Budget Ice Cream Sundae Tips and Tricks

Creating a delicious ice cream sundae at home is a fun family activity. Unfortunately, shopping for ice cream toppings can take a toll on your wallet. Plus, all those toppings occupy precious space in the pantry and refrigerator. Save your money for summer fun. Get creative and look for tasty, budget-friendly sundae ingredients in your kitchen. Using these tips, you can make a special ice cream treat to please everyone's palate without spending a fortune.

Start with a foundation of muffins, cakes or brownies.
Baked goods make a tasty foundation for ice cream sundaes. Cake and brownie mixes are easy to prepare and frequently go sale for as little as one dollar.

Another cheap option is to shop for clearance baked goods. These foods are often a little dry, but the ice cream will soften them. You can also briefly microwave the cake before building the sundae.

Lose the bread. Jam, jelly and peanut butter are affordable sundae toppings.
Chances are, these common sandwich ingredients are already in your kitchen. Transfer a small amount of jam, jelly or creamy peanut butter to a microwave-safe dish. Heat for fifteen seconds and stir. Continue heating in fifteen second intervals until warm. Drizzle warm toppings over ice cream.

Use your favorite candy.
Coarsely chopped candy is an affordable, flavorful sundae topping. Small candies, such as M&M's and malted milk balls, work well, but layered and filled candy bars give the most bang for your buck because each one contains multiple topping ingredients. For example, a Snickers bar contains peanuts, caramel, chocolate and nougat. For more sophisticated palates, try gourmet chocolate, such as Green and Black's or Godiva. Avoid gummy candy and licorice. They look pretty, but tend to freeze and get hard.

Make a sundae topping from hard candies such as butterscotch or peanut brittle. Place hard candy in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Sprinkle crushed candy over ice cream.

Finish your sundae with fresh fruit.
Bananas secured a place in the traditional banana split, but other fresh fruits make tasty ice cream toppings. Seasonal fruit is delicious and affordable. Slice fresh berries, peaches or pineapple into bite-size pieces and spread over ice cream. Oranges are another fun topping (think Dreamsicle). Drizzle the fruit juice over the sundae for added flavor.

Scour your kitchen for inspiration. In addition to saving money and creating original culinary masterpieces, you can clean out your pantry.