As you may know by now, I am not a fan of baking — too much accurate measuring. I don’t really like pie, and cake isn’t my favorite. Cookie dough is WAY better than baked cookies in my mind. But I still like dessert! Chocolate dessert. With a cup of coffee! And that is where this frozen mocha toffee dessert enters the picture.
I found a similar frozen dessert recipe in a magazine during the early 1990’s, and have made it many times since. The biggest trick has always been finding chocolate wafer cookies, which divide the layers. One year I actually scraped the filling off gluten free oreos to use. Recently, however, I have used these chocolate crisps. They soften slightly in the freezer, but don’t get soggy. And they have a nice flavor, in addition to a great texture.
The three layers are coffee, chocolate, and toffee — all in a rich and creamy base. The base is made with mascarpone, which is a high-fat fresh Italian cheese. In my small town grocery, mascarpone is only available around the holiday season, so I am thankful that cream cheese is basically as good.
One blessing of a frozen dessert is that you can make it days, or even weeks in advance. This makes two bread pans of dessert, and each should make 8-10 slices. Leftovers store easily in the freezer, as long as they are wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.
Here are a couple tips for making the frozen mocha toffee dessert:
- use 2 bread loaf pans, lined with plastic wrap — make certain to leave very generous overhangs on all sides
- use a stand mixer to prepare the base, then have a separate bowl for each of the other layers
- a hand mixer and another bowl is perfect for the whipped cream
- yes, you will use lots of bowls, but that’s what dishwashers are for
- when it comes time to slice the dessert, run a sharp knife under hot water to keep the slices neat
This frozen dessert is perfect for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or any other special day — maybe even a Tuesday.
Arrange 4-5 wafer cookies on the bottom of each plastic-wrap-lined loaf pan. Make sure the cookies are upside down, so the pattern shows when the dessert is removed from the pan.
In a large bowl, beat the room temperature mascarpone or cream cheese with the sugar until light and fluffy.
Print
Frozen Mocha Toffee Dessert
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 20 slices 1x
Description
A decadent, yet easy to make, frozen dessert with toffee, chocolate, and coffee
Ingredients
1 box chocolate wafer cookies, such as Simple Mills brand
24 ounces mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 – 8 ounce bag toffee bits
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 Tbsp instant coffee granules (I use decaf)
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp boiling water
Instructions
Line two bread loaf pans with plastic wrap, making sure to leave generous overhangs
Arrange 4-5 wafer cookies on the bottom of each loaf pan. Make sure the cookies are upside down, so the pattern shows when the dessert is removed from the pan.
In a large bowl, beat the room temperature mascarpone or cream cheese with the sugar until light and fluffy, then add the vanilla. In another bowl, beat the cream until it holds soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.
Divide the mascarpone and whipped cream mixture evenly between 3 bowls.
Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water, and allow it to cool. Stir this into one of the bowls of mascarpone.
Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stovetop, and stir in the cocoa. Once that has cooled slightly, add it to another bowl of mascarpone.
Stir the toffee bits into the final bowl of mascarpone mixture.
Spread the coffee mixture over the cookies in each loaf pan. Cover with enough wafers to make a decent layer. Spread the chocolate mixture over those wafers, and make another layer of cookies. The final layer is the toffee mixture.
Wrap loaf pans with the overhanging plastic wrap, adding another piece as necessary. Freeze overnight. To serve, invert the dessert onto a serving platter for guests to serve themselves. OR invert onto a cutting board, and after about 5 minutes, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water to create nice even slices.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
