Now that you know how to make a great cup of coffee, here’s some new ways to use it in both sweet and savory sauces, dips, and toppings. Ever think about adding coffee to your barbeque sauce? Now you will. Coffee isn’t just for sweet dishes!
Makes about 2 cups
Homemade barbeque sauce is a great way to get started on using coffee in savory recipes. One, it’s extremely easy to make, and two, the coffee is the perfect balance with the tart tomatoes and vinegar, sweet maple syrup, and bevy of spices going on!
½ cup ketchup
1 cup tomato sauce
⅔ cup brewed coffee, chilled
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, about 15 minutes. Use immediately or cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
Makes 1 cup dip
I love having fruit as an afternoon snack, but sometimes, you just need a little something extra along with it. This fruit dip is much healthier than some of the other marshmallow-fluff based options and just as tasty! I love using whole milk plain yogurt because it’s not as tart as the fat-free versions, but feel free to use whatever yogurt you like!
½ cup plain yogurt
½ cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon instant espresso
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Serve immediately with fruit and cookies.
Sweet and Salty Ice Cream Topping
Makes about 1 cup total
Again with the sweet and salty? Yes! This mix might not be something you’ve seen at your local ice cream shop, but it should be! It has all my favorite things: chocolate sprinkles, great coffee, brown sugar, chocolate chips, and sea salt—the perfect topping for your favorite scoop of ice cream.
1 ounce chocolate sprinkles
2 tablespoons ground coffee of your choice
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
1½ teaspoons sea salt
Mix all the ingredients together, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar. Sprinkle on ice cream or yogurt for a salty-sweet bite!
Makes about 1½ cups sauce
Any time you have a homemade caramel sauce, you know it’s going to be a good thing. Adding coffee to an already delicious caramel sauce? That takes it over the top! I especially love this drizzled over scoops of chocolate and coffee ice cream.
1⅓ cups sugar
⅓ cup water
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons brewed coffee, cooled
2 teaspoons instant espresso
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, whisking until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, letting it cook until it turns a golden brown, about 10–20 minutes.
Once the syrup has a nice golden brown color, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up and splatter. Let the mixture settle before stirring.
Return the pan to low heat, and stir in the brewed coffee, instant espresso, butter, and salt. Serve immediately and warm, or cool in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Makes about 1 cup
This recipe has a special place in my heart. My Nanny used to make her “chocolate sauce,” which was this gravy (minus the coffee), and spread it on saltines as a treat for my dad and his brothers when they were growing up. It’s so simple, and so easy, but also really tasty and a fun little treat to have in your recipe arsenal. And since Nanny was a big coffee fan, I think she would have loved this version.
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
2–3 tablespoons brewed coffee, cooled
In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Add in the coffee and stir until the mixture is smooth, adding more coffee if the sauce is too thick.
Serve spread on saltine crackers, just like my Nanny did.
Makes about ¼ cup
Compound butter isn’t a new idea, but if you haven’t made your own flavored butter at home yet, you should! All you need is some softened butter and something to mix in. You can make savory herb butters to use on biscuits or steak or stirred into rice or pasta. Or you can make sweet butters for pancakes, waffles, or muffins, like this espresso butter. This isn’t necessarily sweet—there’s no sugar added—but the addition of espresso in the salted butter gives it a deep, complex flavor that is perfect on my espresso banana muffins, or just spread on toast!
1 stick salted butter, softened to room temperature
1½ teaspoons instant espresso
Mash the softened butter with the instant espresso until the espresso flakes are equally mixed in. Either scoop into serving dish or roll into a log shape and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill until ready to use.
This butter goes well with the Espresso Banana Muffins on page 29.
Makes about 2 cups
Everyone loves whipped cream, right? Well, everyone should love homemade whipped cream. Especially when you add just the right amount of sugar, a pinch of espresso, and some nutmeg for good measure. Try this on the coffee granita or on ice cream or even with your waffles for an indulgent weekend breakfast!
