Serve Ice Cream In Nearly-Empty Nutella Jars For An Extra Layer Of Sweetness

We love hot fudge sundaes because they provide ribbons of rich, chocolatey goodness on top of our vanilla ice cream, but what if you could mix in toppings from the bottom of your dessert? If you've got an almost-empty jar of Nutella, simply dump your ice cream scoops into the nearly-finished Nutella jar, give it a quick stir, and you've got a yummy sundae in seconds. The Nutella remnants at the bottom of the jar are too much of a pain to retrieve for spreading on toast or a crepe, but there's no headache necessary when you can bring the dessert to the topping. Rather than throw the container away and waste those precious final globs, put them to good use while repurposing your jar as a dessert dish. 

Vanilla ice cream contrasts nicely with the nutty chocolate flavors in Nutella, but chocolate, cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, or strawberry ice creams are also delicious choices. But if you want to make a dessert that is exclusively Ferrero-forward, stick to a more neutral flavor like sweet cream or vanilla. 

How to infuse your ice cream with Nutella

While you're at it, why not make your Nutella-infused ice cream into a whole sundae? If you count the chocolate hazelnut spread as the hot fudge, you can also throw on additional toppings after you've mixed everything together — try diced nuts, whipped cream, sprinkles, and maraschino cherries, or add a drizzle of caramel sauce. 

If you want to make a dish reminiscent of a banana split, you can finish off your jar with banana slices, strawberry sauce, and some of the aforementioned toppings. You can also draw inspiration from your favorite frozen yogurt shop and use spoonfuls of crushed Oreos, cheesecake bits, and cookie dough bites. Depending on how hard you stirred in the Nutella, your ice cream may have softened a little, so feel free to pop it back in the freezer for a few minutes before going in on additional ingredients.

If you think your Nutella will need help getting incorporated because it's sticking to the sides of the jar, you can melt it a little by submerging the closed jar in a hot water bath. Then, once your Nutella is ready to stir, plunk in your ice cream and head down to hazel-town.