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Ice Cream with Amaretto, Instant Espresso, and Amaretti Crumbs

By Julia Collin Davison

Published on July 6, 2025

Time

5 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ice Cream with Amaretto, Instant Espresso, and Amaretti Crumbs

Ingredients

2 pints vanilla ice cream ½ cup amaretto liqueur 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder 4 amaretti cookies, crushed coarse

Before You Begin

Use high-quality vanilla ice cream as it will have a significant effect on the flavor of this dessert. The quality of the amaretto liquor will also affect the flavor.

Instructions

  1. Portion 2 pints vanilla ice cream into 4 individual serving bowls. Drizzle each bowl with 2 tablespoons amaretto, then sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon espresso powder and garnish each bowl with crushed cookies. Serve immediately.
Ice Cream with Amaretto, Instant Espresso, and Amaretti Crumbs
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Ashley Moore.

Ice Cream with Amaretto, Instant Espresso, and Amaretti Crumbs

Headshot of Julia Collin Davison
By Julia Collin Davison

Published on July 6, 2025

Save

Time

5 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 pints vanilla ice cream
½ cup amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
4 amaretti cookies, crushed coarse

Ingredients

2 pints vanilla ice cream
½ cup amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
4 amaretti cookies, crushed coarse

Ingredients

2 pints vanilla ice cream
½ cup amaretto liqueur
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
4 amaretti cookies, crushed coarse

Why This Recipe Works

To gussy up a simple bowl of ice cream, I took inspiration from Marcella Hazan, who published a recipe back in the ’90s for vanilla gelato topped with a dash of scotch and some finely ground espresso beans. Starting with a high-quality vanilla ice cream, I swapped amaretto liquor for the scotch and used instant espresso because I liked how it dissolved into the liquor and ice cream as the dessert’s eaten. To add a little texture and reinforce the amaretto flavor, I sprinkled crushed amaretti cookies over the top.

Before You Begin

Use high-quality vanilla ice cream as it will have a significant effect on the flavor of this dessert. The quality of the amaretto liquor will also affect the flavor.

Instructions

  1. Portion 2 pints vanilla ice cream into 4 individual serving bowls. Drizzle each bowl with 2 tablespoons amaretto, then sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon espresso powder and garnish each bowl with crushed cookies. Serve immediately.

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