1. Breathe deep. If you have a bagged coffee, smell the ground coffee before it’s brewed. The fragrance speaks volumes about the coffee’s origin and the care of its processing.
2. Brew. Breathe deep again. The aroma of brewed coffee also varies dramatically from origin to origin. Coffee can be: woodsy, earthy, citrusy, fruity, smoky, or nutty.
3. Take a sip. Is it bright? This pleasing tang on the tongue is acidity. (Remember: Acidity does not refer to the PH level of the coffee.)
4. Take another sip. Is the coffee earthy, nutty, fruity, toasty? There is huge diversity in the flavor of coffee from region to region, or even within a specific region. Try a few different blends or regions and see for yourself!
5. And another sip. How does the coffee feel? What is its weight or texture? Full-bodied coffees may be buttery or even syrupy. Light-bodied coffees are more tea-like.
6. