Hot Coffee Recipes
Ah, the warmth, richness and soaring aroma of freshly brewed coffee. There's nothing like it. Steaming mugs on weekday mornings to slap us awake and leisurely cups on the weekends to celebrate the day. This versatile beverage offers limitless variations and we've listed a few of them that you can make at home.
Mexican Coffee
Indulge in this flavorful drink from our neighbors to the south that pairs robust coffee with chocolate, spice, citrus and vanilla. It's magic in a cup.
Ingredients
1 ounce coarsely ground coffee
2 cups water
2 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup milk
1-2 ounces dark brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream
Method
Using your preferred method, brew the coffee and water. Refer to our Brew Guides page for instructions, if needed. Meanwhile, place the cinnamon stick, orange peel, milk and chocolate in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring frequently, about 10-15 minutes for the sugar and chocolate to melt.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the brewed coffee and vanilla. Remove the cinnamon and orange peel and pour the coffee into cups. Top with cream if you'd like.
Coffee 'N Cream
This coffee treat is very similar to the Affogato (Italian for "drowned"), an Italian dessert whereby a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream is "drowned" with a shot of hot espresso. This recipe is easy to prepare, so have fun with it!
Ingredients
1 large scoop vanilla ice cream
1/3 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate syrup as a topping
Method
Place the large scoop of ice cream into a coffee mug or bowl. Pour hot coffee over the ice cream, then top with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.
Hot Mocha Float
Here's a recipe that you might want to add to your repertoire of fun, indulgent coffee-based recipes. Coffee, cocoa, chocolate ice cream and more are blended together for a creamy indulgence.
Ingredients
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 cups strong coffee, hot
1 cup chocolate ice cream
Method
Whisk together cocoa and sugar in a large saucepan. Add milk and place on stove over medium heat, continuing to whisk until blended. Remove from the heat and stir in the hot coffee. Pour into mugs.
Cinnamon Cappuccino
Even without an espresso machine at home and a means to froth milk for your cappuccino, don't give up. Where there's a will, there's always a way. We've got your back.
Ingredients
Cinnamon-flavored simple syrup (recipe below)
2 ounces of double-strength brewed coffee
12 ounces milk
24-ounce glass jar with a screw-on-lid
Method
Brew coffee using your favorite method. While the coffee is brewing, pour 12 ounces of milk into the glass jar. Screw on the lid.
Shake the jar as hard as you can until the milk is frothy and has roughly doubled in volume, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove the lid from the jar and microwave the jar uncovered for 30 seconds on high. The foam will rise to the top of the milk (and nearly double in volume) while the heat from the microwave will help to stabilize it.
Divide the hot coffee into two mugs and sweeten each of them with a splash of the cinnamon syrup. Then pour the warm milk into the mugs and spoon the milk foam on top. Sprinkle the foam with ground cinnamon.
Yield: Two 8-ounces drinks
Cinnamon-Flavored Simple Syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
One small cinnamon stick
Heat the mixture in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves into the water. Remove the pan from the heat and place the cinnamon stick into the syrup. Allow the cinnamon to steep as the syrup cools. Remove the stick when the cinnamon flavor is to your liking. Simple syrup can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
Mexican Spiced Coffee
You may want to play around with the strength of the coffee and /or the chili powder in this drink, yet it's well worth the effort to dial in your perfect recipe.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (depending on personal taste)
3/4 - 1 cup hot coffee
1/4 cup milk
Whipped cream, for serving
Method
Stir together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and chili powder in the bottom of a coffee mug. Pour in hot coffee and stir until dissolved. Add milk. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon, if you'd like.
Vietnamese Egg Coffee
Yes, Egg Coffee. Actually the drink uses only the egg yolk which is whipped together with sweetened condensed milk for a rich top layer. Yield: one cup of coffee.
