How to eat Coffee!
Coffee Energy Bites
Intro by Ralph Kratzer
The Internet is also called World Wide Web which is not by chance! Through an article about Turkish coffee which I recently published in the online version of the newspaper Cyprus Observer (click here to read it!), I came in contact with another coffee-lover, Brittany, who obviously lives in the United States of America, and runs her own website called “BlissfulBritt”. There I found an interesting recipe about Coffee Energy Bites, which Brittany allowed me to share with our readers. Here we go!
By Brittany
There is something magical about a morning cup of coffee. Not just any cup, a morning cup. The cup that allows for relaxation with the paper, the internet, a book, or with a friend. The cup that allows last nights dinner to be safely excreted from your body. The cup that gives that morning pick me up after a long night of work, school, or gypsy wrangling.
While I love coffee in it’s more common form of a liquid, the beans and grounds are becoming a quick favorite of mine when it comes to baking. I made my basura cookies last week, and they didn’t stand a chance lasting more than 2 days. The coffee grounds in these cookies really stole the show. Here’s another favorite with the addition of some coffee grounds. Energy bites SHOULD have coffee grounds in them, don’t you think?
Coffee Ground No Bake Energy Bites
Ingredients:
1 cup dry whole grain oatmeal
1/2 cup ground flaxseed*
2 tblsp fresh ground UN-brewed coffee beans **
1/2 cup creamy almond butter ***
1/4 cup of honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Notes: I asked Brittany, what to use if flaxseed is not available. Her answer is:
*Do you have access to wheat germ? That would be a perfect substitute for the flax. If not, sesame could do, but I have no idea how that would taste! You can experiment and let me know! 🙂 You could always use “nut meats” from cashews or almonds as well.
**When I say coffee grounds I mean take fresh beans, grind them, and use those grounds in the recipe. DO NOT brew them, and make sure your coffee is FRESH, old coffee will result in minimal coffee flavor.
***Peanut butter also works in place of the almond butter, however both MUST be creamy, and preferably store bought jars. While I love my self ground nut butters, they are much too dry for this recipe.
Method:
Stir your oatmeal, flaxseed, and coffee granules together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed, then add your almond butter, honey, and vanilla. Once well combined fold in your chocolate chips and cranberries. Stir well! Let chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like, I usually make 10-12 balls. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week…if they last that long!
These are some of the best balls I’ve made yet. The addition of fruit, chocolate and coffee made for a flavor explosion. They won’t last a week.
These pair perfectly with..guess what..a cup of coffee!
Source: BlissfulBritt
