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The Perfect North Carolina Sundae to Celebrate National Dessert Day

Friday, October 14 is National Dessert Day, and there’s no better way to celebrate that in North Carolina than with the perfect ice cream sundae. We’ll get into what makes…

north carolina ice cream sundae national dessert day

What does it take to make the perfect ice cream sundae in North Carolina? This study has some answers!

Bhofack / Getty Images

Friday, October 14 is National Dessert Day, and there's no better way to celebrate that in North Carolina than with the perfect ice cream sundae.

We'll get into what makes up that delicious treat in just a minute, but first a little a background (obviously).

Our friends over at Shane & Co. know a thing or two about love, so they set out to find the ice cream sundae toppings that people love most around the county.

"There are endless possibilities for creating the ice cream sundae of your dreams," author Anna Gionet said in the Shane & Co. piece. "Consider your base ice cream flavor, loaded with your favorite candy toppings, and drizzled with the syrup and fudge of your choice. Our mouths are watering just thinking about it! But the fun with sundaes doesn’t stop there. You have to decide how you’re going to finish it off. With sprinkles? Whipped cream? A cherry? That’s the fun of a sundae, it’s all up to you. And the good news is, there’s no wrong answer … unless, of course, you don’t have one at all!"

There were some unique results all over the country, including in Utah where bananas, Oreos, toffee, chopped nuts, whipped cream and chocolate sauce was the favored combination.

Folks in Oklahoma swapped out the bananas for Reese's candy, cherries and chocolate chips. In Nevada they like all that, but then they throw on M&Ms, because why not?

Texas gets a little "healthier" by preferring berries as one of its toppings, they were joined by Kansas in that liking.

Nationwide, chopped nuts were the runaway favorite topping, followed by Oreos and chocolate chips. Hot fudge was the sauce preference leader nationwide, and surprisingly, 51 percent people prefer NO sprinkles.

But what makes up that perfect ice cream sundae here in North Carolina? Here's a topping breakdown:

The Perfect North Carolina Ice Cream Sundae Toppings

Summer ice cream buffet table with a variety of flavors and sweet toppings. Overhead view on rustic white wood.

Topping 1 - Chopped Nuts

whipped cream with caramel sauce on white background

Chopped nuts are a must on North Carolina sundaes. (Magone / Getty Images)

Topping 2 - Crumbled Oreos

Topping 3 - Chocolate Chips

Delicious Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Who doesn't love chocolate chips on ice cream? (Stephanie Frey / Getty Images)

Topping 4 - M&Ms Candy

Sauce 1 - Hot Fudge

Sauce 2 - Chocolate Sauce

Sprinkles Choice - NONE!

Vanilla Ice Cream in a Waffle Cone Bowl on a Blue Background

Sorry sprinkles, you're not wanted here. (Pamela D. McAdams / Getty Images)

Whipped Cream Preference - YES!

Cherry Preference - OBVIOUSLY!

Ice cream sundae cupcake

We love our cherries on sundaes! (Ruth Black / Getty Images)