Name: Affogato with Chocolate & Orange
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 7 min
Yield: 2 Servings
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons raw cacao nibs; 2 tablespoon orange liqueur (I like Grand Marnier for this recipe); 2 generous scoops vanilla gelato or ice-cream; 2 ounces freshly brewed espresso or strong instant coffee; Pinch flaky sea salt

Sweets

Affogato with Chocolate & Orange

Author: Mary DiSomma

An affogato is one of my favorite ways to finish a meal. This affogato recipe is simple, elegant, and takes just a few minutes to put together. This easy affogato recipe with chocolate and orange pairs creamy gelato with espresso, orange liqueur, and toasted cacao nibs. The espresso melts the gelato a little as you pour, making it just the right temperature to enjoy. The orange liqueur adds a bright citrus note, while the cacao nibs add crunch and a pleasant bitter note. Serve these in chilled coupe glasses to make it extra fancy!

A traditional affogato is a scoop of ice cream with a shot of espresso poured over it. Also sometimes called "cafe affogato" or "affogato al café," this sweet treat is a wonderful little pick-me-up because it has about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee—unless you make it decaf, of course.

If you've never made an affogato recipe at home, you're in for a treat. The traditional Italian dessert, affogato al caffè, is essentially a scoop of gelato or ice cream "drowned" in hot espresso. For this dessert, I add orange liqueur and toasted cacao nibs for a little extra personality. It's not the most traditional version, but that's part of the fun.

You can make this affogato-style dessert whether you have an espresso machine or not. If you can’t pull a shot of true espresso, I’ll show you how to use instant coffee instead.

Affogato with Chocolate & Orange

Creamy vanilla gelato topped with orange liqueur and toasted cacao nibs, then finished with hot espresso. Voila! An easy Italian dessert with a bittersweet chocolate twist. Simple yet sophisticated.

Yield: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes 5 min
Cook Time: 2 minutes 2 min
Total Time: 7 minutes 7 min

Ingredients

2 teaspoons raw cacao nibs
2 tablespoon orange liqueur (I like Grand Marnier for this recipe)
2 generous scoops vanilla gelato or ice-cream
2 ounces freshly brewed espresso or strong instant coffee
Pinch flaky sea salt

Instructions

In a skillet over medium-low heat, toast the cacao nibs for 2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl and add the orange liqueur, stirring to infuse.
Scoop the gelato or ice cream into two chilled coupe glasses—a shallower one is better.
Spoon the cacao nibs, along with their liqueur, equally over the top of each scoop of ice cream. Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt.
Pour the hot coffee over to turn each dessert into an affogato. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

View Mary's Tips

Ingredient Tips

No, but vanilla is my first choice. A good vanilla affogato gives you a clean, creamy base that lets the espresso, orange, and chocolate flavors shine. If you prefer ice cream over gelato, my homemade vanilla ice cream works beautifully here, especially if you've made it with a really good vanilla extract (hint hint). That said, this is a wonderful dessert to experiment with. Chocolate, coffee, hazelnut, pistachio, or even salted caramel gelato could be amazing.

Hot! Freshly brewed espresso is ideal for a cafe affogato because you want the coffee to soften the gelato as soon as it hits the scoop. If you don't have an espresso machine, very strong coffee can work in a pinch. Just make sure it's hot when you pour it and freshly brewed. Pro tip: don't pour the coffee too early. Get everything ready first, then add the espresso at the very last minute.

If you can’t find cacao nibs, you have a few other options. Finely chopped dark chocolate will give you a rich, sweet, chocolaty flavor. I like using chocolate with a high cacao percentage so it doesn't overwhelm the gelato. For even more coffee flavor, a few crushed espresso beans can work. Use them sparingly because their flavor is intense. Unsweetened cocoa powder is another option, although it won't give you the same crunch. Sprinkle a little over the top before serving for a bittersweet chocolate finish.

Cacao nibs might just look like tiny pieces of chocolate, but there’s more than meets the eye. Cacao nibs are small pieces of crushed cacao beans. The beans are dried, fermented, and broken up to create the dark, crunchy pieces we know as nibs. Some are roasted and others are sold raw.

Their flavor is deeply chocolatey but can seem bitter because they lack the added sugar found in most chocolate. This natural (and if you ask me, enjoyable) bitterness balances out the sweetness of the gelato and orange liqueur. They also add a little crunch to every bite!

Cacao nibs contain fiber, protein, fats, minerals, and other naturally occurring compounds like flavonoids. They're a nutrient-dense ingredient—and they taste so good. A little goes a long way!

Preparation + Preservation Tips

Chilled cups keep the gelato from melting too quickly. This is a little thing, but it makes a noticeable difference. Place your affogato cups in the freezer before you start preparing the dessert. By the time the espresso is ready, the cups will be nice and cold. Once you pour the espresso, you’ll have a little more time to enjoy that creamy texture before everything melts together.

Extra Tips

I love playing with coffee. Try my espresso martini granita.

This isn't the first time I’ve combined ice cream and coffee. I also have a great Bailey’s Irish Cream coffee milkshake recipe.

If you're making your own vanilla ice cream, be sure to use my cognac-barrel-aged pure vanilla extract.