Irish Coffee Chocolate Milkshake: Coffee Milkshake Day

Today is National Coffee Milkshake Day, and, of course, I would make it a Chocolate Coffee Milkshake, but I decided to take it one step further and add some Irish Whiskey, making this a very special way of celebrating this food holiday. Love this adult version. Don't want alcohol in your drink? Scroll down for an easy non-alcoholic Coffee Chocolate Milkshake.

Irish Coffee Chocolate Milkshake

Ingredients
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
6 scoops coffee ice cream
2 Tbsp milk
1 ounce Irish Whisky

Directions
Peel chocolate to have some shavings to garnish milkshake.
Combine ice cream, milk, and whisky in blender. Process until smooth
Stir in chopped chocolate.
Garnish with chocolate curls.

Non-Alcoholic Chocolate Coffee Milkshake

Ingredients
1-1/2 cup chocolate ice cream
1/4 cup strong coffee or espresso (already made)
1/4 cup milk
Pinch cocoa powder

Directions
Put all ingredients except cocoa in blender. Blend on high until smooth and frothy. Pour into glasses. Sprinkle with cocoa.

Chocolate Coffee Zucchini Bread: Zucchini Bread Day

Tomorrow is National Zucchini Bread Day, but I have no zucchini in my garden. Luckily for me, it's available at my market. If you don't find any, save this recipe for the summer when your garden is filled with zucchini!

The 'secret' ingredient in this particular Chocolate Zucchini Bread is 'Coffee.' If you've been following my daily posts, you know that coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate, and you'll find that happens in this recipe! As always, your final results will only be as good as your ingredients. Use the very best cocoa, fresh oil, and good coffee.

Chocolate Coffee Zucchini Bread 

ingredients
1-1/2 cups shredded fresh zucchini (approximately 1 zucchini)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup brewed coffee, cold
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup walnuts,  chopped (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Lightly oil 9 × 5 bread pan.
Shred zucchini using fine shredding disc on food processor or hand shredder. I usually wrap the shredded zucchini in a paper towel and squeeze after shredding to get out excess moisture. Do this before measuring.
Measure 1-1/2 cups and set aside.
Beat together oil, brewed coffee, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients until incorporated, then beat together until smooth. Fold in shredded zucchini and walnuts (optional). Once zucchini is incorporated, pour into prepared pan and bake 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out dry. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Remove from pan after cooling for 15 minutes.

Irish Coffee Day: History of Irish Coffee & Recipe for Irish Coffee Truffles

Today is National Irish Coffee Day. An Irish Coffee is perfect for these freezing days. It's chilly here in the Bay Area, but nothing like the Ice Storm that's spread all over the U.S. Safe safe and warm, folks!

Many years ago, on my first day in California, I was lucky to hitch a ride with a visiting dignitary. Don't ask. Things happen! The day's tour of San Francisco included the hills of San Francisco, Sonoma County, the Renaissance Fair, Sausalito, Fisherman's Wharf, the Palace of Fine Arts, Cliff House, the Golden Gate Bridge and a stop at the Buena Vista Cafe for an Irish Coffee. I saw more of the San Francisco Bay Area on that one day than I did over the next ten years.

Irish Coffee is a very San Francisco drink invented in 1952 at The Buena Vista Cafe. The recipe was a collaborative effort between Jack Koeppler, the Buena Vista’s owner, and Stanton Delaplane, a well-known international travel writer and San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Here's the original recipe. Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista is still made the same way.

The official story of Irish Coffee tells of the perseverance and repeated attempts of Koeppler & Delaplane and even a trip to Shannon Airport, where a forerunner of Koeppler’s vision was served. The whipped cream posed a problem, but the input of a prominent dairy farmer turned Mayor of San Francisco, solved the problem: Age the cream for 48 hours and froth it to a precise consistency so it would float on top of the hot coffee, to Koeppler’s specifications.

So if you're in San Francisco today, it's a big day at the Buena Vista. Stop by and raise a glass!

