Cooking With Coffee! 5 Recipes to Warm You From the Inside

Coffee isn’t just for drinking anymore…you can cook with it too! Here are 6 tasty recipes that include coffee as an ingredient to create delicious main dishes and desserts to impress your holiday guests. Let’s start with dessert first! Mocha Cake with Butter Mocha Frosting This recipe uses brewed coffee to give it that decidedly rich mocha chocolate flavor. This cake is wonderful at any holiday get-together.

• Cooking spray
• 1 package of Devil’s Food cake mix
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee
• ½ cup cooking oil
• 3 large eggs

Frosting

• 1 pound powdered sugar
• ¼ unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup softened butter
• ¼ cup strong brewed coffee -room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tsp of milk

Directions

1. For Cake: HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with cooking spray. Combine cake mix, 1 cup brewed coffee, oil and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer until moistened. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Pour into prepared pans.
2. BAKE 29 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on cooling rack to cool completely.
3. For Frosting: combine powdered sugar, cocoa and salt in large bowl. Beat in butter with electric mixer on low speed. Gradually add coffee, vanilla and enough milk to make a smooth and spreadable frosting. Spread frosting between layers, on top and sides of cake.

Red Eye Gravy This gravy is best served over pork chops, chicken fried steak or country ham! Perfect for holiday breakfasts!

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 ½ thick smoked bacon slices, diced
• ½ cup smoked ham
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup beef broth
• ¾ cup brewed coffee at room temperature
• 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped  (optional)
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until done. Add ham and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Slowly whisk in milk and next 2 ingredients; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring often, 14 to 18 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in chives and pepper.

Pork chops with Coffee and Molasses This recipe uses a coffee and molasses brine to give your pork chops added richness and flavor.

• 1 cup strong coffee at room temperature
• 6 ounces molasses by weight
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 4 bone-in 1 inch thick pork chops

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients into a 1-gallon zip top bag, seal, and shake to combine. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
2. Remove pork chops from bag reserving the marinade. Grill chops 3-4 minutes per side , when done, they should have an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
3. While chops are grilling, place remaining marinade into a saucepan and simmer until reduced to about ¾ cup of liquid. This will be used to glaze the chops before serving.

Tiramisu This is an easy to follow recipe using espresso that will yield a fancy, delicious dessert to grace your holiday table and impress your guests. Prepare these the day before for best presentation.

• 6 extra-large egg yolks at room temperature
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup dark rum
• 1 ½ cup brewed espresso
• 17 ounces of mascarpone cheese
• 30 Italian ladyfingers
• Bittersweet chocolate shavings
• confectioner’s sugar

Directions

1. Whip egg yolks and sugar until very thick. Lower the speed to medium and add ¼ cup rum, ¼  espresso and the mascarpone. Beat together until smooth
2. Combine the remaining rum and espresso in a shallow bowl. Dip one side of the  ladyfingers in the mixture and line the bottom of a 9×12 baking pan. Pour half the cream mixture on top. Add a second layer of the dipped ladyfingers  and pour the rest of the cream mixture over the top. Use a spatula to smooth the top, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight.
3. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with shaved chocolate before serving.

Coffee Toffee Banana Bread Liven up your banana bread with the addition of coffee and toffee. This makes a great holiday complement to your favorite hot beverage.

• 3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
• ½ cup brewed strong coffee
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp instant espresso
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp toffee chips divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. Mix banana and coffee in a small bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and instant espresso.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and brown sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add the vanilla extract and the banana-coffee mixture and stir until combined.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon or a spatula until just incorporated.  Fold in 1/2 cup toffee chips.
6. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, sprinkle the top of the loaf with the remaining toffee chips, then return to oven for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let stand in pan 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.