Saturday, September 7, 2013

Vanilla Coffee Granita and Giveaway Reminder


Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it

I hope you all had a wonderful week, my friends. Did any of you tried my Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Vanilla Coffee Rub recipe?  Not yet?  I sure hope you’ll give that a try soon because the Vanilla Coffee Rub really embarks wonderful depth of flavors into your steaks and enhances the texture of your steaks by creating a lovely crust to seal in the juices.  The rub is super easy to put together with a rather short ingredients list.  Anyhow, don’t forget to enter the Singing Dog Vanilla Lover’s Set Giveaway (2 winners), if you haven’t done so.  The giveaway is available to my Readers worldwide, click here to enter.

Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it

Now, back to this Vanilla Coffee Granita.  As I promised you from the last post that I will share a dessert recipe using the Vanilla Coffee and Vanilla Salt.  This is one cool treat that could tame any flames and heats!  Boy, I don’t know what’s up with the weather here in the past 2 weeks, but it’s been super hot all week in L.A.  I can probably use a cool treat any time of the day.  This is a light and refreshing treat, a perfect sweet ending to any meal (more so if you made my Grilled Ribeye Steak recipe).  If you haven’t try a granita before, it’s a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings.  This time, I used vanilla coffee.  It’s ridiculously easy to prepare and let me show you how.

Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it

First, brew your coffee in your coffee maker, or French press.  While the coffee is still hot, add the sugar and salt. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the coffee liqueur and stir well. Pour the mixture into a freezer safe 9 x 13 container. Leave at room temperature until completely cooled.

Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it

Cover the container and freeze for an hour. Remove from freezer and with a fork, scrape the ice crystals that have formed on the side of the pan. Return to the freezer and scrape every 30 minutes.

Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it

Once the mixture is completely frozen (the whole process might take 2-4 hours), fluff with a fork and scoop the granita onto your favorite cup, dollop with some freshly whipped cream (recipe followed) and a sprinkle of vanilla salt on top.

Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it

The hardest part about this recipe?  Waiting!  Waiting for the granita to freeze up before you can take a bite! But it’s all worth it at the end.  It’s like having a sweet and creamy iced coffee in frozen form.  But the icy granita has a nice crunchy texture that is really refreshing on the palates. 

Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it

When you mix a little freshly whipped cream with the granita along with the crunch from the vanilla salt, that’s one perfect bite for me!  It’s definitely a party in my mouth that wakes up all my senses.  You would want to close your eyes and savor each spoonful slowly.  But then, you would also want to finish it quickly before it’s all melted.  These mini martini serving glasses are perfect for the job.  They are must-haves for parties and entertaining too.  (Please click here for product link).  I love the mini size because I won’t feel as guilty if I indulge more than one!  I hope you enjoy today’s recipe.  Have fun brewing, and freezing!  

Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it






Vanilla Coffee Granita: (Printable Recipe)
1/2 cup ground Singing Dog Vanilla coffee (if you prefer a stronger coffee taste, use 3/4 cup)
24 oz water
1/2 cup vanilla sugar (if you prefer a sweeter treat, use 3/4 cup of vanilla sugar)
pinch of Singing Dog Vanilla Salt, plus more for sprinkle
1 teaspoon coffee liqueur

Brew coffee with your coffee maker, or with a French press.  While the coffee is still hot, add the sugar and salt.  Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.  Add the coffee liqueur and stir well.  Pour the mixture into a freezer safe 9 x 13 container.  Leave at room temperature until completely cooled.  Cover the container and freeze for an hour.  Remove from freezer and with a fork, scrape the ice crystals that have formed on the side of the pan.

Return to the freezer and scrape every 30 minutes.  Once the mixture is completely frozen (the whole process might take 2-4 hours), fluff with a fork and scoop granita into your favorite cup, dollop with some freshly whipped cream (recipe followed) and a sprinkle of vanilla salt on top.
 
Fresh Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped out the seeds (or use one teaspoon of vanilla extract)

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar together until medium peak forms.  Add the seeds from the vanilla bean (or vanilla extract) and beat until well combined.  The cream is ready when stiff peak forms (do not over beat or the cream will get separated).  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.


Vanilla Coffee Granita  http://uTry.it

99 comments:

  1. Coffee granita with that cream looks yum!

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    1. Thank you, Sapana. Glad you love it. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  2. Sounds so easy.. and your whipped cream..looks like a perfect quenelle.

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    1. Thank you, Dear. :) Oh...it really is easy. And perfectly cool too.

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  3. I bet this would be great making with black or fruit tea too. Your coffee granita looks wonderful, Amy.

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    1. Hm....black fruit tea sounds like a great idea. :) Can't wait to give that a try. ;) Have a wonderful weekend.

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  4. fabulous granita,so refreshing to cool down summer....terrific recipe :-)

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    1. Thank you, Kumars. Glad you love this Summer dessert. :) Have a great weekend.

