A couple of days ago, my friend bought a deep-fried chocolate chip cookie dough ball. It was delicious! We decided to make an ice cream sandwich for dessert with it and whipped up this very easy recipe in minutes.
“An affogato is a coffee-based dessert, typically served with ice cream on top. It is traditionally made by pouring hot espresso over the ice cream. The word comes from the Italian affogare, meaning “to drown.””
It is a simple Italian dish made with coffee ice cream. You won’t believe there are just two ingredients in this dish! It looks and tastes nice, but it just takes a few minutes to prepare.
Single-serving desserts such as Panna Cotta, Mini Cheesecakes, or Chocolate Eclairs are beautiful, refined, and ideal for gatherings. It is delicious concoction, and once you’ve had it, you’ll want it all the time.
What exactly is Affogato?
This originated in Italy; indeed, the name “affogato” comes from the Italian word “affogare,” or “to drown.” Affogato, which means “soaked” in Italian, is simply ice cream drowned in coffee. The hot coffee begins to melt the ice cream, resulting in a thick froth on top.
The Best Ice Cream to be used:
We make it with vanilla bean ice cream since it’s simpler to obtain at the grocery store, but it’s traditionally prepared with vanilla gelato, so pour hot espresso shot over vanilla gelato and watch the magic unfold if you want the real Italian experience.
Toppings Suggestions:
There’s a lot of space for creativity when it comes to toppings. You may certainly serve it with simply coffee and ice cream, but if you want to go all out and wow someone, try these: shaved dark chocolate, chopped berries and chopped hazelnuts.
Flavor Combinations:
- Espresso, vanilla ice cream, chocolate shavings
- Espresso, vanilla bean ice cream, caramel sauce, chopped roasted pistachios
- Espresso, vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate sauce, sea salt
Is it possible to make it ahead of time?
Scoop the ice cream into glasses and add toppings ahead of time, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Remove the ice cream from the freezer just before serving and pour espresso over it. If the espresso or coffee is scalding hot, pour it over the ice cream rather than immediately over the glass to avoid breaking it.
For warmer days or if serving outside, serving the affogato in cooled glasses or bowls keeps the ice cream from melting too quickly.
Affogato Recipe
It is a simple Italian dish made with coffee ice cream. You won’t believe there are just two ingredients in affogato!
- 4 ice cream scoops (vanilla or vanilla gelato)
- Strong brewed coffee or 2 oz. espresso (2 shots)
- a shot of liqueur ( optional)
- In 2 glasses, place 2 scoops of ice cream each.
- If desired, add with chocolate shavings or other toppings.
- Serve immediately with 2 shots of hot espresso or strong brewed coffee poured over the ice cream.
Nutritional Information: 278cal.
As for the ratio of gelato to espresso, a classic affogato is made with two cups gelato to one shot of espresso. But when you’re making it at home, this ratio is flexible, and can easily be adjusted based on who you’re serving. Espresso provides most of the bold decadent flavor in this recipe.
While you only need two ingredients to make it (ice cream and a perfect shot of espresso) but you can still be adventurous. Change up the classic combo from vanilla and espresso, with different flavors of ice cream. Hazelnut, chocolate, mint, and caramel ice cream are all delicious affogato style. It’s all up to you!
Make a boozy affogato by adding a 1/2 oz. of liquor like Frangelico, Kahlua, or Bailey’s to the affogato. It’s super delicious!
While the traditional one is topping-free, feel free to add a little something before serving. I like fresh whipped cream, shaved chocolate, crumbled biscotti, or crushed hazelnuts.
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