Although I am a passionate tea person, you bring a jar of chocolate covered coffee beans and I will lose my mind. They are so flavorful and delicious that it’s hard to stop eating them. How to make chocolate covered coffee beans at home?
I once made the mistake of having too many of them around 9 pm at night. You can guess what it did to my non-coffee-drinking body. I was awake till 5 am and wondered why I can’t fall asleep!
These beans are like small capsules of energy that you can carry around as your mid-day snack.
There are so many different brands that make various versions of these chocolate-espresso beans. Even starbucks has some! But guess what, they are pretty pricey to buy. And it’s so easy to make that I see no point of not doing it by myself.
As a serial procrastinator, everything in life seems like too much work. So when I say, this recipe is easy, trust me. It only takes 10 minutes to make homemade chocolate covered coffee beans!
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How to Make Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans at Home : Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans Recipe
Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
As a serial procrastinator, everything in life seems like too much work. So when I say, this recipe is easy, trust me. It only takes 10 minutes to make homemade chocolate covered coffee beans!
- Measuring cup
- Fork
- 100 grams chocolate bar (or 1 bag of chocolate chips)
- ⅓ cup coffee beans
- Cocoa powder (optional)
- Coconut flakes (optional)
- Icing sugar (optional)
- Melted white chocolate
- Parchment paper
Put a saucepan on the burner and boil some water. Then reduce the heat to simmer.
Break your chocolate bar into small pieces and add it into a heat-proof bowl. You can also use chocolate chips to make the melting process faster.
Put the bowl on the saucepan so the heat starts to melt the chocolates. Stir it continuously to have a smooth, buttery consistency.
When all the chocolate melts properly, remove it from the what and set aside.
Bring out your cocoa beans and add them into the melted chocolates. Mix them thoroughly so each bean gets a generous coating of rich, creamy chocolate.
Lay down some parchment paper on a baking tray. Then use a fork to carefully take out each one of the evans.
Put the beans on the parchment paper. Do not put them too close to each other. Otherwise they will all stick together.
Transfer the trey immediately to your freezer and allow them to completely cool down and set. This might take 1 hour to 3 depending on the climate you live in. for colder climates, it might only take half an hour,
When you bring them out of the freezer, apply a light coating of cocoa powder or melted chocolate. You can add whatever coating you want to this. So go creative!
And there you go! Your DIY chocolate covered cocoa beans are ready for consumption!
- You can use a microwave to melt your chocolate. But for that, bring out the pot after every 30 seconds and give a stirr. Then put it back in the microwave. Continue this until everything is properly melted.
- Do a double dipping to get a thicker layer of chocolate. For that, freeze for 20 minutes then dip the beans into the chocolate again.
- Add crushed coconut flakes on top of the beans before putting them in the freezer. This will add a tropical flavor to the recipe.
- You can use different types of nuts following the same process to have a jar full of delicious chocolate treats!
- Put them in a glass jar and tie a ribbon around it. And now you have the perfect gift to give to your loved ones!
Milk Chocolate vs. Dark Chocolate
This is an endless debate that seems to have no right answer. Most chocolate covered coffee beans use dark chocolate as they have a higher caffeine content than milk chocolate. Dark chocolate coffee beans add a certain richness to the roasted coffee beans that feels very addictive.
On the other hand, the sweetness and creaminess of milk chocolate is a great companion for bitter coffee beans. These two together create a balanced favour in your mouth. So at the end of the day, it’s a preference thing.
Finding The Right Espresso Beans
You might think all coffee beans should work for this but no! The market is saturated with low-quality beans that taste horrible. You need to look for ‘dark roasted beans’ instead of “espresso beans”.
This is the part where spending some extra bucks is more than necessary. Chocolate coated coffee beans are not a regular food item, they are a luxury and a delicacy. So if you plan to make them at home, you have to choose the best ingredients available.
Dark roasted beans have a great crunch to them. They are also much easier to chew. So your jaw won’t get tired after eating a few of them. You can basically binge-eat a whole jar in one setting.
Now let’s talk about the type of coffee beans available. Some of the most popular types are: Arabica, Robusta, ibera and Excelsa. The one we would be discussing today are the first two.
Arabica beans are the most common types to find around the world. If you go to any local coffee shop and order a coffee, chances are they will prove you an espresso made with arabica beans.
They are very rich in quality and taste delicious. The bitterness is not too intense making them perfect for chocolate-covered snaking.
