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Frozen Orange and Amaretti Parfaits with Espresso Granita

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Frozen Orange and Amaretti Parfaits with Espresso Granita

These gorgeous, grown-up treats feature crunchy almond cookies, icy coffee granita, and creamy orange ice cream. Amaretti cookies vary in size—you'll need eight to twelve cookies for the parfaits.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 4

Ingredients

1 cup finely ground espresso coffee beans
3 cups water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
4 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
1 pint premium vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
8 to 12 amaretti cookies (Italian macaroons)*
2 thin orange slices, cut in half (optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Brew espresso with 3 cups water in coffeemaker. Pour coffee into small metal pan. Add 1/2 cup sugar; stir to dissolve. Freeze 2 hours, stirring twice. Cover and freeze without stirring until solid, at least 6 hours or overnight. Using fork, scrape granita into icy crystals, then toss to mix. Cover; keep frozen. Mix orange juice, liqueur, orange peel, and 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Transfer 2 tablespoons mixture to small bowl to use as sauce; chill.

    Step 2

    Mix ice cream into remaining orange mixture. Cover; freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.

    Step 3

    Coarsely crumble 1 to 1 1/2 cookies into each of 4 parfait glasses. Top each with 1/2 cup granita and another 1 to 1 1/2 crumbled cookies. Top each with scoop of ice cream. Drizzle 1 1/2 teaspoons orange sauce over ice cream. Garnish with orange slices, if desired. * Available at some supermarkets and at Italian markets.

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