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This holiday dessert features peppermint ice cream drowned in hot cocoa! It’s a unique take on the traditional Italian affogato dessert that uses espresso.
Have you heard of affogato? It’s an Italian word meaning “drowned” — usually referring to a dessert of ice cream drowned in hot espresso. It’s simplicity at its finest – and also one of my favorite ways to end a meal. So you can imagine my delight when I saw on one of my favorite local restaurant’s menus (R bistro) — hot cocoa peppermint ice cream affogato. Peppermint ice cream drowned in hot chocolate? Oh, yes!
Affogato with peppermint ice cream
We decided to re-create the recipe using two of our existing recipes: peppermint ice cream and hot chocolate, and couldn’t be more pleased with the result! If you know us well, you know we’re still working on expanding our repertoire in the sweets area, so this was a big win for us. The dessert is delicious and festive — truly, a perfect wintery treat!
And, this peppermint ice cream happens to be naturally sweetened with either maple syrup or honey! Make sure to find local honey in your area if you can. It’s also dairy-free or vegan, and a good gluten-free option for those of you looking for desserts sans gluten. While we’re not dairy-free or vegan ourselves, we love making ice cream with coconut milk since it’s quick and easy — you don’t need to make a custard on the stove. Or, you can make it with our classic Peppermint Ice Cream.
We were so excited about this peppermint ice cream affogato — we can’t wait for any excuse to make it again.
Looking for Christmas cookie recipes?
Aside from this peppermint ice cream affogato, here are a few of our favorite Christmas recipes — including a lot of Christmas cookies!
- Christmas Cranberry Pudding
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Peppermint Meringues
- Chai Spiced Snowball Cookies
- Ginger Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- The Best Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle
- Cherry Quinoa Chocolate Bark
- Healthy Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls
- Gingersnap Sandwich Cookies
- Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Clusters
- Easy Peppermint Bark
This recipe is…
This peppermint ice cream and hot cocoa affogato recipe is vegetarian, gluten free, and vegan, dairy free and plant-based using the vegan options.
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Peppermint Ice Cream & Hot Cocoa Affogato
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This holiday dessert features peppermint ice cream drowned in hot cocoa! It’s a unique take on the traditional Italian affogato dessert that uses espresso.
Ingredients
For the peppermint ice cream
- 14-ounce can regular coconut milk
- 14-ounce can light coconut milk
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
For the hot cocoa
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 cups soy milk (or milk)
- Several peppermint candies, for garnish
Instructions
- A few hours prior to serving, make the peppermint ice cream: In a medium bowl, whisk together both cans coconut milk, honey, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker (or make it without the machine). When complete, freeze the ice cream for 2 to 3 hours to obtain a hard texture.
- Immediately prior to serving, place the ingredients for the hot cocoa in a saucepan and whisk together over low heat until fully combined.
- To serve, crush the peppermint candies. Place a scoop or two of ice cream in a bowl or glass, then sprinkle with peppermint candies. At the table, pour hot chocolate over the ice cream.
Notes
Inspired by Bon Appetit
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Frozen
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Peppermint, Peppermint Ice Cream, Dessert, Vegan, Dairy Free, Hot Cocoa, Affogato, Christmas, Holiday,
I saw this in Bon Apétit and nearly fell out of my chair. It looks delicious! Gorgeous photo! Happy Christmas! xo
Thanks, Courtney! We loved the idea too. I was excited that it tasted just as delicious as it sounds!
Wow, this looks insanely good!! I love peppermint ice cream…just screams holiday to me!
This looks AMAZING!! Do you think almond milk would work in place of soy??
It is! And I’m sure almond milk would be fine for the cocoa :)
This is totally happening. Oh my gosh. I’m drooling just looking at it.
YES PLEASE! So happy it is Peppermint Season!
Thank you! Me too – I’m a big peppermint lover as well (mint chocolate chip has always been my favorite) :)
Deliciousness.
I would like this right now, please! wonderful!!
I gain weight every time i visit, LOL I love stopping by your wonderful blog . I always find some much yummy here. xo
Haha! This one actually isn’t too bad in terms of the health impact — just honey and coconut / soy milk (though it’s not devoid of calories). Hope you can enjoy it as a lighter take on a holiday dessert!
Wow – you guys must have been reading my mind. The hubs and I were just talking yesterday about making homemade icecream this week. Looks like we’ve found our recipe!
Oh, perfect! We love making homemade ice cream with coconut milk, since you can just mix it with honey and dump it straight in the mixer. We’ve found it so much easier!
Ahhhh, it’s so gorgeous! and it sound incredibly delicious too – I will definitely be trying this soon!