Love our new Peppermint Bark coffee? The candy is fun to make, especially the part when you take out your holiday stress on a bag of mints. Working with melted chocolate can be a little tricky, which is why we like this recipe adapted from Jessica In The Kitchen. The addition of coconut oil helps the chocolate behave nicely. Seizing can be an issue when adding peppermint extract to melted white chocolate, but follow this recipe and you won’t have to find out what that means. Give it as gifts, serve it to guests, eat it all by yourself with a cup of coffee. ‘Tis the season.

Ingredients

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 ounces white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup Starlight Mints, crushed

Directions

• Line an 8-inch baking dish with foil.
• Microwave the semi-sweet chocolate chips and ¼ teaspoon coconut oil together in a bowl for 1 minute. Remove and stir. The chips should melt with stirring but if not, microwave in 15 second increments until melted. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract into the chocolate and stir again.
• Pour the chocolate mixture into the bottom of the baking dish and spread to cover. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes to set temporarily.
• After 15 minutes have passed, Melt the white chocolate and the  remaining coconut oil for 1 minute in the microwave. Remove and stir. Microwave for another 15 seconds if not melted, then stir again. Stir in the remaining peppermint extract. Remove the baking dish from the freezer and pour the white chocolate mixture over the solidified semi-sweet chocolate in the baking dish.
• Sprinkle with the crushed mints and place in the fridge.
• Break apart into pieces once the bark has set and store in the fridge.
  Store in the refrigerator.

Creme brulee is very much a special occasion dessert. It’s pretty to look at, otherworldly to eat, and it’s really not all that difficult to make. If you’re intimidated by the kitchen torch thing, just buy one because they’re a lot of fun, and then read this great post on how to caramelize sugar responsibly. Homemade custard impresses the heck out of people and so do fire skills.

Sweet, vanilla-y and slightly smoky, our Creme Brulee has long been one of our most popular coffee flavors, and the dessert itself pairs well with coffee. Our shipping manager Lori recently whipped up a batch so good, we had to share her recipe:

Ingredients (for about six ramekins, 7 to 8 ounces each)

1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, scraped (substitute 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)
3/4 cups sugar
6 tablespoons superfine sugar
6 extra large egg yolks
2 quarts hot water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the heavy cream, vanilla (the bean and the pulp or the extract if using) into a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean.

Whisk together the sugar and the egg yolks until well blended. Add the cream to the mixture slowly, stirring continually. Pour into ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large cake pan or roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake just until the creme brulee is just set, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Refrigerate the ramekins after cooling for at least 2 hours (and up to 3 days).

Before serving, allow the creme brulee to sit unrefrigerated for at least 30 minutes prior to browning. Sprinkle a tablespoon or so of superfine sugar evenly on each ramekin. Using a torch, melt the sugar and form a hard, caramelized top. Feel free to burn it a little if you like that, but work quickly to avoid overheating the custard. Let sit 5 minutes, then crack it and enjoy!

The season of gift giving and holiday parties has almost begun. This recipe is for you industrious DIYers and agoraphobics getting a jump start on gift-making in within the comforting confines of your home. Coffee liqueur is very easy to make and so worth the effort, you may never bother with the store bought stuff again. Make it with your favorite fresh roasted coffee (we like it with a mellow dark roast), and experiment with vodka or flavored vodka if rum is not your thing. We recommend making extra for yourself while you’re at it.

Ingredients

4 cups light rum

1 cup freshly ground dark roasted coffee (we used a standard autodrip grind)

2 whole vanilla beans

2 cups water

2 cups brown sugar

Directions

Bring the water and brown sugar to a boil and simmer, stirring, for three minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into an air tight container like a large mason jar and add the remaining ingredients. Store, sealed, in a cool dark place for 4 weeks, shaking every few days. If you like the flavor at that point, strain it, or let it mellow for another week or two. We used a coffee filter inside a mesh strainer to remove the grounds. The finished product will keep for much longer than it will take you to drink it.

This recipe is the best thing to happen to apple cider in a long time. Yes, it’s great with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, with or without whipped cream. But it’s also so, so good with our Lemon Ginger Green Tea (shot of bourbon optional). The tartness of the lemon balances the sweetness of the cider and the ginger adds just the right amount of heat.

Ingredients per serving

1 cup apple cider (we used the unspiced kind)

1 teaspoon Lemon Ginger Green Tea

1 1/2 ounces bourbon or whiskey

Directions

Heat the cider on the stove in a small pan until simmering. Remove from heat and stir in the bourbon or whiskey. Pour the mixture into a mug and steep the tea using an infuser or T-sac pouch for about a minute and a half. Strain and serve.

Variation

If straight cider is a little too sweet for you, a more traditional hot toddy might be more your thing. Steep the tea in a cup of hot water instead of cider, leaving a little room at the top of your mug. Once the tea is steeped, add the bourbon or whiskey, a shot of cider, and a tablespoon of honey (or sweeten to taste).

Hurricane Joaquin came and went through New Jersey last week without drama, but we braced ourselves for the worst with this spectacular cocktail. A classic tiki recipe traditionally made with Hawaiian Kona coffee, this drink is served flaming. Perfect for your next power outage! We made this with our Hawaiian Kona Blend, which we created to approximate the real thing at a fraction of Kona’s high price.

Ingredients per serving

3 teaspoons coconut cream
Orange peel
Lemon peel
2 whole cloves
¼ oz Grand Marnier
¾ oz 151 proof rum
Hot black Hawaiian Kona Blend coffee

Add the rum, Grand Marnier, cloves, and a twist each of orange and lemon peel to a heat proof container, preferably metal. Our first attempt with Pyrex was exciting, but now we’re down a measuring cup. Place the coconut cream in a mug, add hot coffee and stir.  If you’re not in the dark already, turn the lights out and hold a lit match or lighter over the alcohol mixture until it catches. Swirl the mixture for a few seconds to let the rum infuse with the citrus and cloves, then pour slowly into the coffee. Experiment with your pour to create a nice show!

Recipe adapted from tikiloungetalk.com.