Ice cream can be mixed with numerous ingredients to make different flavors or combined with various toppings for an individualized creation. With a wide selection of ice cream toppers including chocolate, nuts, candies and sprinkles, the creative possibilities are endless.
Types
Six major categories are available for ice cream toppers, including syrups/sauces, nuts, candies, chocolate, sprinkles and fruit. Chocolate syrup is a traditional ice cream topper but caramel, maple syrup, hot fudge, toffee sauce and butterscotch are also included in syrups/sauces. Chopped nuts commonly used to top ice cream cones and sundaes include hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts and almonds. Candies can include jelly beans, gummy worms, spice drops or Skittles and chocolates typically include chocolate chips or M&M candies.
Size
The majority of the calories in ice cream toppers will come from carbohydrates and sugars. Hershey's chocolate syrup, for example, contains 100 calories per 2-tbsp. serving with 100 percent of the calories coming from the 24 g of total carbohydrates and 20 g of sugars. Similarly, Smucker's sundae syrup contains 100 calories with 24 g of total carbohydrates, 0 g of total fat and less than 1 g of protein. Nuts, however, will provide a significant amount of fats instead of the carbohydrates found in the chocolate and candy toppings.
Features
Ingredients for ice cream toppers can include an extensive list of artificial flavors and processed foods. Smucker's sundae syrup, for example, starts with high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup as the primary ingredients followed with nonfat milk, water and processed cocoa.
Benefits
Ice cream toppers will contain only small amounts of various vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Smucker's sundae syrup contains no vitamin A, vitamin C or calcium and contains only 6 percent of the daily recommended intake of iron. Nuts are your best option for significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. For example, 1 oz. of almonds provides 4 g of dietary fiber, 80 mg of calcium, 1 mg of iron and more than 6 mg of vitamin E.
Considerations
Making a customized ice cream cone or sundae can result in numerous ingredients coming together. A banana split ice cream dessert, for example, can include ice cream, one or more bananas, chocolate syrup and chopped peanuts. The addition of every ingredient can add calories, carbohydrates and fat. To reduce the caloric content of your ice cream dessert, consider removing one or more ingredients or reducing the overall serving size.
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