Since I love alcohol infused truffles, I'm posting a recipe for Irish Coffee Truffles. You'll love this easy recipe from Martha Stewart Weddings. I use darker chocolate than in the original recipe, but otherwise, it's just about the same. I also often roll the truffles in ground chocolate espresso beans! This recipe is pretty much no fail, and that's what I like!

IRISH COFFEE TRUFFLES

Ingredients
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 pound plus 14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, (65-72%), finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup plus1Tbsp packed dark-brown sugar
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup Irish whiskey
2 Tbsp coffee extract
1/4 tsp coarse salt
Good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling  (or ground chocolate covered espresso beans!)

Directions
Coat 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; line with plastic wrap, allowing a 2-inch overhang; set aside.
Put chocolate and butter into medium heatproof bowl set over pan of simmering water; stir until chocolate and butter have melted. Remove from heat.
In separate saucepan, bring cream, corn syrup, and brown sugar to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Immediately pour over chocolate mixture; whisk until smooth.
Whisk in yolks, whiskey, coffee extract, and salt.
Pour into prepared pan.
Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls, about 4 hours (or more).
Using a1-inch ice cream scoop or medium melon baller, scoop chocolate into balls, immersing scoop completely, then rotating it; transfer to rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Coeur d'Alene Irish Coffee Truffles

Put cocoa powder into shallow dish. Remove truffles from refrigerator. Roll each ball in your palms until completely smooth, then roll in cocoa powder (or crushed chocolate covered espresso beans) to coat (if truffles become too soft to roll, return to refrigerator until firm); transfer to rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to 3 days).

No time or ingredients to make your own? You can buy Irish Coffee Truffles. I'm very fond of the Coeur d'Alene Irish Coffee Truffle. Maybe easier to find if you have to celebrate today would be the Lindt Irish Coffee Bar. Both are great and use real Irish whisky. Or, you can check with your local chocolatier. They might make a great Irish Coffee Truffle. If you find one you like, let me know! 

ESPRESSO TRUFFLES: 2 Recipes for National Espresso Day!

Today is National Espresso Day. I'm always looking for an easy way to combine the food of the day with chocolate, and what could be easier than Chocolate Espresso Truffles? Following are two recipes. The first is a very easy recipe. The second comes from RealSimple.com. The results are different, so you might want to try both and compare.  Enjoy!!

Espresso Truffles I

For Ganache:
8.5 ounces of Dark Chocolate (70% or so)
1/2 cup heavy Cream
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp finely ground Espresso

For Coating:
Cocoa powder

Directions
Grate or chop chocolate
Heat cream just until boiling. Add espresso and mix well.
Pour cream over chocolate and using double-boiler method, melt chocolate. (Place pan with chocolate and cream over simmering water,  stirring until  chocolate is melted).
Add vanilla extract to melted chocolate and mix well until smooth. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator. Place cocoa on plate.
Using small cookie scooper or two spoons scoop chocolate. Roll into a ball using hands.
Roll chocolate balls in cocoa, thoroughly coating truffle. Place truffle on parchment lined tray.
Serve at room temperature or refrigerate for later use.

From Real Simple:

Espresso Truffles II

Ingredients
20 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces (or semisweet chocolate chips)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp finely ground espresso coffee
1 cup confectioners' sugar or shredded coconut

Directions
Make filling:
Place 8 ounces chocolate pieces and butter in large bowl. In small saucepan over low heat, bring cream to simmer. Remove from heat and pour half cream into bowl. As chocolate melts, slowly whisk mixture together until smooth. Then gradually add remaining cream until completely incorporated and  ganache is thick and shiny. Whisk in coffee.

Form truffles:
Pour ganache into 2-inch-deep baking pan, spread evenly, and place in freezer for 30 minutes or until set ( should have consistency of fudge). Using  melonballer or small spoon, form rounds and place on baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Let truffles harden in freezer for about 15 minutes. After removing from freezer, roll truffles between hands into marble-size spheres, squeezing slightly (try to do this quickly, otherwise they'll become too soft).

Make coating: 
Let truffles rest in freezer while you make chocolate glaze. Place remaining chocolate pieces in large bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally, until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until chocolate starts to set at edge of bowl. Drop truffles into melted chocolate and retrieve with fork, allowing any excess chocolate to drip off. Garnish immediately or leave truffles plain and proceed to next step.