Ingredients
8 ounces of black coffee, brewed strong
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 egg yolk
Method
Combine the condensed milk, egg yolk, and one tablespoon of the coffee in a small bowl and whisk. You are looking for a pale color and a foamy texture that falls into thick ribbons off the whisk. This will take time and a quite a bit of effort.
If you double or triple the recipe, instead, you can do this far more easily in a stand mixer. For one cup, however, there's not sufficient volume for the whisk attachment to aerate the mixture.
Fill a glass mug 1/3 to a 1/2 way full with the remainder of the coffee and top with the egg foam.
Instant Coffee au Lait
All you'll need to whip up this frothy, sweetened cafe au lait-style coffee is a mug, a spoon and a microwave. It's the perfect coffee when you're looking for a quick caffeine fix.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon coffee sugar mix (see recipe below)
1/2 cup lukewarm whole milk
1/2 cup cold whole milk
Cocoa powder and ground cinnamon (optional)
Method
Put a generous tablespoon of the coffee-sugar mix into a microwave-safe cup or small bowl. Pour in about 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk. Microwave on high for 20-25 seconds.
Remove the mixture and stir gently yet thoroughly with a spoon to dissolve any lumps. This is important. You need to achieve a smooth coffee-milk mixture before adding more milk. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of cold milk and stir gently to combine. Note: Mixing in the milk too rigorously will reduce the froth in the final cup.
Microwave the mixture again for 30-40 seconds or until the froth rises. Your coffee is ready. Top with ground cinnamon or cocoa powder if you like.
Coffee-Sugar Mix Recipe (makes about 1/4 cup of paste)
2 tablespoons instant coffee or instant espresso
2-3 tablespoons granulated white sugar (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon cold milk, plus a little more if needed
Pour the instant coffee and sugar into a tall mug or small bowl. Using a metal spoon, combine the mixture and add just enough milk to moisten the mix (about 1 tablespoon.). In case you need more, add the milk slowly a little bit at a time. The purpose of the milk is to create a moist paste to work with.
The mix will be dark brown at first. Using the spoon, beat the mix rigorously as it gradually turns pasty. Continue beating until it becomes pale brown and the sugar has dissolved. The mix will be thick and should flow like a ribbon. You'll know that the mix is ready to use when no drip falls from the cup or bowl after it's inverted (about 4 minutes). Cover and store the leftover mix in the fridge for your next cup.
Cafe au Lait
Cafe au Lait (coffee with milk) is a breeze to make at home. Essentially, the drink consists of equal parts coffee and steamed milk that may or may not be topped with foam. Similar to a Cafe Latte as both combine coffee and milk, the cafe au lait has French roots, whereas the latte is recognized as Italian.
Ingredients
2 cups steamed milk
2 cups brewed coffee
Method
Brew coffee using your preferred method. Meanwhile, heat 2 cups of milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking until the milk is steaming and slightly foamy.
Divide 2 cups of coffee between two large coffee cups or cafe au lait bowls, then pour equal amounts of the milk into each of the cups and stir. Top each coffee with a spoonful of foam, if you like.
Cafe Breve
The Breve is a thick and creamy cappuccino made with half and half rather than milk. The half and half creates a thick foam whose structure holds up well to espresso. This modern American iteration produces a sweeter than normal cup, so keep that in mind as you prepare this coffee at home.
4 ounces double-strength coffee
4 ounces half and half
An 8-ounce glass jar with lid
Method
Brew the coffee via your preferred method with twice the amount of grounds that you typically use so that the brew is double strength.
While the coffee is brewing, pour 4 ounces of half and half into the glass jar. Screw on the lid. Shake the jar as hard as you can until the half and half is frothy and has roughly doubled in volume, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove the lid from the jar and microwave the jar uncovered for 30 seconds on high. The foam will rise to the top of the half and half (and nearly double in volume) while the heat from the microwave will help to stabilize it.
Into an 8-ounce mug, pour the steamed milk while holding back the foam. Spoon half of the foam on top. Slowly pour the coffee into the mug and then top with the remaining foam. Dust with cocoa powder if you wish.