Whether it’s your morning cup of Joe or the dessert to your delicious dinner, coffee just isn’t complete without tasteful foods to pair it with. Different roasts of coffee have complementary flavors that are enhanced by certain foods, similar to wine pairing. By following this coffee pairing guide, you can enhance your coffee experience!
Light to Mild Roasts (such as breakfast blends)
Pair With: Apples, Blueberries, and Nuts
Try serving light to mild roasts with Apple Nut Muffins.
Ingredients:
- 2 C Flour
- 1/2 C Sugar
- 3 tsp. Baking Powder
- 2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- Dash of Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 3/4 C Milk
- 1 Apple – peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- 6 tbsp. Butter, melted
- 1/3 C Walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 C Brown Sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375° F and coat 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
- In bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and salt.
- In another bowl, beat eggs and milk and stir in chopped apples and melted butter.
- Add apple mixture to flour mixture and stir until moistened.
- Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full.
- Mix walnuts, brown sugar, and remaining cinnamon and sprinkle over each muffin cup.
- Bake about 20 to 25 minutes. Then, immediately remove muffins from pan.
Medium Roasts (such as house blends)
Pair With: Apples, Blueberries, Lemons, and Nuts
Try pairing medium roasts with Blueberry Lemon Loaf.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 C Butter, melted
- 1 1/4 C Sugar
- 5 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 2 Eggs
- 1 1/2 C Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- Dash of Salt
- 1/2 C Milk
- 2 tbsp. Lemon Zest, grated
- 1/2 C Walnuts, chopped
- 1 C fresh Blueberries
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly grease 8×4 in. loaf pan.
- In bowl, mix together butter, 1 C sugar, 3 tbsp. lemon juice, and eggs. Then, combine flour, baking powder, and salt and stir into egg mixture and add in milk.
- Fold in lemon zest, nuts, and blueberries and pour into pan.
- Bake in oven for about 60 to 70 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine 2 tbsp. lemon juice and 1/4 C sugar in bowl. Then, remove bread from pan and drizzle with glaze.
Dark to Bold Roasts (such as espresso blends)Pair With: Caramel, Chocolate, Nuts, and Spices
Try pairing dark to bold roasts with Chocolate Caramel Brownies.
Ingredients:
- 1 package German Chocolate Pudding Cake Mix
- 3/4 C Butter, melted
- 2/3 C Evaporated Milk
- 1 C Pecans, chopped
- 13 oz. Caramels, individually unwrapped
- 1 C Chocolate Chips
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350° F and coat 9×13 in. pan with cooking spray.
- Mix cake mix, butter, and 1/3 C evaporated milk and pour batter into pan.
- Sprinkle pecans on batter and bake for about 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in saucepan, combine caramel and 1/3 C evaporated milk over medium heat and stir until melted and pour mixture over cooled cake.
- Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of caramel and bake for about 12 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
