Coffee is a drink that almost everyone loves as it gives needed caffeine and can warm you up, no matter how you take it or what you put in it. This drink is healthy for you as well, as you can receive anti-inflammatory benefits from the many antioxidants that are in the drink. Coffee is made from coffee beans, and you can consume these beans to get the health benefits in more ways than just drinking a nice cup of joe. Continue reading below to learn five ways that you can incorporate coffee beans into recipes for a variety of foods.
1. Coffee Ice Cream
Ice cream may not be the healthiest item on this list, but it is a tasty treat that almost everyone would love to have on a hot summer’s day. You have to add a bit of ground coffee with the Kona coffee beans if that is what you choose to use. When you make this dessert yourself, you will not be consuming near as much caffeine as you would drinking a cup of brewed coffee. To make the coffee ice cream you must only mix the ingredients under heat and mix until you get the consistency that you are looking for, once it is ready you place it in a freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer for a couple of hours.
2. Coffee Muffins
Muffins are a great breakfast choice if you are looking for something that tastes delicious and that you can eat on the go. Grind the coffee beans finely and mix them in with your muffin mix of choice to get the perfect taste that you are looking for. You do not even have to have your morning coffee to get the caffeine that you are looking for when you choose to go with this breakfast option. Also, if you grind stronger beans, you are likely to get the stronger flavor that you may be looking for.
3. Coffee Cookies and Brownies
To think of another dessert option, you should consider making cookies and brownies from your coffee beans. Again, just grind the beans to the fineness that you would like for your dessert, and mix the ground beans into your cookie or brownie dough. For cookies, you can add to your chocolate chip cookies, put the beans in with walnuts, and even consider the flavor if you want to try a peanut butter cookie. For brownies, you can even roast the beans first to give them a deeper flavor that will pair well with the chocolatey taste/.
4. Spice Rubs
Many individuals use coffee beans to create a spice rub for some of their favorite meats. The beans give a great flavor addition to pork belly or even to spare ribs if you are making them on the grill. They add a crust to the meat that is irresistible after you grind the beans to your liking, especially if you put garlic powder and paprika with them. You can even put this rub on your steak or on a pot roast if you choose to do so as the options are limitless.
5. Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
Chocolate-covered coffee, or espresso, beans are the easiest way to incorporate this ingredient into a food. You can even buy this snack right from most grocery stores with the beans already made for you to start eating right away. If you want to make them, however, you only have to melt your chocolate, dipping the beans in it once it has been melted. After, let the beans cool off, and you have the perfect snack that will also give you the caffeine boost that you were looking for.
Final Thoughts
Coffee beans are great for your drink of choice in the morning, and they are wonderful editions to a variety of desserts and even spice rubs. You can even eat the beans as they are, covered in chocolate, for a great snack that is sure to give you energy in the afternoon. You will gain the antioxidants that you are hoping for from drinking coffee, and you will get the caffeine fix that you may need. Practice today with a variety of recipes so that you can get the perfect taste for any food you plan to make.