Affogato is an Italian coffee-based dessert. Affogato literally means ‘drowned’ in Italian. Traditionally it is made with by pouring a shot of hot espresso on a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato — in other words drowning the ice cream. It can be considered a dessert or a drink or both.
The only time consuming part of this recipe is making the hot chocolate which really takes about 10~15 minutes. Then all you have to do is scoop the vanilla ice cream into serving cups or glasses and pour the hot chocolate over it. Then you can top the whole thing with chocolate wafer cookies or candy canes.
It is a great dessert/ drink to make for kid’s parties. Since it doesn’t take that long to put together, you can make and serve it right away. My kids thoroughly enjoyed this and I can see myself making it many more times. 
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups Milk (I used a combination of whole and 1%, you can use 2%)
- 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- As needed Ice Cream (flavor of choice)
- As needed Chocolate wafer cookies or candy canes (for topping (optional))
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, gently warm milk over medium heat.
- When small bubbles start forming around the edges, add the chocolate chips, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Turn off the heat.
- Scoop ice cream into serving cups. Pour in some of the hot chocolate over the ice cream and top with wafer cookies or candy canes, if desired. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Chocolate, Dessert
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “affogato” mean and how does this hot chocolate version differ from the traditional?
Affogato is Italian for “drowned.” Traditionally it is a shot of hot espresso poured over vanilla gelato or ice cream. Here, hot chocolate replaces the espresso entirely. No coffee, which means kids can have it too.
How do you make the hot chocolate from scratch?
Gently warm 2 cups of milk over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges, then whisk in 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt until fully smooth. The whole process takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Does the hot chocolate need to cool before being poured over the ice cream?
No. Scoop the ice cream into serving cups and pour the hot chocolate straight over it the moment it comes off the heat. Serve immediately. The whole point is the hot liquid hitting the cold ice cream and melting it as it goes.
I never thought to combine hot chocolate with affogato! What a deliciously indulgent idea.