The magic of espresso powder
Perk up cookies, muffins and savoury dishes with a shot of coffee flavour
In our family, coffee and sweet treats go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Of course, we all enjoy coffee without sweets, but rarely the other way around. We criticize fancy restaurants that bring dessert but don’t offer coffee until afterward.
Hot coffee proves the perfect beverage to counter sweet flavours and lubricate cakey textures and flaky-crusted pies. It soothes the chill of frosty ice cream concoctions and cuts the sweetness of candy bars.
In my house, the workday starts with strong, black coffee and a banana. On the weekends, I crave that combination in a decadent muffin format. Think of all the specialty flavours of the local coffee house crammed into one hand-held sweet — chocolate, toasted pecans, cinnamon, vanilla, cream — with a coffee backdrop thanks to espresso powder.
Espresso powder deserves a place in the pantry. I add a little to nearly every chocolate dessert I make — not necessarily to add coffee flavour, but to enrich the chocolatey-ness. Iced coffee and banana smoothies likewise benefit from the coffee boost. It’s useful in savoury applications too.
Serviceable Italian brands of espresso powder can be found in most large supermarkets. You can use instant coffee powders instead, but choose a dark roast. Store the powders in the freezer to keep the flavour bold all year long.
To ease my conscience a tad, I use whole grain flour when making breakfast muffins.
If you like cinnamon in your coffee, boost the muffins with the addition of cinnamon chips. Otherwise omit them, and add more chocolate or peanut butter chips. White chocolate chips or small chunks taste great here too.
When you love coffee, it often makes sense to put some of those dark flavours into the main course. Espresso with chili powder combines two dark, bitter flavours into a sum that tastes better than the parts. I love a chili-forward version with plenty of sugar on pork ribs and brisket. For lamb chops or duck breast, I use a less sweet version enhanced with ancho chili and a bit of ginger and sesame. To cool the effect, a side dish of creamy cucumbers does the trick.
Coffee House Banana Nut Muffins with Chocolate and Cinnamon
These are delicious served warm. Or, when cool, wrap them in foil and place in a sealed plastic bag for up to two days. The muffins freeze well too.
Makes 12 muffins
2 cups stone-ground, white whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons espresso powder 2 teaspoons baking powder 3⁄4 tsp salt 1⁄2 tsp each: baking soda, cinnamon (optional)
2 large ripe bananas, peeled
2 large eggs
2⁄3 cup packed light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla
6 tbsp safflower or sunflower oil 1⁄2 cup chopped toasted pecans 1⁄2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1⁄2 cup cinnamon chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips or more chocolate chips
Espresso glaze, recipe follows
Prep: 20 minutes; cook: 25 minutes
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line 12 regular muffin tins with paper liners. Alternatively, line the tins with foil liners and spray the liners with nonstick spray.
2. Mix flour, espresso powder, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
3. Put bananas in a separate bowl. Mash smooth with a potato masher or fork. Stir in eggs until smooth. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Stir in oil. Add flour mixture, and fold gently to moisten all the flour. Gently mix in pecans, chocolate chips and cinnamon chips, if using. (Do not overmix or muffins will be tough.)
4. Use a spoon to divide the mixture among the muffin tins, filling them to the top. Tap the pan on the work surface to release any air pockets. Bake, turning pan once for even browning, until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes. Cool in the pans. Glaze when barely warm. Best served the day baked.
Espresso cinnamon glaze: Mix ½ cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons espresso powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon half-and-half (or milk or cream) in a small bowl. Mix until smooth, adding a few drops of half-and-half if needed to make a pourable glaze.
Per muffin (with the glaze): 323 calories, 15 grams fat (3 g saturated fat), 31 milligrams cholesterol, 46 g carbohydrates, 27 g sugar, 6 g protein, 312 mg sodium, 4 g fibre
Mocha Shortbread Logs
To gild the lily, drizzle these with a little melted white chocolate after the dark chocolate is set.
Makes 28 cookies
Dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1⁄4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons espresso powder, to taste
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
Glaze:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 tsp espresso powder
Prep: 30 minutes; chill: one hour; bake: 13 minutes
1. Put all dough ingredients into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until a smooth dough forms. Gather into a ball; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour or overnight.
2. Heat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Pinch off a small nugget of the dough and roll in your hands to make a 2-inch log about ½-inch in diameter. Place on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat to form all the cookies, placing them on the sheets about 2 inches apart.
4. Bake until the bottoms are barely golden, 10 to 13 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
5. For the glaze, put chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50 per cent power) just until barely melted, 1 to 1½ minutes. Stir in espresso powder until smooth.
6. Dunk one end of each shortbread log into the melted chocolate. Set dunked cookies on a wire rack over a piece of paper towelling, and let them sit while the chocolate firms up. (They can be refrigerated if the kitchen is warm.) Store in a cookie tin for up to a week.
Per cookie: 62 calories, 4 grams fat (2 g saturated fat), 7 milligrams cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 3 g sugar, 1 g protein, 6 mg sodium
Ancho Espresso Lamb Chops
Makes 3 servings 6 loin lamb chops, each about 1 to 1
1⁄4 inches thick, total 1 3⁄4 pounds 3 tablespoons ancho espresso rub, see recipe
Creamy cucumbers and chives, see recipe
Prep: 5 minutes; stand: 30 minutes; cook: 8 minutes
1 Pat lamb chops dry and place on a broiler pan or a shallow baking sheet with sides. Press some of the rub into all sides of the chops. Let stand, 30 minutes. Or refrigerate up to one day.
2 Position the rack 6 inches from the heat source; heat the broiler. Broil the lamb chops, four minutes. Flip the chops; continue broiling until meat feels nearly firm when pressed (medium-rare), two to four minutes more. Transfer chops to a serving platter. Serve chops with a side of the cucumbers.
Per serving: 444 calories, 29 grams fat (12 g saturated fat), 147 milligrams cholesterol, 4 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 40 g protein, 887 mg sodium, 1 g fibre
Ancho Espresso Rub
If ancho chili powder is unavailable, you can substitute chili powder, but omit the cumin.
Makes about 1/2 cup
1⁄4 cup pure ancho chili powder 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tbsp each: espresso powder, dried minced onion
2 teaspoons each: salt, sugar
1⁄4 tsp each: ground ginger, garlic powder
1⁄8 tsp ground cumin
Prep: five minutes
Mix everything in a small bowl. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Per tablespoon: 32 calories, 2 grams fat, 4 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 1 g protein, 767 milligrams sodium, 2 g fibre
Creamy Cucumbers and Chives
Makes 4 servings 6 small pickling cucumbers or 2 small seedless cucumbers, trimmed
Salt
1⁄4 cup sour cream, plain Greek yogurt or store-bought ranch dressing
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or green onion tops
1⁄2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint, optional
Prep: 10 minutes; drain: 30 minutes
1. Slice cucumbers very thinly; place in a colander. Sprinkle generously with salt; let stand over the sink, about 30 minutes. Squeeze the cucumbers lightly; pat them dry .
2. Put cucumbers into a bowl; stir in sour cream, yogurt or dressing, chives and mint. Refrigerate. Serve cold.
Per serving: 40 calories, 3 grams fat, 2 g saturated fat, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 1 g protein, 24 mg sodium, 1 g fibre