It's no surprise that here at Coffee by the Roast, we all love coffee. Hot or cold, black or creamy, plain or sweetened, coffee makes a wonderful beverage. Did you know it's also great for cooking?
Chocolate and coffee are a natural pair, so it's no wonder that many of the dessert recipes we love include both. Coffee deepens the chocolate flavor in cakes and puddings and adds an adult complexity to brownies and cookies. Coffee ice cream is lovely, but try pouring a shot of espresso over vanilla ice cream for a wonderfully melty, sweet, and complex sundae.
Coffee also adds complexity to savory dishes. Southern cooks are familiar with ham and coffee based red eye gravy, Amish cooks use coffee to braise pot roast. Coffee helps tenderize and flavor steak in marinades and rubs, adds complexity to chili and stew recipes, and can even be used in salad dressings.
This month on Coffee by the Blog, we'll be looking at and sharing some of our favorite coffee related links and recipes. We'll start with one of our favorite cookie recipes.
Imagine the flavor of a chocolate chip cookie and a cup of coffee together in a single bite. Add a hint of sweet almond and nutty crunch, and you have Mocha Crunch Bars. Like many recipes that use coffee, this one originally called for instant coffee, but if you have an espresso machine, or make your own cold brew, use that instead. The flavor will be amazing!
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Mocha Crunch Bars
Oven: 350 degrees F
Assembly time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs instant coffee* (can use decaf, if desired)
½ tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
2 cups sifter flour
6 oz package chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts
Cream together butter and sugar. Add coffee, almond extract, vanilla and salt. Mix well. Add flour and mix until no longer crumbly. Stir in chocolate chips. Press mixture into 14X10 inch ungreased baking pan. Sprinkle nuts over the top and press into dough. Bake 35 minutes, or until done. Cool and cut into bars or squares.
*or use 2 shots of espresso, or ¼ cup cold brew/strong brewed coffee, slightly cooled. Add in place of instant coffee. Follow the rest of the recipe as written, but be sure to butter the pan. The cookies' texture will be softer than with instant coffee.
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Do you cook with coffee? We'd love to share your favorite recipes with other coffee lovers. Send them through our Contact Us page, or via email at mail@coffeebytheroast.com. Thanks!
Next time on Coffee by the Blog, savory recipes that use coffee, including our recipe for roast lamb.
~ Carrie, Paul and all of us at Coffee by the Roast
