Granita (Italian Ice Dessert)

Granita is so typically Italian (in the USA it is often called 'Italian ice'), and so good, not to mention fat-free, that I just had to publish an assortment of recipes. If you love sugar free Popsicles, you can explore these recipes to create desserts with a more adult taste. 


Lemon Granita in Lemon Cups


Nutritional Data:
As these are largely water and Splenda, they have no real nutritional values, only taste. So make and enjoy as much as your pouch can hold!

Add the water a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Remove from the heat, stir in Splenda and allow to cool to room temperature.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and pour into a metal pan, such as a cake pan.
Freeze for 3 to 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes with a fork and scraping the ice crystals that form around the edge of the pan.
When finished, the granita should have a fine, crumbly texture, like coarse snow.
For a coarser texture that is preferred by some, freeze the liquid in ice cube trays, and then crush the cubes in an ice crusher or food processor immediately prior to serving.

Each recipe makes about 3 cups.

For lemon flavored:
1 cups water
1 cup Splenda
1 cup lemon juice

For orange flavored:
2 cups water
3/4 cup Splenda
1 cup orange juice

For coffee flavored:
1 cup water
1/2 cup Splenda
2 cups extra strong espresso coffee

For cappuccino flavored:
1 cup water
1/2 cup Splenda
1 1/2 cups extra strong espresso coffee
1/2 cup non-fat milk

For strawberry flavored:
1 cup water
1/2 cup Splenda
2 cups fresh strawberries, pureed in an electric blender or food processor
2 Tbs lemon juice
(If using frozen strawberries, reduce the amount of Splenda to 1/4 cup)

Cook's Note: Of course there are loads of other flavor possibilities. Summer's coming, so EXPERIMENT - lime - raspberry - grapefruit - green tea - melon/apple - hibiscus/mint - etc.... Please adjust the Splenda to your own preferred sweetness