How To Give Your Ice Cream Cone A Sugary Cereal Coating

Ice cream cones don't necessarily need a special flavor — as long as they hold a scoop of the chilly treat well, they've done their job. Still, embellishing it amps up the taste of the ice cream, while also giving it a more intriguing look. Sprinkles and chocolate chips are a great choice when it comes to decorating, but a sweet cereal coating will elevate your ice cream cone.

Though it is a quintessential breakfast item, the sweetness of many cereals makes them almost like kin to dessert. The ingredients often find their way into treats such as puppy chow and cheesecake — we even love using leftover cereal to make ice cream sandwiches. Cereal brings a sweet touch to the normally bland-tasting cones while its crispiness adds a delightful texture to the creamy ice cream. The cereal boosts the flavor of the ice cream as well; you can mix and match flavors to boost the richness of the dessert or add a dash of fruitiness.

The extra step doesn't take too long to pull together. Pour some chocolate chips into a bowl — white chocolate works well with a variety of flavors, but you can opt for milk or dark chocolate. Melt it in the microwave then dip the cones in the chocolate. Dip the cone in cereal right away, ensuring that the chocolate-covered part is fully covered in cereal. Stand the cones upright using a cooling rack and allow the chocolate to harden before adding the ice cream.

It's not the most important component, but the best breakfast cereals have a decent dose of sweetness to them, making for the perfect addition to ice cream cones. Cinnamon Toast Crunch, a favorite of ours, has a warming, slightly spiced flavor that enhances ice cream cones perfectly. The swirls of cinnamon pair well with buttery white chocolate, and bring a delicate heat to vanilla, snickerdoodle, or chocolate ice cream. The squares are a little too large to be put on the cone straightaway, so crush it beforehand.

Fruity pebbles, on the other hand, are the perfect size to place right onto the cone. They don't favor any fruit in particular, so they can mesh with all kinds of ice cream flavors. Add a scoop of strawberry ice cream to a cone with white chocolate and fruity pebbles, or go for a richer flavor with dark chocolate and black cherry ice cream. The bright taste of the cereal also makes it delicious with sorbet such as mango, lemon, or watermelon.

Mini honey nut cheerios are another delicious choice for ice cream cones, and their nutty, pleasantly sweet taste easily blends into the ice cream itself. You can incorporate the cereal into homemade no-churn ice cream by softening it in heavy cream before whipping the mixture and adding in sweetened condensed milk. Once it's well combined, allow it to harden in the freezer.