Garnish:
For coconut garnish, roll freshly coated truffles in shallow dish of shredded coconut. For confectioners' sugar garnish, set freshly coated truffles on plate and sift sugar over them. Turn truffles and sift again to cover completely.

Storage: 
Place truffles on lined baking sheet and allow to set in refrigerator for 5 minutes. Truffles will keep for about 2 weeks, chilled or at room temperature, when stored in tightly sealed container.

COFFEE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: National Coffee Day!

Today is National Coffee Day. So many ways to celebrate, especially if you add Chocolate. You can always have a Cafe Mocha, Chocolate Coffee Fudge, Chocolate Clouds in your Coffee, Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake, Irish Coffee Truffles, or pick up some Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans.

In honor of the day, I thought I'd re-post one of my favorite recipes for Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies. What I love about Chocolate Chip Cookies are the infinite varieties.

As I've mentioned before, your final product is only as good as your ingredients. Use the very best Chocolate, Espresso (or Coffee) Beans, Vanilla, Flour, Butter and other ingredients! This recipe calls for a baking stone. You can use a pizza stone. If you don't have one, you can make these Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies the traditional way on a cookie sheet. The stone helps makes them gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside, though. I've adapted this recipe from ehow.com.

COFFEE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 fresh large eggs (room temperature)
2 cups brown sugar
6 Tbsp granulated sugar
5 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
3 - 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp ground espresso beans (or finely ground coffee beans). Try this recipe with ground chocolate covered Coffee beans. Gives it just a bit more chocolate!
16 oz dark chocolate (65-75% cacao) chopped into small pieces (or dark chocolate chips)
Baking Stone

Directions
Toss butter in microwave for 20 seconds to SOFTEN not melt the butter. (or leave out in advance, so it's already softened)
Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Mixture should be well blended but firm.
Add 2 eggs. Beat. Add vanilla. Mix well. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into another bowl. Add ground coffee or ground espresso beans.
Add dry ingredients to wet mixture, beating in a little at a time. Fold in chocolate pieces (or chips).
Put cookie dough in refrigerator for 2 hours to firm up. Put wax paper on top to prevent drying.
Preheat oven to 350. Put hot stone in Oven.
Take hot stone out of oven. Drop cookie balls (use a small scoop or form balls) onto stone, smashing with fork after dropping. Put back in oven on stone.
Bake for about 8 minutes. Depends on your oven, of course.
Transfer with spatula to wire rack.

Hint: Check the first one. If the cookies fall apart or aren't cooked all the way, give them another minute.

IRISH COFFEE CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE: Irish Coffee Day

Today is National Irish Coffee Day, and I have an easy recipe for Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake to celebrate! If you're a purist, you'll want to substitute your own chocolate cake and pudding recipes for the box mixes. If you're in a hurry, though, this is a great easy recipe! This is a terrific way to celebrate the day. No time to bake? Head on over to your favorite Irish Pub and raise a glass of Irish Coffee. Have some chocolate in your pocket. Stir into your Irish Coffee!

Irish Coffee is a very San Francisco drink invented in 1952 at The Buena Vista Cafe. The recipe was a collaborative effort between Jack Koeppler, the Buena Vista’s owner, and Stanton Delaplane, a well-known international travel writer and San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Here's the original recipe. Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista is still made the same way.

The official story of Irish Coffee tells of the perseverance and repeated attempts of Koeppler & Delaplane and even a trip to Shannon Airport, where a forerunner of Koeppler’s vision was served. The whipped cream posed a problem, but the input of a prominent dairy farmer turned Mayor of San Francisco, solved the problem: Age the cream for 48 hours and froth it to a precise consistency so it would float on top of the hot coffee, to Koeppler’s specifications.

So if you're in San Francisco today, it's a big day at the Buena Vista. Stop by and raise a glass!

IRISH COFFEE CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake)
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee
3/4 cup Irish whiskey
1/2 cup water
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Whipped cream

Directions
Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, instant coffee, whiskey, water, and pudding mix. Blend well. Fold in chocolate chips/chopped chocolate. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely.

ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: National Espresso Day!

Today is National Espresso Day!You can always have an espresso at your favorite cafe or in your own kitchen, but I love this recipe for Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies! That's how I celebrate!

This recipe calls for a baking stone. You can use a pizza stone. If you don't have one, you can make these Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies the traditional way. The stone helps make them soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. I've adapted this recipe from ehow.com.

ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 fresh large eggs (room temperature)
2 cups brown sugar
6 Tbsp granulated sugar
5 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
3 - 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp ground espresso beans (or finely ground coffee beans). Try this recipe with ground chocolate covered Coffee beans. You'll have a bit more chocolate!
16 oz dark chocolate (65-70% cacao), chopped (or dark chocolate chips)
Baking Stone

Directions
Toss butter in microwave for 20 seconds to SOFTEN not melt the butter. (or leave out in advance, so it's already softened)
Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Mixture should be well blended but firm.
Add 2 eggs. Beat. Add Vanilla. Mix well. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into another bowl. Add ground coffee or ground espresso beans.
Add dry ingredients to wet mixture, beating in a little at a time. Fold in chocolate pieces (or chips). Possible to add walnuts, if you want them. I didn't put them in the ingredients above, but I always like chopped walnuts in my chocolate chip cookies.
Put Cookie Dough in refrigerator for 2 hours to firm up. Put wax paper on top to prevent drying.
Pre-heat oven to 350. Put hot stone in Oven.
Take hot stone out of oven. Drop cookie balls (use a small scoop or form balls) onto stone, smashing with fork after dropping. Put back in oven on stone.
Cook for about 8 minutes. Depends on your oven, of course.
Transfer with spatula to Wire Rack.
Hint: Check the first one. If the cookies fall apart or aren't cooked all the way, give them another minute.

COFFEE ICE CREAM PIE: National Coffee Ice Cream Day

Warm where you are today? Here's an easy (20 minutes to make - and then freeze) no-bake recipe for Coffee Ice Cream Pie that has a great chocolate cookie crust that includes coconut and chopped nuts along with the chocolate wafers. It's a very versatile crust and would also be great with a key lime filling, as well as any other ice cream flavor. This recipe is adapted slightly from Pillsbury. As I've mentioned many times, the big 'food product' sites often have fabulous recipes. You can adapt and update as you like, and they're a springboard for ideas, so be sure and check them out!

COFFEE ICE CREAM PIE

Ingredients
30 chocolate wafers, crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup coconut  (I like toasted coconut)
3 Tbsp finely chopped macadamia nuts (or cashews)

Filling 
1 quart coffee ice cream, slightly softened

Topping 
1 cup hot fudge sauce, warmed
Whole macadamia nuts (or cashews), if desired

Directions
In medium bowl, mix crushed chocolate wafers, butter, coconut, and finely chopped macadamia nuts.
Press mixture in bottom and side of 9-inch glass pie plate; refrigerate 15 minutes.
Carefully spoon softened ice cream into chilled crust.
Cover and freeze about 2 hours or until firm.
Top individual servings with fudge sauce, chopped macadamia nuts, and chopped chocolate covered coffee beans.
Cover and freeze any remaining pie.

To make cutting the pie easier, remove it from the freezer about 10 to 15 minutes before serving. 

EASY KAHLUA TRUFFLES: National Kahlua Day!

Today is National Kahlua Day. What a great day to celebrate! Kahlua is a coffee-flavored liqueur that goes very well in so many chocolate desserts from brownies to cheesecake to truffles--even in yesterday's post for Gluten-free No-bake Pistachio Chocolate Truffle Cake. So have a glass of Kahlua to celebrate today -- or if you have some time, make these very easy Kahlua Truffles, adapted from Ina Gartner.