Robusta beans are 40% of the world’s whole coffee consumption. They are mostly found in instant coffee, espresso and filler in grounded coffee blends. Their other name is coffea canephora.
They taste much bitter and earthy compared to Arabica beans. This is due to their high caffeine level. So might not be the best choice for making chocolate-covered coffee beans snack.
Liberica beans are mostly found in Liberica hence the name. They are quite large compared to average coffee beans. This can be a downside if you are looking for smaller bite size options.
Liberica beans are also quite rare to find in local markets. But if you can get a hold of them, surely try as they have a very rich flavor profile.
Excelsa beans are a fairly new option as they were only discovered a century ago. They are unfortunately not that common either. However, they have a similar taste to Arabica beans.
Are Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans Caffeinated?
They are individual pieces of coffee beans, of course they have caffeine in them. Whether that number is significant or not is a whole other story.
If you are planning to eat this snack as an alternative to regular coffee, you won’t get the same amount of caffeine in your system unless you consume a considerable amount, of course. Now the next question you might have is, how much caffeine is in chocolate covered coffee beans?
An average chocolate covered coffee bean has around 3mg of caffeine in it. So for 20 pieces, you only consume 60-70mg of caffeine.
Compare this to a cup of coffee. A standard cup of coffee contains around 200mg of caffeine! The difference needs no explanation.
So if you are trying to limit your caffeine intake, there probably isn’t a better way than this.
Are Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans Bad for Health?
Quite the opposite actually. Chocolate covered coffee beans are one of the healthiest chocolate-based snacks as it contains little to no sugar. Apart from this, there are other health benefits as well:
Antioxidants:
These small bite size snacks are jammed with antioxidants. Both coffee and dark chocolate contain a type of antioxidant called flavanols. This antioxidant is known for its ability to fortify the cells and fidgeting vascular diseases.
So if you are a heart patient or have type 2 Diabetes, this is a very healthy, nutritious thing for you to try. Some studies believe that dark chocolate can help reduce blood pressure level.
If you suffer from heavy menstrual cramps every month, this snack can really help to decrease the lower body pain.
65% dark chocolate is known for their ability to reduce the risk of high cholesterol. So whoever says chocolate makes you fat, knows nothing. Chocolate does not increase your weight, sugar does.
Energy Boosters:
As we have mentioned these chocolate coated coffee beans contain little doses of caffeine, they are going to boost your energy level. Maybe not as much as a cup of coffee, but good enough to keep you energized throughout the day.
Munching on coffee beans is much healthier than drinking cups after cups of coffee all day. Plus your breath doesn’t stink of old coffee anymore! Win-win for me!
Healthy Midday Snack:
If you’re anything like me, you need something to chew or bite right after having a big lunch. I don’t know what it is, but I immediately crave something around 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
That time is not practical enough for a high-calorie snack. So having something like this in a jar right at the desk is super convenient.
If you’re on a diet and trying to limit your calorie intake, trying this snack is a great way to keep your mouth busy while not consuming too much. And of course, it does not feel like a diet at all as these beans are rich and delicious. Starbucks chocolate covered espresso beans is an easy option if you don’t want to make it at home.
What Happens If You Eat Too Many Chocolate-Covered Coffee Beans?
Although dark chocolate coffee beans have a very small amount of caffeine in them, binge eating an entire bag of them will add up. Eating coffee beans has a faster effect on our blood caffeine level than drinking them. Studies show that you will feel the effect of caffeine faster if you consume them through chewing.
Now that this is clear, let’s talk about what would happen if you eat too much chocolate-covered espresso beans. Firstly, you will get a spike of caffeine in your bloodstream which can result in restlessness, dehydration, sleep deprivation and headache.
For pregnant women, they can experience high anxiety and nausea. Although none of these symptoms are long lasting, they surely do not feel good. The caffeine will go out of your system within 8 hours but during that time, you might feel bloated, heartburn and even diarrhea.
So consume edible coffee beans in moderation and treat this snack as the delicacy that it is!
Verdict
There you have it. The internet is filled with many different recipes and they can feel too confusing.
We tried to provide you the easiest way to make this delicious treat. We just love the idea of consuming coffee and chocolate in a healthy, tasty manner.
So what are you waiting for? Go and make some right now. They only take 5 minutes of preparation anyway!
Happy Caffeinating!
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