Coffee and Almond Milk Granita

Happy Valentine's Day!

Reading recipes is an area I really need to work on. I tend to focus on the ingredient list and become so giddy upon discovering all the contents are readily available in my pantry or fridge. I've gotten myself in this pickle before where I hadn't read a recipe through to discover that something needed to be marinated overnight or working with yeast for the first time and not allowing myself enough time for all of the rises to have it ready by dinner.

Just two days ago the weather had us bundled up in jackets and now I couldn't ask for better weather. Sunny and 70. A craving hit yesterday for soaking up the sun and frozen treats. I had come across this recipe for Coffee and Almond Milk Granita and wanted to make it to enjoy outside while watching itty bitty throw rocks, get muddy, and just enjoy our time outside together.

Once again my poor planning meant that we still enjoyed our time outdoors together but without a frozen treat. My hang up came when the almonds needed to soak in the milk overnight and the milk and coffee needed to be frozen longer than the recipe had stated. Thank goodness this weather is here to stay for a couple days and this frozen treat would be ready for today.

Coffee and Almond Milk Granita is a frozen almond latte in a bowl. If you're a coffee lover than this is the perfect treat for you. If your 2 1/2 years old like itty bitty than only Almond Milk Granita for you. If you're not experiencing the kind of weather we are here in Houston, Texas than I am sorry that this will have to stay bookmarked until the nicer weather rolls in. Just keep an eye out on the forecast and when you see the nice weather is two days away then get to making this. If you are looking for a way to warm up than just make the almond milk and pour it into a cup of coffee. Either way this is easy to prepare and provides a creamy and nutty treat.

Coffee and Almond Milk Granita

MyRecipes.com and Sunset, February 2009

Makes 8 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 1/2 cups whole unblanched almonds - I used sliced almonds since that is what I had on hand.
• 3 cups milk - I used skim milk.
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups freshly brewed coffee - The coffee I used was a Gingerbread Coffee from Trader Joes.

And Action:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast in the oven until fragrant and browned for about 8 minutes.

Heat the milk in a saucepan over high heat until hot. Stir in the almonds and 1/3 cup sugar, let cool. Chill covered for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Pour the almond-infused milk through a strainer in a metal loaf pan and discard the almonds.

In another metal loaf pan, stir coffee and remaining 1/3 cup sugar until sugar dissolves. Wrap both pans airtight; freeze. After 2 hours, stir slushy liquid with a fork, scraping the sides to create large flakes. Return the pans back to the freezer until completely frozen, about 4 hours.

To serve, spoon half coffee and half almond milk granita into each of the 8 bowls. You can make these up to 4 days ahead of time.

Nutritional Information: (Per serving)

Calories: 266 (54% from fat)

Protein: 7.9g

Fat: 16g (sat 3.2)

Carbohydrate: 26g

Fiber: 2.7g

Sodium: 49mg

Cholesterol: 13mg

Don't forget about the Culinary Smackdown Battle. We're half way through the month and you only have until February 27, 2011 to link up your recipe. Best of luck!