EASY KAHLUA TRUFFLES

Ingredients
8 oz dark chocolate (the better the chocolate, the better these will taste!)
3 Tbsp Kahlua
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Directions
Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler.
Mix Kahlua into chocolate and butter and beat until smooth.
Put chocolate in a refrigerator until semi-soft  (but not rock hard).
Put 1/2 cup cocoa powder on flat plate.
With melon baller, form small balls of chocolate (or roll by hand) and drop onto plate of cocoa powder. Roll around so completely covered.
Put on parchment lined plate or cookie sheet.
Repeat with all chocolate.
When truffles are set and hardened, shake off excess cocoa powder and store in sealed container -- or EAT!!

Want to make truffles with a bit more coffee in them? Try these REAL COFFEE TRUFFLES that I posted on National Coffee Day! 

COFFEE Gâteau: Retro Ad with Recipe for National Coffee and National Mocha Day

Today is National Coffee Day, not to be confused with International Coffee Day on August 29, but it's also National Mocha Day. So here's a great Retro Ad & Recipe from Nescafe for Luscious Coffee Gâteau that includes both coffee and mocha. Coffee is used in the cake, there's Mocha Icing, as well as the Creamy Coffee Filling. See the recipes below. Of course, I would substitute 'real' coffee in the recipes to bring it up to date and improve flavor! BTW, Regulo 5 is equal to 375 degrees.

Nescafe, by the way, is the name of an instant coffee made by Nestle. It comes in different forms. It was first introduced by Nestle in 1938. The name was used in the U.S. until the late 1960s when Nestle introduced a new brand called Taster's Choice.

So grab a cup of coffee while you make this fun Coffee Gâteau!

Cake recipe is aloe the Mocha Icing Recipe.

Coffee Gâteau

NO CHURN COFFEE ICE CREAM WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Coffee Ice Cream Day!

Happy Coffee Ice Cream Day! I'm not a coffee drinker, but I do like Coffee Ice Cream. And what could be better than Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips? Don't have an ice cream maker? No worries. This is the recipe for you. 

No Churn Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients
1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup strong cold coffee
2 cups cold heavy cream
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions
In medium bowl, stir together condensed milk, vanilla, coffee, and chocolate chips.
In separate bowl of standing mixer, whip cream until soft peaks form.
Whisk one third of whipped cream into coffee mixture.
Fold remaining whipped cream into coffee mixture until incorporated.
Pour into 9 × 5-inch loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm -- about 6 hours or overnight.

How easy is that?

Café Au Lait Coffee Cake: Café Au Lait Day

Today is National Café au Lait Day! Café au lait is French for "coffee with milk" and refers to a specific French coffee drink, although like most things there are multiple varieties. Don't confuse it, though, with a Caffe Latte. Did you know that in the 1600s a French doctor suggested Cafe Au Lait for patients, inspiring people to add milk to their coffee? Cafe au Lait is often served in a small bowl. Very French! There are several cafe au lait bowls on the market if you want to be authentic when serving.

To celebrate today, go to your local cafe or brew a cup at home, or you can make this sensational Café au Lait Coffee Cake from Nicole at MadebyNicole. Her recipe is fool-proof, and it's filled with Chocolate Chips. What better way to celebrate coffee with milk than with a Coffee Cake? As always, you can use any good quality chocolate, chopped into small chunks in place of chocolate chips.

For those of you lucky enough to live in New Orleans, pop on over to the Café du Monde today for a Café Au Lait. They make it with chicory, which gives it a strong, bitter taste. The bitterness of the chicory offsets the sweetness of the powdered-sugar-covered beignets that, of course, you'll want to have. 

Café Au Lait Coffee Cake

Crumb Topping
1 tsp instant coffee
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup pecans

Cake
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp instant coffee
2 Tbsp warm water
2 3/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk

Glaze:
1/2 cup icing sugar
milk or cream to desired consistency
vanilla (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 pan
Make crumb topping: Stir together dry ingredients, cut in butter, add chocolate chips and nuts.
In large bowl beat sugar and butter until light. Add eggs, then sour cream, and then coffee dissolved in water.
In small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Gradually stir into moist ingredients starting with 1/3 of dry mixture, 1/2 of milk, 1/3 dry, 1/2 milk, and final 1/3 dry mixture.
Spread half of batter into pan. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of topping. Cover with remaining batter and finish with crumb topping.
Bake for 60 – 65 minutes

(Optional) Cool and drizzle glaze off a fork onto top of cake.

