Recently, my twins celebrated their birthday. Around our house, this date is a national holiday and an excuse to go a little crazy. In honor of the big day, we had back-to-back sleepovers and therefore, back-to-back ice cream sundae bars.
I don’t care what other desserts are out there or how old you are, it’s hard to beat a really good ice cream sundae. Like beauty, the makings of a great sundae are entirely in the eyes of the beholder. In my house, we have some universal truths: We don’t like maraschino cherries, nuts are unnecessary unless they are candied, and there’s no such thing as too much whipped cream. Other than that, we are divided (one twin likes hot fudge and the other likes hot caramel). In my house, I aim to please both.
The easiest way to set up a sundae bar is to start with the basics and add from there. I offer hot fudge and hot caramel to start with and after that, the sky is the limit. Ordinarily, I use plastic cups so that the kids can sprinkle out what they’d like. This time, I offered pretzel M&Ms, sprinkles, and mini chocolate chips. I chopped up some of their favorite candy bars, Twix and Heath, along with some turtles and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. At the end of the bar, there was whipped cream—lots of whipped cream.
This concept also works well as a potluck dessert if you need to serve a crowd. Simply have your guests bring their favorite candy bar (already chopped up) or other topping and you supply the ice cream.
The result, as expected, was a success—both nights. My son’s friend told me it was the best sundae he had ever had and my daughter’s friends echoed those sentiments the following evening.
Unfortunately, I only have a year to figure out how to top this for their next birthday.
