Posted in Desserts on September 23, 2025
Dessert isn’t just a cherry on top of a check average; with the right menu planning, it can be an especially sweet sales driver. In fact, as the most prolific LTO category across restaurant segments, with 671 introductions last year alone,1 dessert is the limited-time offer with unlimited potential.
No wonder 48% of restaurants in general upsell desserts at the end of a meal, with full-service restaurants taking the cake as the highest segment for dessert upsells, at 56%.2
What’s more, over 70% of restaurants actively select menu items to deliberately upsell and cross-sell on at least a monthly basis, or more often.2 Innovative limited-time dessert concepts can help your foodservice operation stand out in the blur, especially with younger consumers who have a hankering for bold and novel flavor experiences.
“Younger generations are more likely to reach beyond the traditional formats and flavors within the dessert industry,” reports the market research firm Mintel. “For example, Gen Z and Millennials outpace Gen X and Baby Boomers for a preference for unique creations in the cookie market. … Gen Z’s adventurous, sense-driven palates point toward the potential for targeted dessert innovation.”3
To diversify your dessert menu and scoop up optimal LTO sales, be sure to take advantage of the four following trends.
1. Offer a World of Flavors
Dessert trends continue to be in a state of flavorful flux, evolving from mash-ups like Cronuts and churro waffles to social-media-fueled phenoms like dessert boards, Thai rolled ice cream and egg waffles, reports Datassential.4
Interest in international flavors is all over the map, with 47% of U.S. consumers interested in global desserts, from gulab jamun (syrupy South Asian donut holes) to Medovik (a Russian cake with eight luscious layers) to breakfast and dessert crossovers like red velvet pancakes.4
Given that nearly 80% of consumers enjoy cake4 and OREO is the #1-selling cookie, purchased by more than half of all U.S. households,5 consider internationally inspired dessert concepts like a Crepe Cake made with OREO Base Cake or, for a dessert that doubles as a breakfast or brunch item, a Dutch Baby Pancake made with OREO Cookie Pieces.
“OREO really is America’s favorite cookie, so much so that it’s become an iconic flavor in desserts around the world,” said Chef Clarice Lam, a Mondelēz International Foodservice brand ambassador who fuses the flavor profiles of her travels into all her creations.6
2. Go from Conventional to Creative
While Gen Z certainly has a taste for culinary adventure, their purchasing decisions are also driven by nostalgia. Datassential cited “grew up having” as their top motivator (35%) for product purchases when grocery shopping.7
Over a quarter of Gen Z said high brand recognition was another factor feeding into their purchasing decisions.7 Utilizing well-known branded ingredients in creative dessert concepts can evoke nostalgia while appealing to their desire for novelty.
“I love creating recipes with OREO Cookies because its flavor is so recognizable it automatically infuses nostalgia into whatever I make,” said Chef Lam,6 who designed a special MoonPie Cake made with OREO Cookie Pieces — a chocolate glazed cake made with OREO cookies, marshmallow crème, OREO Cookie Pieces and rainbow sprinkles — to commemorate OREO’s 110th birthday in 2022. Chef Lam says the classic chocolate sandwich cookie has, over the years, become an iconic dessert component.
Chef Maeve Rochford, another Mondelēz Foodservice brand ambassador, boosted sales at her award-winning bakery Sugar and Scribe withNutty Cookie Cake made with Chunky CHIPS AHOY! Cookie Pieces, a creative cake-and-cookie mashup that leverages the nostalgia and brand recognition of America’s #1-selling chocolate chip cookie.8 The dessert proved hugely popular, with over 100 sold the first week.6
3. Incorporate Seasonal Flavors and Formats
Including ingredients that are generally only available during part of the year, such as pumpkin spice in the fall, and flavors commonly associated with summer, like lemonade and watermelon, can help position LTO dessert items as seasonal treats with a short window of opportunity.
Seasonality sells, and it’s the top determining factor (37%) in how foodservice operators across all segments promote or upsell dishes that feature seasonal or limited-time ingredients, followed by new or experimental menu items (29%).2
Consider elevating your fall menu with LTOs like a Pumpkin Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffin made with OREO Cookie Pieces. Or, for a fall LTO that combines seasonal appeal with an international inspiration, try Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake made with NILLA Cookie Pieces.
Portability can be an important LTO consideration. Two deliciously distinctive options that combine portable formats with refreshing summer flavors are the Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream Bar made with OREO Cookie Pieces and White Chocolate-Dipped Raspberry Ice Pops made with SOUR PATCH KIDS Bitz.
4. Add Little Treats (They’re a Big Deal)
Little treat culture — finding joy in small, affordable bites — is trending in a big way.
Sixty-two percent of consumers consider little treats crucial to self-care, and 47% consider them to be a sweet snack.9 The trend is especially popular among Gen Z — 41% of whom have a dedicated “treat” budget, with 1 in 5 buying a little treat daily.9
Social media has been triggering a little treat feeding frenzy that continues to escalate. Searches for “mini dessert ideas” are up 529% on Pinterest.10
Perfect for chain restaurants investing in speed-scratch or ready-to-serve desserts, mini desserts like Starbucks Cake Pops provide LTO inspiration. Think Chocolatey Truffle Pops made with OREO Base Cake, or for an LTO with shareable charm, menu a Cupcake Flight made with Golden OREO Cookies.
Creating a Successful LTO in Today’s Environment
Despite being a lifelong OREO fan, Mondelēz Foodservice brand ambassador Chef Keegan Gerhard never imagined he’d use the cookies — a snack he’d brought on road trips, packed in school lunches and enjoyed on numerous other occasions — in his professional work. Yet Gerhard now views OREO Cookies as “an indispensable ingredient,” due in part to their versatility.
D Bar, the Denver restaurant he owns, introduced a number of OREO-based LTOs, including a cinnamon roll made with OREO Cookies and a cream cheese frosting that contained OREO Cookie Pieces.
“Just imagine an ingredient that can be chocolate or vanilla, gluten free or not, comes in different levels of sweetness (stuffing options) and gives you all the most popular flavor trends/options (mint, fudge, java, lemon, toffee, hazelnut, birthday cake),” Gerhard says. “[OREO Cookies] can serve as the inspiration for a complete dessert or as a perfect way to fortify flavor. If you include OREO Cookies on the menu, you know [the item] will sell!”
To make the most of your LTOs, a social media campaign can help inform customers of your new, innovative desserts that feature familiar, trending and other key elements. Additional promotional tools, such as on-premise signage, can also build excitement about the items.
Scoop up more dessert insights and inspiration from A World of Opportunity: Make Ice Cream Desserts Hot Sellers With Global Flavors. To feast on recipe ideas and other food for thought, visit our Culinary Center and sign up for our emails.
1 Datassential, State of the LTO, 2025
2 Datassential, Promotions & Upselling, January 2025
3 Mintel, Dessert Industry Trends in the US, September 26, 2024
4 Datassential, World Bites: The Dessert Issue, April 2025
5 Nielsen xAOC Plus Convenience – 52 Weeks 6/22/24
6 Mondelēz International Foodservice, Adventures in Inspiration, 2025
7 Datassential, Gen Z Evolving Habits, November 2024
8 Nielsen, Multi-Outlet Household Panel — Full Year, 2024
9 NCSolutions, Little Treats Consumer Statistics and Trends, 2005
10 Fogarty, Elizabeth, “Mini Bakes Are the Bite-Sized Dessert Trend Taking Over This Fall,” Better Homes & Gardens, August 20, 2025
