Coffee-Based Recipes

If you’re a lover of coffee it will come as no surprise to you that not only is it one of the most popular beverages worldwide, but it is also an excellent cooking ingredient – I’m not just talking about desserts. Although coffee is an excellent accompaniment to sweets, yes I’m looking at you Tiramisu – coffee also works extremely well in savory recipes too.

If you’re used to taking your coffee in a mug and fancy trying something different, take a look at these coffee-based recipes and add a bit of a buzz to your kitchen!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Scones

If you serve these at breakfast you are definitely starting your day off right. A modern twist on the classic scone, these coffee based treats are truly delicious. ~

Ingredients

2 cups (28 g) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

1 tbsp (12g) baking powder

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp espresso coffee grounds

6 tbsp (85g) very cold unsalted butter

100g/3.5 oz bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped into chunks

½ cup plus 1 tbsp (135ml) 2% milk, plus extra for brushing

1 large egg

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

coarse sugar for sprinkling

Makes 7-8 scones.

Method

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add the espresso coffee grounds and whisk together until an even blend. Add cold butter and toss add to the flour mixture. Use your fingertips to mix the butter into the mixture until it resembles a breadcrumb consistency. Add the chocolate chunks and stir together.

In a measuring jug, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla extract until well blended. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly add the milk, stirring gently until it has all been added. Mix gently but do not overdo it. The dough should look loose but not sloppy.

Lightly flour a surface and take out the dough, bringing it together in a ball shape and fold over a couple of times to ensure there are no loose areas. Pat dough into a circle ¾ to an inch thick. Use a 2.5-inch round to cut out as many circles as you can until all the dough has been used.

Place the scones on to the prepared baking sheet, brush tops with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Place the scones on the center rack of your oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F.

Bake until golden brown, about 17-20 minutes – longer if you’re scones are on the thick side. Transfer scones to wire racks to cool. Enjoy!

Coffee Marinated Lamb Chops

These marinated lamb chops are an excellent recipe to try out if you fancy giving something new a try. Serve these for dinner guests and you’re bound to please!

Ingredients

200grams lamb chops

For the marinade:

1 espresso shot

10ml honey
10ml balsamic vinegar

5gram rosemary

10gram pink peppercorns – crushed

Olive oil

Salt to taste

Method

In a small mixing bowl add together the marinade ingredients, stir together. Soak the chops in the marinade and place in the fridge for 4-6 hours.

Once you are ready to cook your chops, preheat the oven to 180c.

Add some oil to a non-stick pan and remove the chops from the fridge. Dust very lightly with flour and add to the hot pan – be careful of splatters!

Sear the chops until tender and place in the preheated oven for five minutes.

Remove from oven and place back into hot pan, sear again until cooked through. If there is any remaining marinade, add this to the pan towards the end of cooking.

Season to taste and serve with roasted vegetables and rice. Enjoy!

Espresso Martini

A timeless classic. Enjoy with friends in a fancy cocktail glass.

Ingredients

30ml Kahlua
30ml vodka
20ml espresso shot
15ml sugar syrup (add a teaspoon of sugar to 20ml of boiling water and stir)
Martini glass
Cocktail shaker

Makes 1 serving.

Method

Add the Kahlua, vodka, espresso shot and sugar syrup to the cocktail shaker along with finely crushed ice cubes.

Shake thoroughly until the ice and other ingredients are blended together.

Pour into a chilled martini glass and garnish with coffee beans or a sprinkling of chocolate powder. Enjoy!