The Pantry Staple You're Overlooking For A Simple Yet Flavorful Ice Cream Topping

When it comes to ice cream fans, there are those of us who like to stick to common flavors: a simple chocolate or vanilla, mint chocolate chip, maybe even rocky road. And there are those of us who like to dive in and try it all — even the weird ones. Interestingly, there are plenty of ways to make ice cream without a machine, whatever your preference. And even those of us who like the stranger flavors may be shocked by some of the formerly popular ice cream flavors that you never see today. But there's another flavor, a super common kitchen staple that you've probably never even thought to put on your ice cream. It's completely delicious and can easily appeal to the palates of all frozen dessert enjoyers: cinnamon.

Once you think about it, it seems so obvious — of course the nutty, woody, sweet spice would go well with rich and velvety ice cream. It's already a regular ingredient in other sweet foods you may commonly enjoy at home, like perfectly creamy overnight oats, which have a pretty similar flavor profile to a basic ice cream. Grabbing a jar of cinnamon from the pantry to mix in your ice cream will expand its flavor, adding a bit of floral spice. And if you regularly keep just one flavor of ice cream in the freezer, it's an easy way to double your dessert offerings. It can be as simple as sprinkling it on top of almost any flavor, but what are some other ways to use cinnamon in your ice cream?

Cinnamon goes well with a simple vanilla scoop, although all vanilla ice cream brands aren't created equal, so choose your base wisely. A dash of cinnamon on your vanilla ice cream will give it an air of elegance. And it blends well with other baking spices, like allspice, nutmeg, and clove, for a mild but zesty punch of flavor. Try a banana milkshake with a healthy serving of vanilla ice cream and cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. It's creamy, nutty, and relatively light compared to other milkshakes that pile on the sugary mix-ins.

Using cinnamon with chocolate ice cream will emulate the flavor of a Mexican hot chocolate, giving you some nice warm spice, but with a soothing, cooling effect on the palate. And if you want to go from "spiced" to "spicy," add in some chile powder for the full Mexican hot chocolate experience. Cinnamon also goes great with coconut — the perfect flavor to mix with regular coconut-flavored ice cream or vegan ice cream made with a coconut milk base. For a boozy, Puerto Rican-inspired creamy cocktail, you can blend coconut ice cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and an ounce or two of rum to create a milkshake take on the classic coquito.

Cinnamon not only blends seamlessly with sweet flavors, but a bit of savory salt will bring out a bolder cinnamon flavor, while crushed peanuts or almonds will complement the spice nicely. A touch of cinnamon will go with just about any flavor of ice cream you choose. Try it with whatever you happen to have at home — just add a sprinkle to your next spoonful and see how it goes.