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  5. Oh this looks like something I’ll definitely be trying

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    1. Thank you. Hope you like it after trying. Enjoy and have a great weekend.

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  6. As always fabulous photos and delicious combo!

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like my pictures and recipe. :)

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  7. You seriously make the most lucious desserts! - What are you inspired by? You seem to cover such a wide range of foods.... really amazing talent! -M

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    1. Thank you, M. I think my inspirations are from my family. I love to create with ingredients we love. My hubby and I adore coffee, and the kids love fruit and berries, etc. Some dishes are a combination of my childhood favorite grown up flavors. :) Glad you like my creations.

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  8. So happy to stumble upon your lovely blog. Beautiful photography and great recipes.

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    1. Thank you so much, Veronica. I'm glad you like my blog and recipes. :) Have a wonderful weekend.

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  9. I adore your desserts to bits. I cannot take myself beyond chocolate and therefore love to see other different flavoured ones. This looks yum

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    1. Thank you, Amrita. Oh....I love chocolate too but I also adore coffee. This is one of my favorite summer dessert to enjoy.

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  10. Yummy, very yummy and easy to make. I shall give it a try.

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    1. Thank you. Oh yes, this is so easy and I'm sure you're going to love it. Let me know how it goes if you tried.

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  11. What a wonderful combination of flavours. Going to make this for our pool party next week ;) xx gee @ andgeesaid.blogspot.com

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    1. Hope you and your guests loved this dessert. :)

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  12. Amy , haven't tried the rub but will have use it next weekend , company coming thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Hope you and your guests enjoyed the rub and this dessert if you tried. :)

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  13. lovely treat... coffee and whipped cream, yum...

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    1. Thank you, Rafeeda. Glad you like this dessert too. :)

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  14. Yum, this looks wonderful Amy! I'm annoyed that I've missed so many of your posts but I'm definitely bookmarking this beautiful granita for later :) Looks delicious, and perfect now that the weather is warming up here in Australia. Thanks xx

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    1. Thank you. Glad you love this dessert. No problem, I miss out quite a bit post wonderful posts on blogs that I follow as I'm busy with kids' school. :) Hope you like this after trying.

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  15. Wow, that looks like a great frozen treat for those of us who don't have ice cream makers!

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    1. Oh yeah. This frozen treat is super easy to prepare. Hope you'll like it.

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  16. I love coffee and anything infused with it. Granita is so inviting and more spot on with the cream.

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    1. Thank you, Navaneetham. Glad you like this dessert. Oh yeah, gotta have the cream on top! ;)

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  17. I don't drink coffee but coffee infused dessert, I love. A great recipe to keep.

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    1. Thank you, Lail. Hope you'll give this a try soon. :)

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  18. I feel refreshed just looking at your photos. I can't wait to try this for my next dinner party.

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    1. Thank you. Hope you and your guests will love this dessert.

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  19. I'm very glad I discovered your blog,Amy.
    Love the coffe granita, it looks delicious and the pics are beautiful!

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    1. Thank you so much, Daniela. I'm glad that you like this coffee granita. :)

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  20. Amy, I agree completely,waiting is the hardest. Ghosh, I feel like eating this now..your desserts look so nice and fun way of serving it. Being a big coffee lover, this is absolutely my kind of thing, thanks for sharing a good one.

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    1. Thank you. Oh you're going LOVE this dessert if you like coffee. :) Hope you'll give this a try.

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  21. I have never heard of granita before. Thank you for the recipe and explanation. I would like to try your vanilla coffee granita, Looks good!

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    1. Thank you, Mun. It's such an easy recipe. I'm sure your sister would love to prepare you this coffee granita. ;)

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  22. What a lovely dessert! It looks so elegant.

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    1. Thank you so much, Beth. Glad you love this dessert. :)

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  23. What a terrific granita! And so gorgeous, too...love how you garnished these!

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    1. Thank you, Liz. Oh...those whipped cream and vanilla salt are must have toppings for these granitas. ;)

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  24. this looks so very delicious! Thank you for sharing. I have never heard of granita before, either. Feeling very worldly. :)

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    1. :) Glad you love this simple and easy dessert. I love just it with the hot weather.

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  25. It's been really hot here the last few weeks, too. So this looks so appealing! Loads of flavor in this, and it looks beautiful! Great job - thanks.

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    1. Thank you, Sir. Glad you like this cool dessert. :)

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  26. Muy refrescante me encanta el café es un lindo postre ,hugs,hugs.

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    1. gracias. alegra que encantará este desset fresco y refrescante. :) Disfrute!

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  27. How adorable, these are so tiny! Great for finger food! Have you tried making whipped cream with coconut milk? OMG it's heavens!

