Granite production has clear advantages. One is that you don’t need an ice cream maker or any special tools. You probably have all the equipment you need: a measuring cup, a spoon, a metal pan, and a fork. Of course, you need a refrigerator because it’s a frozen dessert. Clean the shelf in your freezer before you start cooking.
It’s a budget-friendly dessert, another benefit. Due to several ingredients – juice or coffee, sugar and selected garnishes – it is relatively cheap to produce. To further reduce costs, use a frozen whipped topping instead of real whipped cream.
The variety of flavors is the third advantage of granite. And you can choose from many: mixtures of oranges, lemons, lime, grapes, grapefruits, cranberries, cherries, pineapples, pomegranates or juices. The choices are up to you and depend on the menu and your palate.
Lower calories are a fourth benefit that is important to me and may be important to you. Granite has fewer calories than regular ice cream. You also have the option to use a sugar substitute.
Easy preparation is another advantage. Still, you need to dig the ice constantly. Otherwise, you will have a hard ice pan instead of the desired mixture of snow and cone. It’s best to make this recipe the day you want to eat it. However, this can be done the day ahead. Remove the pan from the freezer and as soon as it begins to melt. Start digging with a fork. Continue digging until the granite looks fluffy.
I’m sensitive to caffeine, so I used decaffeinated coffee for this original recipe. You can use semi-regular and semi-caffeinated coffee, regular coffee, or flavored coffee such as cinnamon. The Kahula (coffee-flavored liqueur) in this recipe is optional. If you do not want to use it, sweeten the cream with 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Serve the granite in simple or ornate bowls. Instead of chocolate, you can decorate the dessert with ground cinnamon, sprinkle with cocoa powder or colored biscuit sprinkles. The dessert is sweet, but not too much, but the right end for almost any meal, I think it’s a winner!
INGRIDIENTS
2 cups strong decaffeinated coffee
1/3 cup granulated sugar (or your chosen sugar substitute)
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1 cup whipped cream
2-3 tablespoons Kahula (may be omitted)
1 plain chocolate bar like Hershey’s
METHOD
1. Place the whipped cream bowl in the refrigerator.
2. Make coffee. Add sugar, vanilla extract and cool to room temperature.
3. Transfer the liquid to an 8-inch metal baking sheet.
4. Place the pan in the freezer. As soon as it starts to freeze, dig every half hour with a fork. Swipe from side to center.
5. Freeze until the granite is strong enough for a spoon or scoop.
6. Beat the cream in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Stir in Kahula.
7. Shake the chocolate bars on a small bowl with a vegetable peeler.
8. Pour 4 dishes with a spoon. Garnish with Kahula-flavored whipped cream and chocolate chips.
