Frozen Affogato Shake with Espresso Granita

Affogato is an Italian stroke of genius: a quick, elegant dessert made by pouring a shot of hot espresso over a scoop of cold vanilla gelato. The espresso melts some of the gelato, creating a bittersweet, creamy sauce. I borrowed that idea for this shake, but instead of using the hot espresso, I froze it into an icy granita with which I topped the a vanilla shake. You get the classic affogato flavor dynamic-intense coffee playing against smooth, mellow vanilla, and the granita even adds a bit of crunch to the shake. Granita couldn't be simpler to make. As the sweetened espresso freezes, use a dinner fork to break up the ice crystals into a loose coffee snow.
Visit our Drinks & Entertaining page for more fun summer drinks and shakes.

• 
  
  8 shots freshly  pulled espresso (about 1 cup), at room temperature
  
  


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  5 Tbs. sugar
  
  


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  1/2 cup cold whole or lowfat milk
  
  


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  2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  
  


• 
  
  8 medium scoops French vanilla ice cream (about 1 quart), softened until just melty at the edges
  
  

Tip:

Don't substitute regular brewed coffee for the espresso; you really need that concentrated coffee flavor to counter the rich vanilla shake.

For the espresso granita:

Stir the espresso and sugar in a shallow container to dissolve the sugar completely. Cover and freeze until softly frozen (not solid), 2 to 3 hours. Remove from the freezer and gently run a dinner fork through the frozen mass to break it down into loose, icy crystals. Cover the container and return it to the freezer. Freeze until firm, checking and raking the granita with the fork every hour or two to keep the crystals loose and fine, at least 7 hours.

For the shake:

Place the milk, vanilla extract, and ice cream in a blender and pulse several times to begin breaking it up. With the blender motor off, use a flexible spatula to mash the mixture down onto the blender blades. Continue pulsing, stopping, and mashing until the mixture is well blended, thick, and moves easily in the blender jar, roughly 30 to 90 seconds. Pour into a chilled glass or glasses, top each with about 1/2 cup espresso granita, and serve at once.

Double-Chocolate Malted Milk Shake

For the thickest shakes, use a dense, premium brand of ice cream, like Ben & Jerry’s. And if you’d rather have just a chocolate milk shake, skip the malt powder at the end.
Visit the Drinks & Entertaining Guide for dozens more recipes for shakes and frozen cocktails.

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  1/3 to 1/2 cup very cold whole milk; more as needed
  
  


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  3 scoops chocolate ice cream (about 2 oz. each), slightly softened; more as needed
  
  


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  1 Tbs. chocolate syrup, such as Hershey’s Special Dark
  
  


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  1 Tbs. plain malted milk powder; more to taste
  
  

Pour the milk into the mixing cup of a milk shake mixer or hand blender or into the jar of a regular blender. Add the ice cream and chocolate syrup. Blend on high speed until smooth. The blending time depends on the machine and the temperature of the ingredients. If necessary, add more milk or ice cream to adjust to your preferred consistency. When the shake is just about smooth, briefly blend in the malted milk powder. Serve immediately in a chilled glass.

Raspberry & Champagne Ice Cream Floats

This recipe, excerpted from the cookbook Dessert Express, is an elegant take on the ice cream soda, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a handful of raspberries floating in a glass of champagne.
Searching for more refreshing beverages? Find what you're looking for in our Drinks and Entertaining Guide.

• 
  
  1 cup fresh raspberries, picked over
  
  


• 
  
  1 pint vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
  
  


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  1/4 cup framboise or other raspberry eau de vie
  
  


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  2 cups chilled dry champagne or sparkling wine
  
  

Put 2 Tbs. of the raspberries in the bottom of each of 4 tall glasses. Top with a 1/4-cup scoop of ice cream. Drizzle 1 Tbs. framboise into each glass, then top with another 2 Tbs. of raspberries an danother 1/4-cup scoop of ice cream. Pour 1/2 cup of champagne into each glass. Serve immediately with a straw and a long-handled spoon.

Frozen Affogato Shake with Espresso Granita

Affogato is an Italian stroke of genius: a quick, elegant dessert made by pouring a shot of hot espresso over a scoop of cold vanilla gelato. The espresso melts some of the gelato, creating a bittersweet, creamy sauce. I borrowed that idea for this shake, but instead of using the hot espresso, I froze it into an icy granita with which I topped the a vanilla shake. You get the classic affogato flavor dynamic-intense coffee playing against smooth, mellow vanilla, and the granita even adds a bit of crunch to the shake. Granita couldn't be simpler to make. As the sweetened espresso freezes, use a dinner fork to break up the ice crystals into a loose coffee snow.
Visit our Drinks & Entertaining page for more fun summer drinks and shakes.

• 
  
  8 shots freshly  pulled espresso (about 1 cup), at room temperature
  
  


• 
  
  5 Tbs. sugar
  
  


• 
  
  1/2 cup cold whole or lowfat milk
  
  


• 
  
  2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  
  


• 
  
  8 medium scoops French vanilla ice cream (about 1 quart), softened until just melty at the edges
  
  

Tip:

Don't substitute regular brewed coffee for the espresso; you really need that concentrated coffee flavor to counter the rich vanilla shake.

For the espresso granita:

Stir the espresso and sugar in a shallow container to dissolve the sugar completely. Cover and freeze until softly frozen (not solid), 2 to 3 hours. Remove from the freezer and gently run a dinner fork through the frozen mass to break it down into loose, icy crystals. Cover the container and return it to the freezer. Freeze until firm, checking and raking the granita with the fork every hour or two to keep the crystals loose and fine, at least 7 hours.

For the shake:

Place the milk, vanilla extract, and ice cream in a blender and pulse several times to begin breaking it up. With the blender motor off, use a flexible spatula to mash the mixture down onto the blender blades. Continue pulsing, stopping, and mashing until the mixture is well blended, thick, and moves easily in the blender jar, roughly 30 to 90 seconds. Pour into a chilled glass or glasses, top each with about 1/2 cup espresso granita, and serve at once.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

This delicious cross between a milk shake and a slushie makes for a surprisingly refreshing (and easy) summertime dessert. You can add about 1/4 cup of chocolate or coffee liqueur for a boozy kick, if you like.

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  1 cup whole milk
  
  


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  1/2 cup heavy cream
  
  


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  1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  
  


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  1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  
  


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  3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  
  


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  Kosher salt
  
  


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  2 cups ice cubes
  
  


• 
  
  3 Tbs. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate shavings (made with a vegetable peeler)
  
  

Blend the milk, cream, cocoa, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt in a blender until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Add the ice and blend just until slushy. Transfer to glasses, top with the chocolate shavings, and serve immediately with spoons.