LeetCode #1774 — MEDIUM

Closest Dessert Cost

Move from brute-force thinking to an efficient approach using array strategy.

Solve on LeetCode
The Problem

Problem Statement

You would like to make dessert and are preparing to buy the ingredients. You have n ice cream base flavors and m types of toppings to choose from. You must follow these rules when making your dessert:

  • There must be exactly one ice cream base.
  • You can add one or more types of topping or have no toppings at all.
  • There are at most two of each type of topping.

You are given three inputs:

  • baseCosts, an integer array of length n, where each baseCosts[i] represents the price of the ith ice cream base flavor.
  • toppingCosts, an integer array of length m, where each toppingCosts[i] is the price of one of the ith topping.
  • target, an integer representing your target price for dessert.

You want to make a dessert with a total cost as close to target as possible.

Return the closest possible cost of the dessert to target. If there are multiple, return the lower one.

Example 1:

Input: baseCosts = [1,7], toppingCosts = [3,4], target = 10
Output: 10
Explanation: Consider the following combination (all 0-indexed):
- Choose base 1: cost 7
- Take 1 of topping 0: cost 1 x 3 = 3
- Take 0 of topping 1: cost 0 x 4 = 0
Total: 7 + 3 + 0 = 10.

Example 2:

Input: baseCosts = [2,3], toppingCosts = [4,5,100], target = 18
Output: 17
Explanation: Consider the following combination (all 0-indexed):
- Choose base 1: cost 3
- Take 1 of topping 0: cost 1 x 4 = 4
- Take 2 of topping 1: cost 2 x 5 = 10
- Take 0 of topping 2: cost 0 x 100 = 0
Total: 3 + 4 + 10 + 0 = 17. You cannot make a dessert with a total cost of 18.

Example 3:

Input: baseCosts = [3,10], toppingCosts = [2,5], target = 9
Output: 8
Explanation: It is possible to make desserts with cost 8 and 10. Return 8 as it is the lower cost.

Constraints:

  • n == baseCosts.length
  • m == toppingCosts.length
  • 1 <= n, m <= 10
  • 1 <= baseCosts[i], toppingCosts[i] <= 104
  • 1 <= target <= 104
Patterns Used

Roadmap

  1. Brute Force Baseline
  2. Core Insight
  3. Algorithm Walkthrough
  4. Edge Cases
  5. Full Annotated Code
  6. Interactive Study Demo
  7. Complexity Analysis
Step 01

Brute Force Baseline

Problem summary: You would like to make dessert and are preparing to buy the ingredients. You have n ice cream base flavors and m types of toppings to choose from. You must follow these rules when making your dessert: There must be exactly one ice cream base. You can add one or more types of topping or have no toppings at all. There are at most two of each type of topping. You are given three inputs: baseCosts, an integer array of length n, where each baseCosts[i] represents the price of the ith ice cream base flavor. toppingCosts, an integer array of length m, where each toppingCosts[i] is the price of one of the ith topping. target, an integer representing your target price for dessert. You want to make a dessert with a total cost as close to target as possible. Return the closest possible cost of the dessert to target. If there are multiple, return the lower one.

Baseline thinking

Start with the most direct exhaustive search. That gives a correctness anchor before optimizing.

Pattern signal: Array · Dynamic Programming · Backtracking

Example 1

[1,7]
[3,4]
10

Example 2

[2,3]
[4,5,100]
18

Example 3

[3,10]
[2,5]
9
Step 02

Core Insight

What unlocks the optimal approach

  • As the constraints are not large, you can brute force and enumerate all the possibilities.
Interview move: turn each hint into an invariant you can check after every iteration/recursion step.
Step 03

Algorithm Walkthrough

Iteration Checklist

  1. Define state (indices, window, stack, map, DP cell, or recursion frame).
  2. Apply one transition step and update the invariant.
  3. Record answer candidate when condition is met.
  4. Continue until all input is consumed.
Use the first example testcase as your mental trace to verify each transition.
Step 04

Edge Cases

Minimum Input
Single element / shortest valid input
Validate boundary behavior before entering the main loop or recursion.
Duplicates & Repeats
Repeated values / repeated states
Decide whether duplicates should be merged, skipped, or counted explicitly.
Extreme Constraints
Upper-end input sizes
Re-check complexity target against constraints to avoid time-limit issues.
Invalid / Corner Shape
Empty collections, zeros, or disconnected structures
Handle special-case structure before the core algorithm path.
Step 05

Full Annotated Code

Source-backed implementations are provided below for direct study and interview prep.

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #1774: Closest Dessert Cost
class Solution {
    private List<Integer> arr = new ArrayList<>();
    private int[] ts;
    private int inf = 1 << 30;

    public int closestCost(int[] baseCosts, int[] toppingCosts, int target) {
        ts = toppingCosts;
        dfs(0, 0);
        Collections.sort(arr);
        int d = inf, ans = inf;

        // 选择一种冰激淋基料
        for (int x : baseCosts) {
            // 枚举子集和
            for (int y : arr) {
                // 二分查找
                int i = search(target - x - y);
                for (int j : new int[] {i, i - 1}) {
                    if (j >= 0 && j < arr.size()) {
                        int t = Math.abs(x + y + arr.get(j) - target);
                        if (d > t || (d == t && ans > x + y + arr.get(j))) {
                            d = t;
                            ans = x + y + arr.get(j);
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        return ans;
    }

    private int search(int x) {
        int left = 0, right = arr.size();
        while (left < right) {
            int mid = (left + right) >> 1;
            if (arr.get(mid) >= x) {
                right = mid;
            } else {
                left = mid + 1;
            }
        }
        return left;
    }

    private void dfs(int i, int t) {
        if (i >= ts.length) {
            arr.add(t);
            return;
        }
        dfs(i + 1, t);
        dfs(i + 1, t + ts[i]);
    }
}
Step 06

Interactive Study Demo

Use this to step through a reusable interview workflow for this problem.

Press Step or Run All to begin.
Step 07

Complexity Analysis

Time
O(n × m)
Space
O(n × m)

Approach Breakdown

RECURSIVE
O(2ⁿ) time
O(n) space

Pure recursion explores every possible choice at each step. With two choices per state (take or skip), the decision tree has 2ⁿ leaves. The recursion stack uses O(n) space. Many subproblems are recomputed exponentially many times.

DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING
O(n × m) time
O(n × m) space

Each cell in the DP table is computed exactly once from previously solved subproblems. The table dimensions determine both time and space. Look for the state variables — each unique combination of state values is one cell. Often a rolling array can reduce space by one dimension.

Shortcut: Count your DP state dimensions → that’s your time. Can you drop one? That’s your space optimization.
Coach Notes

Common Mistakes

Review these before coding to avoid predictable interview regressions.

Off-by-one on range boundaries

Wrong move: Loop endpoints miss first/last candidate.

Usually fails on: Fails on minimal arrays and exact-boundary answers.

Fix: Re-derive loops from inclusive/exclusive ranges before coding.

State misses one required dimension

Wrong move: An incomplete state merges distinct subproblems and caches incorrect answers.

Usually fails on: Correctness breaks on cases that differ only in hidden state.

Fix: Define state so each unique subproblem maps to one DP cell.

Missing undo step on backtrack

Wrong move: Mutable state leaks between branches.

Usually fails on: Later branches inherit selections from earlier branches.

Fix: Always revert state changes immediately after recursive call.