On chilly mornings, I like to have a hot cup of coffee to start my day. With cream. I don’t like black coffee or sugar in my coffee, but I love having cream in my coffee! But 
apparently you can do so much more with coffee, as I discovered when I received a review copy of Cooking with Coffee by Brandi Evans. It’s a hardcover book with 60 recipes and lots of color photos.
The book begins with a brief history of coffee, benefits of coffee, different brewing options, and popular ingredients to use with coffee. Then you’ll find recipes for baked goods; homemade coffee creamers; drinks and smoothies; sauces, dips, and toppings; savory foods; and sweets and snacks. Recipes include:
- Espresso Banana Muffins
- Coffee and White Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
- Salted Chocolate Coffee Creamer
- Peanut Butter Mocha Smoothie
- Chocolate-Coffee Gravy
- Coffee Maple Vinaigrette
- Chicken Enchiladas with Quick Coffee Ranchera Sauce
- Triple Chip Espresso Cookies
I decided to try the Salted Dark Chocolate Coffee Bark, because I thought it would be a great recipe to keep in mind as a food gift for the holidays. It’s easy to make and only has 3 ingredients, so you can whip it up easily and quickly. You just need to give the bark enough time to harden, at least an hour, before you break it up into pieces. It makes a great sweet treat for coffee and dark chocolate lovers! The recipes says to use 10 ounces of 60% dark chocolate, so I used one 10-ounce bag of dark chocolate chips and that worked perfectly!
SALTED DARK CHOCOLATE COFFEE BARK from Cooking with Coffee
Makes about 2 cups pieces of bark
- 10 ounces 60% dark chocolate or semisweet
- 1/4 cup whole coffee beans
- 1 1/2 teaspoons large flake sea salt (I used less salt-more like 1 teaspoon, and that was salty enough for me!)
Over a double boiler or in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate until it’s just warm enough to completely melt when you stir (a few minutes over the double boiler or 1-2 minutes in the microwave, checking every 30 seconds).
Pour the chocolate onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and smooth out into an even layer.
Sprinkle the melted chocolate with the coffee beans and the sea salt.
Let the chocolate set at least 1 hour, then break into bite-sized pieces.
Like I mentioned earlier, this bark makes a great homemade food gift. Or you may want to give the book itself to a coffee-loving friend. Are you a coffee-lover yourself, and do you use coffee in any recipes?
Linked to Fiesta Friday, FoodieFriDIY, Sunday Features, Inspire Me Monday, Show and Share, Tasty Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesdays, Wake Up Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Share Your Style, Thursday Favorite Things, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Create It Thursday, Fabulous Foodie Friday.
Just ordered this cookbook (nice to be a PrimeTime member on Amazon)- your recipe and the ones you’ve listed sound really good. Cooking/baking with special ingredients such as coffee can really make a difference. As there are so many beans to choose from do you recommend one?
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That’s great that you ordered the book! 🙂 The book did say that for this recipe, the “fruitier” the coffee bean, the better, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. So I just used what I had on hand at home. I usually buy a light roast coffee, but you could use your favorite kind of coffee bean.
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Salted chocolate is one of my favorites, I can’t wait to try this.. and eat it all!
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Yes, I love that salty-sweet combination! 🙂
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I love coffee! Black!!!!! I think this book would be perfect for me. I would put it in anything I think.
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Yes, I think you would enjoy this book Julie! I started out drinking coffee black, but after drinking it that ways several years, I finally tried it with cream and I was hopelessly hooked! 🙂
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Everything about this recipe sounds like it would be right up my alley. It looks delicious. Some of the other coffee-related recipes sound like they would be equally delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us at Fiesta Friday 🙂 Have a great weekend!
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Thanks, Natalie, and enjoy your weekend, too! 🙂
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This looks lovely….can’t wait to try it…actually I’m having a stall tomorrow…Probably I could include these if time permits☺☺☺
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Hope you like it, Lina!
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Wow I love salty taste in my chocolates and your recipe looks great Nancy…
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My husband would love this salted ‘dark chocolate’ coffee bark! Beautiful! 🙂
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Looks great, can’t go wrong with coffee and chocolate together!
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Absolutely! 🙂
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Chocolate and coffee …always good! What a delicious recipe!
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OK I need that cookbook! Yummo!
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You’re right, Ann–you’re a great coffee fan! 🙂
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What a fab chocolate bark recipe!! I don’t drink coffee but I would definitely eat this!! Thanks so much for linking up with Fabulous Foodie Fridays through 2015. Have a wonderful, relaxing Christmas! xx
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Thanks, and hope you have a wonderful holiday, too! 🙂
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Love coffee, love chocolate especially with salt, so I know I’m going to love this. Thanks
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You’re welcome, Claire! 🙂
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I love coffee, too! I would never have thought of putting coffee beans on chocolate bark. I bet it is so good! I like the addition of the salt, too.
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Ooh, chocolate and coffee go so well together!! YUM!
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Yummy Yummy Yummy and so simple to make too!
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