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Beat the heavy cream until it starts to form soft peaks, about 4–6 minutes. Add in the sugar, espresso, and nutmeg, and beat for another 1–2 minutes until the cream is thick and forms stiff peaks.
This cream goes well with Coffee Granita on page 139.
Makes about 1½ cups sauce
I think, out of all the recipes I tested for this cookbook, this is my husband’s favorite. In fact, we ended up making this sauce recipe three or four times in one week, just because we loved it so much! Classic mole sauces can take a long time to cook (and they’re totally worth it!), but this is a great, quick alternative when you want this flavor, but need it fast.
¾ cup crushed tomatoes
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
½ medium onion, chopped into large chunks
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup pepitas or almonds
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup water
½ cup brewed coffee, cooled
Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and turn on low, puréeing the sauce until it’s mostly smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Makes about ½ cup, enough to marinate 1 pound of meat
My husband is the grill master in our household. I love having him grill meals because it’s less cleanup and less work in the kitchen, and he loves it because he gets to cook over fire. It’s a win-win! This is a twist on a marinade that he uses fairly often on steaks and pork chops. The coffee, balsamic vinegar, and ancho chili powder add great flavor to any grilled meat and balance one another out nicely.
¼ cup brewed coffee, cooled
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together and pour over beef or pork. Let the meat marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours/overnight before grilling.
This rub is used in the Smoky Coffee Marinated Pork Chops on page 103.
Makes about 1 cup
Any time our family had a birthday growing up, my Mammaw or Mom would make homemade chocolate cake with homemade chocolate icing. But their icing wasn’t the super thick and sugary buttercream-type icing. It was a thin layer of perfectly sweet cocoa icing, just how I like it. This mocha version is fun for a little twist on your typical chocolate icing for cake or cupcakes.
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
½ teaspoon vanilla
1¼ cups powdered sugar
In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the cocoa powder, coffee, and vanilla.
Stir in the powdered sugar until everything is combined. If you’d like the frosting a little thicker, add some more powdered sugar, one spoonful at a time.
Note: This is more of a pourable/spoonable frosting rather than a thick, fluffy buttercream. It will coat the tops of the cupcakes well, but won’t make for inches-tall frosting layers.
Use this icing with the cupcakes on page 133!
Makes about 2 cups sauce
I am all about the quick sauces. I love having a pot of sauce simmering on the stove on a lazy weekend afternoon, but there’s not always time for that. This quick ranchero sauce comes together in minutes and is perfect for your favorite Mexican make-at-home meals from tacos to fajitas to enchiladas.
1½ cups crushed tomatoes
½ cup vegetable broth
½ cup brewed coffee, cooled
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons onion powder
1½ teaspoons oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together and let the mixture sit at least 10 minutes before using. This one can be stored in the refrigerator up to a week.
Turn to page 89 to use this Ranchero Sauce in Chicken Enchiladas!
Makes about 1 cup
This glaze was made to drizzle over waffles, but honestly, it’s good on anything. Try it on pancakes, cinnamon rolls, scones, or biscuits.
1½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons brewed, chilled coffee
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1–2 tablespoons milk, to thin glaze
In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the maple syrup, coffee, and vanilla bean paste. Add 1–2 tablespoons (or more) of milk until the glaze is as thick as you’d like.
Makes about 1/2 cup dressing
A few years ago, I fell in love with a maple vinaigrette dressing and since then, I haven’t been able to stop thinking of ways to make it even more delicious. Whenever I think of maple syrup, I automatically think of coffee, as well. Maybe because maple syrup is usually a part of breakfast and coffee is definitely a part of breakfast. The coffee provides the perfect base for this dressing, but it’s not overwhelming. Even non–coffee drinkers will love this salad dressing!
2 tablespoons brewed coffee, cooled
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Whisk all ingredients together until the Dijon is incorporated. Serve over your favorite salad. This dressing goes especially well with goat or feta cheese, apples, dried cherries or other dried fruits, and nuts. The dressing itself is fairly balanced, so it really can go with any salad where you’d normally use a vinaigrette.