ELSIE'S FUDGY MOCHA BROWNIES: Coffee Day & Mocha Day!

Today is National Mocha Day and National Coffee Day, so here's a great recipe to celebrate: Elsie's Fudgy Mocha Brownies that add coffee to the batter!

Great places for new recipes are "Brand" sites or  in this case a Vintage Brand Cookbook. I've posted recipes from Hershey's and Baker's and Godiva, as well as various food associations, so today I thought I'd post a recipe from Eagle Brand Condensed Milk (Borden's). I always have condensed milk around for baking. Got to love Elsie the Cow, the Borden's Mascot. Elsie made her debut in 1939, and after 70 years, Elsie still symbolizes trust, quality and freshness for the products Borden creates.

Did you know that Gail Bordon patented his invention for making condensed milk in 1856 and that his company was the first manufacturer of condensed milk? Follow this link to an article from Smithsonian Magazine to learn more about this miraculous food product.

I love this recipe for Fudgy Mocha Brownies. Sometimes I use ground espresso beans instead of coffee granules, and you can substitute a few other things such as DARK cocoa. And, you can never have too many Brownie recipes.

ELSIE'S FUDGY MOCHA BROWNIES

Ingredients
No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2/3 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon hot water
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Optional: Pillsbury® Chocolate Frosting (or make your own)

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8 x 8-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray.
Combine 1 cup flour and sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press firmly into prepared pan.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes.
Combine sweetened condensed milk, cocoa, egg, 1/4 cup flour, vanilla, and baking powder in large bowl. Dissolve instant coffee granules in hot water and add. Mix well. Stir in nuts. Spread over baked crust.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until center is set.
Cool.

Frost (optional)

FIVE MINUTE DARK CHOCOLATE COFFEE FUDGE: National Fudge Day

Today is National Fudge Day! Over the years of writing this blog, I have posted so many Fudge recipes. Well, duh! Chocolate --  Fudge! So if you're hankering for fudge to celebrate today's Food holiday, here's an incredibly quick and easy recipe for Five Minute Dark Chocolate Coffee Fudge.

This Fudge truly only 5 minutes to make and includes only three ingredients that are probably already in your pantry. Coffee really brings out the chocolate in this old fashioned silky smooth fudge. Soooo rich. Gluten-free, too!

FIVE MINUTE DARK CHOCOLATE COFFEE FUDGE

Ingredients
1-14-oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Tbsp espresso granules (or instant coffee)
1/2 Tbsp water
12 ounces dark chocolate (65-70% cacao), chopped

Directions
Heat condensed milk in saucepan over medium heat.
Dissolve espresso granules in water. Stir into condensed milk.
Add chopped dark chocolate, lower heat to simmer (be careful not to burn). Stir just until until melted and smooth.
Pour into oiled 8x8 inch pan. Chill in fridge until set (about 2 hours).
Cut into squares.

SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CHUNK COFFEE CAKE: National Coffee Cake Day!

I am a sucker when it comes to Sour Cream Coffee Cake, so I was thrilled to find this recipe for Sour Cream Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cake on the Scharffen Berger website. I know I've posted other Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipes, but I love this one, especially for the Chocolate Streusel Topping! I use a Bundt Pan, so it looks great, too! You can use whatever chocolate you like, but since the recipe is from Scharffen Berger, I list it as the chocolate. And just so you know, there's no coffee in this coffee cake. LOL!

Happy National Coffee Cake Day!

SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CHUNK COFFEE CAKE

Ingredients 

For Batter 
16 Tbsp unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla
5 ounces SCHARFFEN BERGER 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch bits, or a scant cup of SCHRAFFEN BERGER 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate Baking Chunks

For Streusel Topping 
 2 ounces SCHARFFEN BERGER 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease Bundt pan generously and dust with flour. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy in electric mixer (using paddle attachment if using electric mixer). Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in chocolate pieces. Set aside.

