Cotton candy affogato is a twist on a classic coffee and ice cream dessert. It’s a 3 ingredient dessert that’s fun to make for parties or any time you want a fun ice cream dessert.
Have you ever had affogato? It’s a very simple Italian dessert where hot espresso is poured over vanilla ice cream. It’s such a simple dessert and easy to dress up. One of my favorite ways to dress it up is with cotton candy! I got the idea after visiting Cafe Maji in LA, a cute café where I first had cotton candy affogato.
When you pour the hot espresso over the top of the cotton candy and ice cream, the cotton candy dissolves, leaving behind coffee sugar crystals that taste like toffee on your ice cream. I love the presentation and the sweet espresso-infused ice cream after the coffee is poured over the top.
I love to make this affogato when we have friends over because it’s so fun to see the look on our guests’ faces when I bring it to the table.
Ingredients
- Vanilla ice cream
- Espresso
- Cotton candy
Ice cream: I recommend using a premium vanilla ice cream or gelato for this recipe.
Espresso: You can use regular coffee if you don’t have an espresso maker. It needs to be very strong coffee, so use a dark roast and make it stronger than you usually drink. You only need one ounce of espresso or strong-brewed coffee for each affogato.
Cotton candy: I’ve used pre-made cotton candy to make desserts and fun cocktails, but it can be really messy to work with, and it’s never as fluffy as freshly made cotton candy, so I decided to get a mini cotton candy machine, so I can make cotton candy whenever I want.
I purchased the Nostalgia Cotton Candy Maker* after reading a lot of positive reviews, and I’m really happy with it.
What’s really cool is that I don’t need to buy any special sugars for it! For white cotton candy, I just use regular granulated sugar. And you can put hard candies in it. Yup. Pop in a few of your favorite hard candies, and you’ll have a colorful cotton candy that tastes just like the candy you used. How cool is that??
*Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
How to Make It
To assemble the dessert, you will want to use wide bowls. This will prevent your melted cotton candy and coffee from dripping over the sides.
Just top scoops of ice cream with the cotton candy. I like to serve the hot espresso separately so my guests can pour it over the top of their cotton candy. I just tell them to pour it in a circular motion until the cotton candy is melted. The cotton candy creates a toffee-like topping on the ice cream.
I love recreating my favorite treats from restaurants, and this cotton candy affogato is one of my favorites!
Just top scoops of ice cream with the cotton candy. I like to serve the hot espresso separately so my guests can pour it over the top of their cotton candy. I just tell them to pour it in a circular motion until the cotton candy is melted. The cotton candy creates a toffee-like topping on the ice cream.
I love recreating my favorite treats from restaurants, and this cotton candy affogato is one of my favorites!
More Coffee Desserts
Cotton Candy Affogato
Ingredients
- 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
- 1 shot of espresso hot
- cotton candy
Instructions
- Scoop ice cream into a wide bowl (this will prevent your cotton candy and coffee from dripping over). Top with cotton candy.
- Pour hot shot of espresso over cotton candy in a circular motion until dissolved. Eat immediately.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
My nephew had one of those machines and he liked using butterscotch candies to make cotton candy. What a fun dessert!
I’m really excited to try butterscotch next!