For more than 100 years, the banana split has been one of America's most iconic ice cream treats. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. For starters, the colossal luxury treat thought to have been invented by pharmacist David "Doc" Strickler in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 1904 is 100% shareable, so it offers a pretty good bang for your buck.
Second, it's got variety. In addition to three favorite flavors of ice cream — strawberry, chocolate and vanilla — the sundae is loaded with three sauces, globs of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry atop each scoop. If you're a nut lover, you can go for crushed toasted walnuts as a garnish.
And if standing in line at a local ice cream stand doesn't sound like fun, it's easy enough to make a traditional banana split ice cream sundae at home using easy-to-find pantry ingredients and grocery store fruit. The homemade sauces take some planning, but all are extremely simple and can be made ahead of time and reheated just before serving. Pro tip: Bananas are easier to halve if you slice them while the skin is still on.
Also, have all your toppings assembled and ready to go before you take the ice cream cartons out of the freezer; it melts faster than you think! Additionally, if you're making more than one split for family and/or friends, it's probably not a bad idea to pre-scoop the different ice creams onto a parchment-covered sheet pan and then stick it back into the freezer until you're ready for sundae construction. Banana Split .