Ingredients

• 3/4 oz Monin Blackberry syrup
• 1 1/2 oz vodka
• ice
• lemonade

Directions

Fill a tall glass with ice and then pour the syrup and vodka over it. Fill with lemonade, give it a stir and enjoy.

Watch Brandi combine all this rightness into a delicious smoothie and then treat herself to a smoothie + Espresso Chocolate Cake Truffle breakfast.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup powdered milk
• 1 oz Monin Dark Chocolate sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon Monin Vanilla syrup
• 2 cups coffee ice cubes (we used Velton’s Twlight Blend — claro!)

Directions

1. Coffee ice cubes: Brew a pot of your favorite coffee and pour into an ice cube tray, freeze until frozen solid.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend about 30 seconds, or until 4 peaks appear in the blender. Be careful not to over blend.

Ingredients

• Espresso chocolate cake
• Chocolate frosting
• 1 tablespoon finely ground espresso (I used Caffe Umbria’s Terra Sana Blend)
• Coating chocolate

Directions

• Bake espresso chocolate cake
• Let cake cool for 1 hour, then crumble it into small pieces
• In a separate bowl, combine chocolate frosting with espresso and mix well
• Combine crumbled espresso chocolate cake and espresso chocolate frosting, stirring together until well incorporated
• Using your hands, pick up cake and frosting mixture by the tablespoon and roll into balls
• Place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or the refrigerator for 1 hour
• When done chilling, melt the coating chocolate in a bowl
• Dip each ball into the chocolate, making sure it is fully coated before placing back on the cookie sheet

You just made cake truffles! While they are quite a bit of work, people thoroughly enjoy them. For example, I was told that this is the best recipe I’ve made so far for Seattle Coffee Gear. Success!

As an added bonus, it is super easy to take shortcuts on this recipe or scale it down. Only want 10 truffles? Then simply make 1/4 of the espresso chocolate cake recipe. Short on time? Buy some chocolate cupcakes at the store and just mix in the ground espresso with the frosting.

Also, don’t skip the freezer/refrigerator step. It’s what keeps them from falling apart as you dip them in the chocolate. Trust me on this one.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go make some awesome cake truffles!

Ingredients

• 1 oz Monin White Chocolate sauce
• 1/2 oz Monin Roasted Chestnut syrup
• 2 oz espresso
• 10 oz steamed milk

Directions

1. Combine sauce and syrup together in a large mug.
2. Add the espresso shots and stir well to mix.
3. Top with steamed milk.
4. Dip an Espresso Graham Cracker cookie in it and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon ground espresso (I used Velton’s Twilight Blend)
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• Cooking spray

Directions

• Mix butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy
• Mix in egg and vanilla
• Stir together ground espresso, flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl
• Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir until well combined
• Stir in the chocolate chips
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray
• Drop tablespoons of cookie mixture onto lined cookie sheet, giving each cookie plenty of room to spread out during baking
• Cook at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned
• Let cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack

You may have noticed a few things, like that these cookies don’t have marshmallows (an integral ingredient in s’mores) or that traditional s’mores don’t have espresso in them. All I can say is that 1) everything tastes better when you add espresso and 2) wait until you see Brandi’s beverage on Thursday!

The cookies are pretty delicious and you can’t really go wrong with them. Plus, they’ll hold you over until the weather is nice enough for camping!

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz Monin Almond syrup
• 1/2 oz Monin Coconut syrup
• 1 oz Monin White Chocolate sauce
• 14 oz steamed milk

Directions

Combine the syrups and sauces together, mix well. Top with steamed milk and stir to incorporate.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup espresso (I used Velton’s Twilight Blend)
• 2 tablespoons Nutella
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Chocolate Pasta (I used Pappardelle’s Dark Chocolate Linguine)

Directions

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine espresso and Nutella
• When Nutella has melted and is combined with the espresso, add in sugar and cook until dissolved
• Add in vanilla and butter, cooking until butter is melted and completely incorporated
• Cook pasta according to directions
• Place pasta on a plate and drizzle with sauce

I sprinkled powdered sugar on top, though I think some vanilla ice-cream and berries would put this dessert over the top!

I should point out that, while this is quite good, you need to have a certain adventurous spirit to enjoy it. After all, it’s not everyday one comes across dessert pasta!

What makes this drink nearly obscene is that it’s a breve, so when you’re steaming up six ounces of half-and-half and adding it to a bunch of sugary syrup and espresso, best not to have any reflective surfaces around. You’ll be able to live with yourself better.

Ingredients

• 1 oz Monin Coconut syrup
• 1/2 oz Monin Hazelnut syrup
• 1 1/2 oz espresso
• 6 oz steamed half-and-half

Directions

Combine the syrups together and pull your shot (we technically did a double ristretto). Add your steamed half and half and bust a serious move while sipping your breve.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup espresso (I used Caffe Umbria’s Terra Sana Blend)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups ice

Directions

• Place all ingredients in a blender
• Blend until smooth and frothy
• Fill popsicle molds and place in freezer
• Wait four or more hours to allow popsicles to fully freeze
• Dip the popsicle mold in hot water for a few seconds and remove

Trust me on that last step! On my first try, I removed the popsicle stick but, sadly, the popsicle remained in the mold. The hot water will help the popsicle contents pull away from the mold, allowing it to be easily removed.

The popsicles were pretty yummy and they looked nice, too. Not bad for a quick little recipe. As for eating it inside on a dreary day? Call me crazy but, being a Seattle gal, I think I actually prefer it this way!

It’s spring time, friends, and that means bunnies around the world are hard at work producing delicious chocolate candy eggs for your enjoyment. Brandi tried her hand at recreating the delicious flavor of these treats in this lovely latte — produced almost effortlessly on the Rancilio Egro.

Ingredients

• 1 oz Monin Candied Orange syrup
• 1 oz Monin White Chocolate sauce
• 2 oz espresso
• 10 oz steamed milk

Directions

Combine syrups in your serving cup and mix well together. Add espresso and stir to combine. Top with steamed milk and a drizzle of chocolate sauce!