To Make Streusel 
Melt 2 ounces of chocolate in top of double boiler or in bowl placed over pan of simmering water, stirring frequently until melted. Remove bowl from heat and mix in toasted walnuts until coated. Mix in sugars and cinnamon.

Pour half batter into prepared pan. Top with half streusel mixture. Cover with remaining batter and top with the remaining streusel mixture.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
Cool on a cake rack.
Unmold and serve warm or at room temperature.

IRISH COFFEE CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE: Irish Coffee Day!

Today is National Irish Coffee Day, and I have an easy recipe for Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake to celebrate! If you're a purist, you'll want to substitute your own chocolate cake and pudding recipes for the box mixes. If you're in a hurry, though, this is a great easy recipe! A terrific way to celebrate the day. No time to bake? Head on over to your favorite Irish Pub and raise a glass of Irish Coffee. Have some chocolate in your pocket. Stir it in!

Irish Coffee is a very San Francisco drink invented in 1952 at The Buena Vista Cafe. The recipe was a collaborative effort between Jack Koeppler, the Buena Vista’s owner, and Stanton Delaplane, a well-known international travel writer and San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Here's the original recipe. Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista is still made the same way.

The official story of Irish Coffee tells of the perseverance and repeated attempts of Koeppler & Delaplane and even a trip to Shannon Airport, where a forerunner of Koeppler’s vision was served. The whipped cream posed a problem, but the input of a prominent dairy farmer turned Mayor of San Francisco, solved the problem: Age the cream for 48 hours and froth it to a precise consistency so it would float on top of the hot coffee, to Koeppler’s specifications.

So if you're in San Francisco today, it's a big day at the Buena Vista. Stop by and raise a glass!

IRISH COFFEE CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake)
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee
3/4 cup Irish whiskey
1/2 cup water
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Whipped cream

Directions
Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, instant coffee, whiskey, water, and pudding mix. Blend well. Fold in chocolate chips/chopped chocolate. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely.

COFFEE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: National Coffee Day

Today is National Coffee Day. So many ways to celebrate, especially if you add Chocolate. You can always have a Cafe Mocha, Chocolate Coffee Fudge, Chocolate Clouds in your Coffee, Irish Coffee Chocolate Cake, Irish Coffee Truffles, or pick up some Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans.

In honor of the day, I thought I'd re-post one of my favorite recipes for Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies. What I love about Chocolate Chip Cookies are the infinite varieties.

As I've mentioned before, your final product is only as good as your ingredients. Use the very best Chocolate, Espresso (or Coffee) Beans, Vanilla, Flour, Butter and other ingredients! This recipe calls for a baking stone. You can use a pizza stone. If you don't have one, you can make these Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies the traditional way. The stone helps makes them gooey on the inside and crispy on the outside. I've adapted this recipe from ehow.com.

COFFEE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 fresh large eggs (room temperature)
2 cups brown sugar
6 Tbsp granulated sugar
5 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
3 - 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp ground espresso beans (or finely ground coffee beans). Try this recipe with ground chocolate covered Coffee beans. Gives it just a bit more chocolate!
16 oz dark chocolate (65-75% cacao) chopped into small pieces (or dark chocolate chips)
Baking Stone

Directions
Toss butter in microwave for 20 seconds to SOFTEN not melt the butter. (or leave out in advance, so it's already softened)
Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Mixture should be well blended but firm.
Add 2 eggs. Beat. Add vanilla. Mix well. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into another bowl. Add ground coffee or ground espresso beans.
Add dry ingredients to wet mixture, beating in a little at a time. Fold in chocolate pieces (or chips).
Put cookie dough in refrigerator for 2 hours to firm up. Put wax paper on top to prevent drying.
Preheat oven to 350. Put hot stone in Oven.
Take hot stone out of oven. Drop cookie balls (use a small scoop or form balls) onto stone, smashing with fork after dropping. Put back in oven on stone.
Bake for about 8 minutes. Depends on your oven, of course.
Transfer with spatula to wire rack.
Hint: Check the first one. If the cookies fall apart or aren't cooked all the way, give them another minute.

IRISH COFFEE CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE: National Chocolate Milk Shake Day!

