Take Ice Cream Sundaes Up A Notch With This Iconic S'mores Ingredient

There are as many ways to make an ice cream sundae as there are available ingredient combinations. You can build the darling old classic with a cherry on top, which was invented thanks to a bizarre law concerning soda sales, or recreate the notorious $10 million sundae from Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans. But there's one fun addition that looks to an unexpected element for its unique twist: fire.

Toasted marshmallows give an ice cream sundae not just an extra sugar rush and campfire flavor, but also a textural dimensionality that few other toppings can impart. It might at first seem incongruous to marry an ingredient so vulnerable to higher temperatures (the ice cream), with one that can render it to a puddle under the right circumstances (the toasted marshmallow). But then one recalls the sauce that turned hot fudge sundaes into their very own dessert category. Ice cream and warmer confections have always been an excellent match when paired correctly, and toasted marshmallows are practically impossible to mess up in this preparation.

Yes, you can simply coat your ice cream with a layer of Marshmallow Fluff and fire it with a kitchen torch for a similar enough effect. But that, of course, will cause more melting than separately toasted whole marshmallows. Plus, although the flavor principles are parallel, the final product is noticeably different thanks to the marshmallow topping's spreadability.

You can still use the torch on traditional, mini, or custom homemade marshmallows if you've moved beyond the trusty "hovering a metal fork-speared marshmallow over a stovetop burner" technique, however. Simply line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, arrange as many marshmallows as you want to top your sundaes with, and grace them with the flame. You'll want to gently shake the pan to turn them a few times for an even kiss of golden color. If you don't own a kitchen torch and don't want to use your stovetop, you can also toast many marshmallows at once in the oven under your broiler (making sure to flip them once so both sides are browned).

No matter how you choose to toast your marshmallows, you'll want to get them as singed as you can without burning. Those crisp edges and melty centers are what makes this whole thing delicious, after all. When enjoyed with other ingredients like that iconic hot fudge, whipped cream, and maybe some crushed nuts, toasted marshmallows give your sundaes a signature sweet and smoky touch.