don’t know why it gets a bad rap for being boring.  It’s not.  The character of vanilla brings out the sweet and spicy flavor and aroma, which is very rum-like to me. According to McCormick Science Institute, the folklore of vanilla involves, that it was “enjoyed by the Aztecs in a drink called Xoco-lall, which was made from cocoa and Vanilla beans. Cortéz sampled this drink and returned to Spain with reports it contained magical powers. Europeans mixed Vanilla beans with their tobacco for smoking and chewing, and considered it a miracle drug.”  Miracle Drug, sign me up!

Here are some great unique toppings for your dish of vanilla ice cream

Cereal

This might be a really old school idea but try cereal as a topping.  I highly suggest Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Honey Nut Cheerio's, Honey Smack, Fruity Pebbles, Apple Jacks, Cocoa Pebbles, and Fruity Pebbles.  Crush up the cereal and either drizzle on top or mix it into the ice cream.

Bacon

Bacon makes everything better!  Think about it; vanilla and bacon are a perfect match.  Fry up your favorite bacon, let it cool, then finely chop it up, and sprinkle on top of your favorite vanilla ice cream. Maybe throw in a drizzle of molasses.

Fruits and Herbs

My mother was famous for putting the zest of a lemon, orange, or lime on top of ice cream.  I was once at a super fancy restaurant in Miami, and they served us vanilla ice cream with lemon zest and mint.  It was fabulous.

[No Fail] Cookies

My favorite cookie to crush up into vanilla is either Golden Oreos or Carrot Cake Oreos.  Also, popular selections would be Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, and Ginger Snap.  But, you haven’t lived until you had Nutter Butter cookies with vanilla ice cream.

(Source) For more from the McCormick Science Institute, click here.