Chocolate Covered BCJ Coffee Beans and White Chocolate Bark Recipes
This is the weekend for celebrating with your better half or treating yourself! With these killer concoctions, it simply depends on how sharing… or selfish you want to be! Here at BCJ, we say either way – treat yo’self! Why for those last minute dinner reservations, when these recipes are great for spending a little quality time in the kitchen that we guarantee will pay off in the …. erm… dining room. If you’re not into the whole cupid thing this weekend, they make a great accompaniment to a stiff drink and that carton of ice cream that you deserve!
I’m talking about chocolate covered Blue Collar Joe Coffee Beans and white chocolate bark. Either can be made with chocolate chips you have in your pantry (though please read our notes
on bloomed chocolate before diving in). There’s even a bonus recipe for coffee infused milk that can be a great addition to milk shakes, cocktails or your Saturday morning hot chocolate.
Sooooo… this versatile recipe collection has something for every level of tasty this weekend. Be it a trail of rose petals, candles and soft music, or “I just can’t even” and Big Bang Theory re-runs…
Whip up a decadent perky surprise and win the weekend in one fell swoop with some quick, easy and tasty chocolate covered Blue Collar Joe Coffee Beans and white chocolate bark.
Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
Recipe by Tara Miller
Yield: ⅓-½ cup of chocolate covered coffee beans (fits well into a jelly sized mason jar in case there are any left)
Time: 10 mins active time (plus 1 hour for chocolate to set)
Ingredients:
½ cup of chocolate chips*
¼ cup Blue Collar Joe Whole Coffee Beans (We love the Brazilian Roast )
1-4 tablespoons of either Coffee, Milk or Coffee Infused Milk**
*Be sure to use high quality chocolate that has not bloomed (all uniform color, no lighter, dull patches that
look dusty). Bloomed chocolate cannot be brought back into temper and will return to its dusty
appearance in a few hours. You can use dark and milk chocolate for this.
Tools:
Medium sized, microwave safe bowl
Small rubber spatula
Fork
Parchment lined or wax paper lined baking sheet
Instructions:
1) Pour chocolate chips in the bowl and microwave for 30 sec. Remove and stir chips with the
spatula. Repeat microwaving and stirring until chips begin to melt then reduce cooking time to 10
sec then stir and repeating until all chips are melted with a uniform appearance.
AT THE SAME TIME as the chips begin to melt they may appear too thick or lumpy, gradually
pour in your liquid about a ¼-½ tsp at a time until the melted chocolate is very smooth and when
you lift the spatula the chocolate falls off in ribbons like on those delicious candy bar commercials
when the chocolate pours over some other confection and your mouth waters.
2) Pour the coffee beans into the melted chocolate mixture and stir them in until fully covered.
3) Place your lined baking sheet next to you and using your fork, fish out one or several coffee
beans at a time and place them on the lined baking sheet. Clumps of beans are great and make
for a tasty mouthful, like a coffee bean truffle. Repeat until all coffee beans are deposited onto the
lined baking sheet and set aside to set. DO NOT place the coffee beans in the refrigerator as this
will cause the chocolate to dull.
4) Once the coffee beans are set, you will be able to pull them off the lined baking sheet easily and
put them in a container for gifting or storage. I personally love them in a small mason jar or
acetate bag tied with ribbon.
** Coffee Infused Milk- Prepare 24 hours ahead of time
½ cup of milk (any milk)
⅛-¼ cup of coffee beans (whole will need a fill 24 hours, ground can be ready in 8)
Pour coffee into milk and place, covered, in the fridge for 8-24 hours to allow coffee flavor to steep into
the milk. Pour coffee infused milk through a mesh strainer to separate spent coffee. Place in covered
container and use within 7-10 days (milk will expire when milk usually expires).
White Chocolate Bark
Recipe by Tara Miller
The oils in the coffee beans prevent the even coverage required for a good covered coffee beans so to
obtain a good coffee bean to chocolate ratio a bark seemed a great option.
Yield: 1 ½- 2 cups of bark
Time: 10 mins active time (plus 1 hour + for chocolate to set)
Ingredients:
1 cup of white chocolate baking chips
¼-½ cup of Blue Collar Joe Coffee Whole Beans
1-4 tablespoons of either Coffee, Milk or Coffee Infused Milk**
Tools:
Medium sized, microwave safe bowl
Small rubber spatula
Fork
Parchment lined or wax paper lined baking sheet
Instructions:
1) Pour chips into bowl and microwave for 10-15 secs. Remove and stir. Be very careful at this step
as white chocolate can burn quicker than regular chocolate. Cook at short temps, stirring
thoroughly. Repeat heating and stirring until chocolate is smooth and completely melted.
AT THE SAME TIME AT THE SAME TIME as the chips begin to melt they may appear too thick
or lumpy, gradually pour in your liquid about a ¼-½ tsp at a time until the melted chocolate is very
smooth and when you lift the spatula the chocolate falls off in ribbons.
2) Pour coffee beans into coffee and stir to incorporate. Beans will not be fully covered though you
can try if you want, I’m just sayin’…
3) Pour white chocolate/coffee bean mixture onto lined baking sheet and spread out your
deliciousness until it is about ¼” thick. Put aside to set. The bark will take longer to set than the
regular chocolate because it is in a large piece and white chocolate doesn’t set to the same
hardness as regular chocolate. Once it is set, break it apart into good sized pieces and store in a
sealed container like pyrex or gift in a clear acetate bag or festive tin with a tight lid.