Don't eat ice cream naked

Obviously ice cream is delicious, just the way it is.

But, occasionally, with a few added ingredients, it can be even better.

They can be crunchy, chewy, hot, cold, sweet, tangy or tart, and they usually cost at least 50 cents.

Toppings can take an average bowl of ice cream and make it into a work of art, dessert style.

The ice cream business generally offers two types of toppings: syrups and dry. But into these two categories fits a plethora of variety.

The most popular liquid topping is the classic hot fudge. It can be easily made at home by combining sugars, cocoa and butter. My favorite uses Hershey's cocoa.

It can also be made college-style by heating up a jar of fudge in the microwave (but take the metal lid off first).

Dry ingredients range from salty peanuts to chewy gummies. Coldstone offers tons, which they mix in directly for you. Kilwins, which specializes in homemade, old-fashioned ice cream, has candies made in house. Their roasted nuts are a great addition to any flavor.

Walk into the store and take a good whiff of the treats and just try not to buy something. I dare you.

Another fun way to use toppings is layering them, parfait style. TCBY, located on Prospect, makes these with the syrup and topping of your choice.

The best one, however, is Dairy Queen's peanut buster parfait.

Made with their classic hot fudge and whole, salted Spanish peanuts between layers of vanilla ice cream, this treat is the perfect size to share.

But it's so good, you may not want to.

There are also several ways to get creative with toppings right at home.

Try crushing your favorite candy bar or cookie, and throwing on top of a scoop. Girl Scout thin mints mix great with vanilla to make homemade mint chocolate chip.

As a college student, I like to add caffeine to anything possible. I recently discovered putting ground coffee or espresso beans over a scoop of vanilla. Topped off with a little chocolate syrup and whip cream, and you've got the perfect pick-me-up, dessert style.

Just pick the grounds out of your teeth before you go anywhere.