Let’s clear the air here. First and foremost, at Cozzee we’re all about enjoying coffee in its most traditional form, brewed. That doesn’t mean our minds haven’t been prone to wander. Imagine this, it’s a hot day, the sun is baking down on the pavement and your friends want to get something cool to eat. You tag along, find an ice cream stand in the shade off a long boardwalk next to the sand and see that they have three flavors to choose from, chocolate, vanilla, and coffee. Maybe, just maybe, we have a one-track mind. But, nine times out of ten we’re going with coffee.

That got us to thinking; coffee makes everything about our mornings better. It smells great as it brews, it’s delicious, and it gets us going. Naturally, we aren’t the only ones that think this way. There are bakers, chefs and brewers all over the world not only drinking coffee, but using it to give their food just a little hint of the happiness they experience in the morning.

Consider this our attempt to set you down the path we’ve been (not so quietly) traveling: the wonderful world of culinary coffee creativity. Here are five simple recipes to get your coffee fix in one of its many different forms.

1. As Part of a Soup

It makes sense that the natural properties of coffee blend well into some of the thicker, darker soups. Try this black bean soup as a starter with our Sumatra Aceh Gold and experience the earthy flavors working for yourself.

2. As part of a sauce

 

There are any number of great sauces that incorporate coffee in their spices. One of the most common is a barbeque that you can use to baste or cover any ‘grill-out’ meat at the butcher. We recommend the berry notes in our Decaf Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

3. Tiramisu

Tiramisu is nothing without espresso, well; maybe that’s an overstatement. It’s good, but who’s going out of their way to give that a shot when they’ve tasted the real deal. What we like to do is replace the espresso with the caramel and chocolate hints in our Panama Bouquet Camiseta. It brings a lighter but competent flavor to an old favorite.

4. As a dry rub

No, we’re serious. Think about throwing a little coffee into the spicy dry rub for smoked ribs or even a burger on the grill. The chocolate and citrus flavors of our Impact Espresso have been a standout favorite among our attempts. We’ve also tried this as a seasoning for such savory vegetables as asparagus and Portobellos, but that was at a weird (and delicious) point in our lives.

5. Ice Cream

This wasn’t mentioned earlier by accident. Coffee ice cream is perhaps one of the world’s great treasures. Thankfully, you can pick any of our delicious coffees and experience their different flavor profiles on display with this recipe.

Honorable Mention:

Beer (stouts and porters)

No, this isn’t the quick recipe like some of the other mentioned foods but coffee adds a dimension to a dark porter or stout that simply cannot be overstated. Think about all the warm and chocolaty goodness of some of Cozzee’s coffees with the smooth body of a bold stout and you’re already on your way. They say this type of beer is meant to warm the bones as the heart of winter rages, but to be honest; it’s good any ole time of the year.

There are so many great recipes utilizing coffee as a natural ingredient that this is only the tip of the iceberg.  We don’t think you’ll have trouble remembering but don’t forget, you can drink it too!