The 2-Ingredient Italian Dessert You Can Easily Make At The Gas Station (Yes, Really)

When you're on a long road trip, a gas station stop is essential for fueling your car and your stomach. You can grab a bag of chips, a candy bar, or even some gas station sushi (if you're brave enough). However, what you might not expect to find at a gas station are the ingredients for a fancy Italian dessert. Behold, the two-ingredient affogato.

An affogato is merely a scoop of gelato topped with hot espresso. It's almost always vanilla gelato, though you could get creative with another flavor profile by making an affogato with matcha and vanilla or adding a drizzle of hot honey to the dessert. You might not be able to get gelato or espresso at an American gas station, but you can almost certainly grab some ice cream and a cup of coffee. Travel expert Samantha Brown posted the hack to TikTok, where she revealed her go-to recipe: a cup of coffee and a vanilla ice cream sandwich. She dips the sandwich into the hot coffee, then takes a bite to mimic the affogato flavor and texture.

Dipping an ice cream sandwich is one way to make this affogato twist, but you can do it in a handful of other ways, too. Instead of buying an ice cream sandwich, you can dip chocolate ice cream popsicle bars. The stick helps you dip them with ease, even as you get toward the end, which isn't as simple with the ice cream sandwich.

Another option is to buy a personal-sized container of vanilla ice cream, which is often sold at gas station convenience stores. Eat a few scoops off the top of the container, then pour a little coffee over the remaining ice cream, and dig in. You can add more coffee as needed to help melt the ice cream while you eat it. This option is more filling than the sandwich or popsicle choice because of the amount of ice cream, so it's best for savoring in the moment. Nothing makes a long car ride more bearable than a bit of caffeine and ice cream.