Roasted White Chocolate Affagato with Fresh-Scraped Vanilla Beans

Shawn Gavin May 12, 2021

Affogato with Vanilla Bean Roasted White Chocolate Ice Cream

Affogato, a word that both means, “drowned”, and refers to a deceptively simple dessert. It’s essentially two ingredients – vanilla ice cream topped with a pour of espresso. Doesn't that just sound fantastic?!?! The espresso melts the ice cream just a bit, and the combination of flavors is irresistible.

While traditionally served with vanilla ice cream, we’ve given it an upgrade, with the addition of two scraped vanilla beans and a swirl of roasted white chocolate.

Yes, you can roast white chocolate. It gives it a little tan and so much flavor!

Roasted white chocolate takes Plain Jane white chocolate to the next level. You simply bake the chocolate on a pan in the oven, giving it a stir every 10 minutes until it turns a deep golden brown. The resulting flavor is somewhere between salted caramel and butterscotch and ramps up the flavor of the vanilla ice cream considerably. 

You’ll want to use good quality white chocolate, not the chips used for baking cookies, for the best results. Any leftovers can be stored at room temperature (just warm it up in the microwave or double boiler if it solidifies).

Coffee never had it so good!

Homemade Vanilla Bean Roasted White Chocolate Ice Cream and Espresso

Ingredients for this gourmet affogato

• 8 ounces chopped white chocolate (at least 30% cocoa butter)
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 2 cups chilled heavy cream
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise
• Flaky sea salt
• Espresso, for serving (wait until your ice cream is ready before preparing)

Procedure for making affogato

1. Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the chocolate on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Stir the chocolate, making sure to scrape it all off of the pan to evenly incorporate. Repeat every 10 minutes until the chocolate is a medium golden brown. This takes between 30 and 50 minutes. Stir in a pinch fine sea salt and set aside.
2. Place the heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk in a mixer bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla beans into the bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whip the mixture until stiff peaks form.
3. Pour half of the ice cream into a large bowl or pan. Smooth with an angled spatula and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the white chocolate. Repeat with remaining ice cream and 2 more tablespoons of white chocolate. Use a thin knife to swirl the chocolate through. Top with the flaky sea salt and freeze until it has solidified completely
4. To serve, place 2 – 3 scoops of ice cream into bowls, mugs, or drinking glasses. Top with hot espresso and serve immediately.