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    1. Thanks. Glad you love these mini dessert. I need lots of portion control on sweet around here! hahaha.....I see quite a few whipped cream using coconut milk but haven't try that yet. I've gotta give that a try when my vegan friends come over for our next dinner gathering. Thanks for mentioning. :)

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  28. Amy, your coffee granita looks so refreshing and elegant! I love it! Your photos and presentation are breathtaking, as always.

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    1. Thank you so much, Sissi. Glad you love this coffee granita. :)

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  29. If you are looking for cool stuffs in summers then you must try this cold delicious vanilla coffee granita.

    Thanks
    Finn Felton

    Kopi Luwak

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  30. Sounds so delicious!! On my way to enter your giveaway now :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Ashley. Thank you for participating in the last giveaway. Please stay tuned for more fun ones in the near future.

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  31. Yummm!Love the little martini glasses, too, Amy. And a tad of sugar plus zero calorie coffee 'n ice = permission to enjoy more whipped cream, right?

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    1. Amen! Seems like you can read my mind! :) I think we can be best friends and talk about food and desserts all day long, too! hahah...

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  32. I can see why the waiting would be the hardest part! What a wonderful and light dessert. Thank you for sharing yet another delicious and delightful post. I hope you had a wonderful Monday. Here's to an even better week!

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    1. Thank you so much, Monet. Glad you like this refreshing and light dessert.

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  33. This coffee desert looks so delicious yet your recipe makes it so easy to make. Thanks for sharing it!

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    1. Thank you. Oh this is really easy, even my kids helped me scrape the coffee crystals out. :P Too bad this is more of a grown up dessert.

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  34. WOW! Look so delicious! Definitely love to try this cool treat for my family :D

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    1. Thank you, Ann. Hope you'll like this easy Coffee Granita dessert. ;)

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  35. This is such a refreshing dessert! I bet the vanilla coffee combo really shines through!

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    1. Thank you. Yes, I love vanilla and coffee combo a lot too.

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  36. Vanilla Coffee granita sounds yum and very refreshing dessert indeed. Beautiful presentation :)

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like my dessert and presentation. :)

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  37. OMG we can eat granita all year long! This vanilla coffee flavor sounds amazing! I will have to make this very soon! Thanks for sharing. :)

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    1. Same here. I love coffee granita year round as well. Glad you like it as well. Hope you'll give this a try soon. ;)

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  38. I've always loved making granita! Great giveaway, Amy! Good luck to all your participants :)

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    1. Thank you, Shirley. Glad you're a granita fan too. ;)

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  39. I love coffee desserts and this looks superb! Their products sound awesome!

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    1. Thank you, Abbe. Oh yeah, I love their products. Hope you'll give this recipe a try. :) Have a wonderful weekend.

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  40. Oh Amy, you just reminded me of granita...which I made once...vanilla coffee sounds great...and you presented so nicely...
    Hope you are having a great week :D

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    1. Thanks, Juliana. Glad you like this granita. Have a beautiful weekend.

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  41. I always wonder what is granita. Never tried it, but heard of it many times. Now, I get it. It is flavored shaved ice. Your coffee granita looks so tasty! Thanks.

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    1. Flavored shaved ice is the perfect description. ;) Best of all, it's simple to make and I don't need a shaved ice machine. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  42. I love coffee granita's. I made one a while back and couldn't get enough of it. I'd like to have one today. Just got back from walking my dogs and it's almost 100 degrees outside. This would definitely hit the spot.

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    1. Oh yeah...this is perfect for hot weather. :) Glad to know you like coffee granita too.

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  43. These look very elegant and I love the glasses you have presented them in. A great summer dessert!

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    1. Thank you. Glad you like this Vanilla Coffee Granita. Those glasses are some of my favorites. They are perfect size for desserts. :) Have a great weekend.

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  44. This dessert looks ridiculously beautiful :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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    1. Thank you, CCU. Glad you like this Vanilla Coffee Granita. It was really good. Have a beautiful weekend.

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  45. Coffee and ice, heavenly! Lovely presentation :)

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    1. Thank you, Dear. Glad you like this Vanilla Coffee Granita. :) Have a wonderful weekend.

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  46. My husband who loves coffee woould be very happy to have this dessert. Very beautiful photos!

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    1. Thank you, Katerina. Hope you'll prepare it for your hubby. I'm sure he'll love this. Have a great weekend.

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  47. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I'd like to try this!

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    1. Oh...hope you'll like this dessert if you try. Have a great weekend.

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  48. I love the sound of this and what a great colour.

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    1. Thank you, Caroline. Glad you like this Vanilla Coffee Granita. It's one of my favorite frozen treat. :) Have a great weekend.

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  49. Yum! Lovely combination, perfect treat for coffee lovers :)

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    1. Thank you, Ambreen. Oh yes. These are really good. I'm glad you like the flavors too. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  50. I've never made granita but yours is so beautiful...a perfect dessert for a dinner party!

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    1. Thank you, Amy. Oh yes this is perfect for party. You can make this ahead and it's so easy too. ;)

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