Here's an Adult Version of a Chocolate Milkshake for National Chocolate Milkshake Day: Irish Coffee Chocolate Milkshake. Don't want alcohol in your drink? Scroll down for an easy non-alcoholic Chocolate Coffee Milkshake.

Irish Coffee Chocolate Milkshake

Ingredients
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
6 scoops coffee ice cream
2 Tbsp milk
1 ounce Irish Whisky

Directions
Peel chocolate to have some shavings to garnish milkshake.
Combine ice cream, milk, and whisky in blender. Process until smooth
Stir in chopped chocolate.
Garnish with chocolate curls.

Non-Alcoholic Chocolate Coffee Milkshake

Ingredients
1-1/2 cup chocolate ice cream
1/4 cup strong coffee or espresso (already made)
1/4 cup milk
Pinch cocoa powder

Directions
Put all ingredients except cocoa in blender. Blend on high until smooth and frothy. Pour into glasses. Sprinkle with cocoa.

CHOCOLATE COFFEE MILKSHAKE: National Coffee Milkshake Day!

Today is Coffee Milkshake Day, but what's a milkshake without chocolate? So here's a really easy recipe for a rich chocolate-y Chocolate Coffee Milkshake--alcoholic or not. Choices. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE COFFEE MILKSHAKE

Ingredients

8 ounces cold brewed coffee

4 scoops chocolate ice cream

1/3 cup chocolate covered espresso beans

1 cup ice

3 ounces Kahlua (optional)

Garnish
Whipped cream
Chocolate covered espresso beans, chopped

Directions

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and garnish with whipped cream and chopped chocolate covered espresso beans. Serve immediately.

IRISH COFFEE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE: National Irish Coffee Day!

Today is National Irish Coffee Day! Irish Coffee was invented at the Buena Vista Cafe, right here in San Francisco.

On my first day in California I was lucky to hitch a ride with a visiting dignitary. Don't ask? Things happen. The day's tour of the San Francisco Bay Area included the hills of San Francisco, Sonoma County, the Renaissance Fair, Sausalito, Fisherman's Wharf, the Palace of Fine Arts, Cliff House, the Golden Gate Bridge, and a stop at the Buena Vista Cafe for an Irish Coffee. I saw more of the San Francisco Bay Area on that one day than I did during the next ten years.

Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe is a very San Francisco tradition. The drink was invented there in 1952. The recipe was a collaborative effort between Jack Koeppler, the Buena Vista’s owner, and Stanton Delaplane, a well-known international travel writer and San Francisco Chronicle columnist.

The official story of Irish Coffee tells of the perseverance and repeated attempts of Koeppler & Delaplane and even a trip to Shannon Airport, where a forerunner of Koeppler’s vision was served. The whipped cream posed a problem, but the input of a prominent dairy farmer turned Mayor of San Francisco, solved the problem: age the cream for 48 hours and froth it to a precise consistency so it would float on top of the hot coffee, to Koeppler’s specifications.

But this is a Chocolate Blog, so once again I wanted to post a recipe that includes Chocolate and the day's 'food' holiday.

Irish Coffee Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
4 tsp whiskey
2 eggs
2 Tbsp plus 4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Put Chocolate, 1/3 cup of cream, and 1/4 teaspoon of espresso powder in heatproof bowl. Put bowl in skillet of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Remove bowl from skillet, stir in whiskey, and set aside.
In heatproof medium bowl, whisk eggs with 1 tablespoon water and 2 tablespoons of sugar until well blended.
Put bowl in skillet and whisk eggs constantly (to prevent from scrambling) over barely simmering water until they register 160 degrees F. on instant-read thermometer.
Remove bowl from skillet and beat at high speed with electric mixer until eggs have texture like softly whipped cream, 3 to 4 minutes.
Fold one quarter of eggs into chocolate.
Scrape chocolate mixture over remaining whipped eggs and continue to fold just until evenly incorporated.
Divide mousse into ramekins. Chill at least 1 hour, or until set, before serving.

Serve with Bailey's Irish Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream

Whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Add Baileys Irish Cream and whisk until combined.
Spoon small amount of whipped cream onto the top of each mousse ramekin.