Dessert toppings are ready for their close-up. While they don’t get top billing on the marquee, sweet toppings steal the scene — they add award-winning flavor, create buzz-worthy visual interest, and get a standing ovation for elevating dishes across dayparts.  

And the Award Goes To…

’Tis the season in Hollywood, and we’re calling out dessert toppings for a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award. Day in and day out, these unsung heroes do double duty with drama-boosting flavor and look-at-me special effects from swirls and curls to dots and drizzles.

Best Topping in a Supporting Role

The best actors do it all, from indies and rom-coms to big-budget blockbusters. It’s the same for dessert toppings, which offer versatility across dayparts and are as comfortable in front of the camera as they are behind the scenes. Start the day with marbled pancakes, caramel French toast, and sophisticated coffees with decadent drizzles.

Then wind it down at last call with sweet sippers like a caramel old fashioned or chocolate-covered strawberry martini, plus a classic chocolate mousse or sassy peanut butter tiramisu — with two spoons, please.

Toppings give you the green light to go off script. Gather up a complete cast of ready-to-use West Creek® Dessert Toppings — chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, hot fudge, crushed pineapple, and sliced strawberries — and hold a “who are you wearing?” red carpet contest.

From cheesecake, pound cake, and upside-down cake, to brookies (brownie/cookie layered mashups) and even crème brûlée, which desserts get a best-dressed nod, with fun and funky elements or banana-split style? For inspo, check out this Chocolate Coconut Banana Split Pie.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Sometimes an original needs a redo — or a glow up. That’s where toppings earn extra accolades. As the industry adapts to shifting diets, including smaller portion sizes and amped-up protein power, fan-fave dessert toppings deliver flavor and pizzazz in their category that help sweet treats get a second look.

Dress up housemade high-protein desserts with caramel, butterscotch, or a silky hot fudge to add glam without much extra guilt. Use Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or silken tofu to give mousse, trifles, cheesecakes and more a protein pop, then add syrup, sauce, and candy crumbles.

Try zipping up a protein 2.0 version of a Snickerdoodle Tart with Cinnamon Peanut Crust, by topping with a caramel sauce zigzag, and add a shard of brittle or yogurt bark for an every-bite-counts protein bonus.

Or level-up ready-made desserts with toppings that empower you to make them completely your own — and make them irresistible. Here’s a triple treat: Heritage Ovens® Chocolate Cream Pie made with HERSHEY’S,  Sweet Encore® New York-Style Vegan Dairy-Free Cheesecake, and Guest House® Donuts are perfect for writing your own statue-worthy dessert script.

Achievement in Casting

And the nominees are: toppings! This year’s newest award was tailor-made for dessert toppings, with their endless opportunities across categories (and dayparts!) for award-winning customization. Like every good action hero, chocolate — like West Creek Chocolate Syrup — blows away the competition.

Beyond cocktails, coffees, over-the-top shakes, and bakes like cakes and pies, chocolate syrup can liven up marinades, moles, and BBQ sauces, stews and chilis, and even hummus. With a little adaptation, chocolate syrup can stunt-double almost anywhere you find cocoa powder.

Need some ideas? Give chocolate syrup a starring role in an all-the-rage Dubai-style chocolate martini, Coda® Chocolate Pistachio Coffee Float, stuffed French toast, spicy chocolate margarita, or whimsically global chocolate gochujang lava cakes.

Best Visual Effects

High style always wins the critics’ choice, and toppings are your secret weapon for red-carpet-ready presentations. When toppings graduate to edible artistry á la swooshes, splatters, and swirls, diners take notice.

The best designs get VIP treatment on the socials, drawing more interest to your restaurant and earning you coveted Fan Favorite honors. Your dish may not break the Internet like Ellen’s viral Oscar selfie, but you will have fans crooning “Hello, Gorgeous!”