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WW Recipe of the Day: Coffee Fluff Dessert
Here’s a fun vintage recipe for a low calorie dessert called “coffee fluff.”
I found it in the original Weight Watchers Cookbook (affiliate link) by Jean Nidetch from 1966. I found it in a secondhand bookshop last summer and just had to bring it home.
Reading the original Weight Watchers rules and meal plan and perusing the dated, mostly unappetizing recipes made me glad I had never been subjected to the original Weight Watchers Program. I would have lasted about 15 seconds!
But hidden within the book’s pages were a few recipes that didn’t seem too bad: the Weight Watchers Cottage Cheese Danish, which has become a breakfast staple, and this Coffee Fluff, essentially coffee and unflavored gelatin whipped to make it fluffy and then chilled until it becomes firm, for example.
Recipe Notes
The original recipe called for artificial sweetener, but I’m not a fan, so I used a tablespoon of sugar instead. Feel free to substitute your favorite zero calorie sweetener for the sugar.
I tend to like the bitter flavor of coffee and drink mine black without sugar, so thought this dessert was fine with just a spoonful of sugar.
If you like your coffee sweet you’ll probably want to increase the amount. I also added a little dollop of Reddi-wip to fancy it up a bit.
This Coffee Whip makes a fun light dessert that would be perfect after a heavy meal.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Vintage Coffee Fluff Dessert?
According to my calculations, each serving has about 14 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
1 SmartPoints (Green plan)
1 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
1 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
0 PointsPlus (Old plan)
If you like this classic Weight Watchers Coffee Fluff, be sure to check out some of my other easy Weight Watchers friendly dessert recipes including 2-Ingredient WW Pineapple Angel Food Cake, Oh So Easy No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits, WW 3, 2, 1 Microwave Mug Cake, 1-Ingredient Banana “Ice Cream” and No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies with Oatmeal
Or my latest coffee-infused infatuation that comes together in 5 minutes with just 5 everyday ingredients… Tiramisu Rice Cakes!
If you’ve made this Chilled Coffee Dessert Fluff, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Vintage Weight Watchers Coffee Fluff Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1-1/2 cups strong black coffee
- 1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash of salt
- Whipped topping for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Sprinkle gelatin on cold water to soften it.
- Dissolve the gelatin mixture in the hot coffee.
- Add the sugar, vanilla and salt, stirring until sugar dissolves.
- Place mixture in the refrigerator until the mixture gets syrupy (1-2 hours).
- Beat the slightly thickened gelatin mixture with an electric mixer (affiliate link) until it doubles in volume.
- Spoon into 6 sherbet glasses. Chill until firm.
- Serve plain or with a dollop of whipped cream or whipped topping, if desired.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 1 SmartPoints (Green plan) 1 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 1 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 0 PointsPlus (Old plan) The original recipe called for artificial sweetener, but I’m not a fan, so I used a tablespoon of sugar instead. You could always substitute your favorite zero calorie sweetener for the sugar. I tend to like the bitter flavor of coffee and drink mine black without sugar, so thought this dessert was fine with just a spoonful of sugar. If you like your coffee sweet you’ll probably want to increase the amount. I also added a little dollop of Reddi-wip to fancy it up a bit. This Coffee Whip makes a fun light dessert that would be perfect after a heavy meal.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: adapted from Weight Watchers Cookbook (affiliate link) by Jean Nidetch
I have one of the older WW cookbooks, too, just for fun, but am still trying to locate the recipe for (microwaved) Bread Pudding. I’ve improvised and maybe come up with a similar, but I’d like the original since I can’t seem to get my timing right when I nuke it. It took one egg, milk (not certain about how of that, either), sweetener, a slice of bread, cubed, and maybe nutmeg on top. I would make this in the evening and eat it next morning, cold, for breakfast. Back then we could only have one egg, we had to have milk and bread was additional. Can you help with this? BTW, while the coffee fluff recipe looks really good, I don’t have a mixer.
Does in one have the recipe for ketsup that was made for ww in the 70’s. loved it
I remember my mother making this also. I think the recipe is on Gardenweb.com under diet or ww: Soften 2 tsp of unflavored gelatin in about 1/2 c water. Place in the microwave until gelatin has melted and mixture is kinda like eggwhite.Into blender place cup of fruit of choice, adda 1/3 c dry milk. Start the blender and while it is whirring pour in hot gelatin. Then start dropping ice into the blender until it thickens. Its a post from 6/29/09
I remember making a shake with Knox unflavored gelatin, Hershey’s powdered cocoa, sweet n low, skim milk, & a few ice cubes in the blender. It was in the 70s. I’ve searched for the vintage recipe but I have not been successful. I think the gelatin was mixed with boiling water, but I don’t remember. Maybe a quarter cup boiling water, and a half cup cold skim milk. I think one half envelope gelatin (the envelope was orange). However, I’m not 100% sure. Does this sound familiar to anybody?
No we are looking for it also
Does anyone remember the Mocha Whip recipe with dried milk and gelatin made in the blender?
That’s what I want!!!! Thought this was it but wondered about milk
I don’t remember the “ powdered “ milk …!
Hi Martha…
Are you still a WW fan? I followed WW in 1967 as a teen and reached goal.
Thanks for this wonderful site…what a difference from then and NOW. I agree with you…too much freedom to stick with, but simply filling technique has always intrigued me because I love those foods but I’m afraid I’ll eat too much of them .
I LOVED THE CHEESE DANISH…
There was a dessert I made with gelatin, coffee, water and the powdered milk which made 4 servings. I have looked everywhere but can’t find it. It was a great way to get your milk quota in. It was a pudding and I can’t recall the name.
Any ideas? Anyway, I still struggle with weight today…yo yo syndrome my entire life…tried everything…thanks again…love to hear from u
I remember it and LOVED IT! You made it all in a blender.. cannot find it anywhere!
Good idea, but it sounds a little plain to me as is…I think I’ll make it into more of a mocha mousse-type dessert by adding some cocoa and folding the whipped cream/topping into it! Mmm…
I think I will try this recipe with Italian Cream by coffeemate and no sugar. I will let you know how it turns out:)
Have a great day:)
I have to make this! I love all things coffee and it would be perfect for summer. I’m not a fan of artificial sweeteners either; thanks for the sugar idea. But I what I really want is to link to the cheese danish recipe–my favorite.
I weighed in today and gained only .4 after a 2-week cruise; I felt pretty good about it.
BTW: I remember my older female family members on WW not too long after ’66; it was CANNED TUNA, CANNED TUNA, CANNED TUNA!
Hope your summer’s going well. Happy Wednesday.
Hi Alyce!
It’s so nice to hear from you. These old classic WW recipes are fun to play with every once in a while. I know what you mean about the canned tuna thing. My mom did WW back in the 70s and it was the same thing – fish several times a week!
Congrats on your weight maintenance while cruising. I had a similar experience during a recent 2-week trip to Paris and England.