Desserts

Time-Tested

Affogato

Hot espresso poured over vanilla ice cream. An easy, elegant Italian dessert that’s perfect after dinner with friends.

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Prep

2 min

Cook

0 min

Serves

1

Level

Easy

Three glasses of ice cream and coffee topped with chocolate shavings

Ingredients

  • 1 scoop vanilla ice cream

  • 1 shot hot espresso

There’s something nice about ending a dinner with something small. Not another course, not something heavy, just a glass with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot espresso poured over the top.

Affogato is hardly a recipe, which is part of the reason I like it. By the time dessert comes around, the kitchen is mostly clean, everyone is a little more relaxed, and all that’s left to do is pour the espresso and carry the glasses to the table. It’s simple, a little bittersweet, and exactly the kind of dessert that feels right after a long dinner.

Method

  1. Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream into a small glass.

  2. Pour a shot of hot espresso over the top and serve immediately.

Three glasses of ice cream and coffee topped with chocolate shavings
Hand grating chocolate over three glasses of ice cream and coffee

A note

If you want to make the ice cream from scratch, use my Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. Good store-bought ice cream works perfectly well too, which makes this a very easy dessert to serve when you have people over.

Good to know

More About This Recipe

Nutrition

Calories

140

Protein

2g

Carbs

16g

Fat

7g

Tips & tricks

To dress it up, add shaved chocolate, crushed biscotti or a small splash of amaretto. Most of the time, I just leave it the way it is.

Nutrition is an estimate per glass, made with store-bought vanilla ice cream.

Substitutions

Pairs well with

Make the ice cream from scratch.

Storage & leftovers

Questions people ask

Postcards from my kitchen

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