Vanilla Caramel Affogato

An affogato is a traditional Italian espresso-based dessert. The full name is really “affogato al cafe” or “drowned in coffee,” in Italian. The name really suits the dessert, as it consists of a scoop of ice cream/gelato with a shot of hot espresso poured over the top. I like the classics, so vanilla ice cream or gelato with strong espresso is always my default affogato, but it’s an easy dessert to dress up just by using a different flavor of ice cream. This Vanilla Caramel Affogato combines both vanilla and caramel with espresso – and it’s a great combination because the espresso cuts the sweetness of the caramel while the caramel brings out some of the burnt caramel sweetness of the espresso.

I used Breyer’s Vanilla and Caramel Gelato, which is a vanilla ice cream that is swirled with a generous amount of caramel sauce. It’s sweet, creamy and was a perfect fit for this dessert. Any caramel-swirled ice cream will work equally well, and you can make your own by simply adding some caramel sauce to your favorite brand of vanilla ice cream. Place a scoop of ice cream into a small bowl, top with espresso and your affogato is ready to eat.

Affogatos are easy to make one at a time, so they’re great when you want to treat yourself and don’t want to make a mess in the kitchen. You can also easily make them for a crowd by portioning out your ice cream scoops onto a baking sheet and freezing them in advance, then brewing a strong pot of coffee and just plating them all up in small cups when you’re ready to serve.

Vanilla Caramel Affogato
1 scoop vanilla caramel ice cream
or 1 scoop vanilla ice cream with 1-2 tbsp caramel sauce
1 espresso shot or 2 oz strong coffee

Place scoop of ice cream into a small dessert cup or bowl. Pour caramel sauce over the top of the ice cream, if using separate caramel sauce. Pour hot espresso shot over the top and serve immediately.

Serves 1.