How To Remix Loaded Fries Into The Ultimate Dessert Dish

If the mention of fries makes you think "fully-loaded," we like where your head is. Foodies around the world are chowing down on different types of loaded fries, from Peruvian salchipapas (with sliced-up hot dogs) to Canadian poutine (with gravy and squeaky cheese curds). But there's an underrated flip-side of this culinary coin: dessert fries. Savory toppings have their time and place, but for sweet-toothed gourmands, dessert-forward additions are one of the ultimate ways to elevate loaded fries.

To assemble knockout dessert fries, simply toast a bag of frozen fries on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet as you normally might, and then load 'em up with your favorite saccharine toppings. You could opt for candies, syrups, fruit, or even frozen treats. On a textural note, it can be helpful to leave those fries in the oven for an extra minute or two; crispier fries make more structurally-intact, non-soggy vehicles for transporting all those scrumptious toppings to your mouth. 

Here at Tasting Table, our all-time favorite store-bought frozen fries are made by Arby's brand, for the record. Although, this dessert fry remix also totally works with sweet potato fries, or waffle fries. If you're feeling like a loose cannon, you could even grab a few frozen waffles while you're getting that bag of fries out of the freezer. Slice those waffles into strips, then toast 'em alongside the fries on the baking sheet to create a mixed base for your fully-loaded masterpiece.

Now for the fun part: deciding how to load the fries. A scoop of ice cream delivers all the fry-dunked-into-a-milkshake vibes we crave. When you hit the ice cream aisle at the grocery store, be sure not to overlook other sundae sauces and syrups, like marshmallow fluff, jarred hot fudge, raspberry jam, bottled strawberry syrup, and salted caramel sauce. These can all serve as a moisture component for your dessert fries. Pro tip: Take a little inspiration from your favorite frozen yogurt place. Pretty much anything you might find in a build-your-own froyo toppings bar is fair game here. Depending on your tastes, you could incorporate brownie chunks, cookie dough pieces, yellow cake cubes, mochi, rainbow sprinkles, maraschino cherries, Nutella, or M&Ms. You could even try out crunchy cereals like Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Let your imagination and intuition be your guides as you brainstorm potential topping ideas. Try experimenting with different flavor combinations, such as a drizzle of peanut butter, a dollop of thick whipped topping like Cool Whip, mini chocolate chips, Captain Crunch cereal, and shredded coconut (if you know you know). Dessert fries' sheet pan assembly makes them easily snackable for sharing with a group of friends during stay-home movie nights. For the crispiest fries, preheat your pan, and don't load on the toppings until right before you're ready to dig in.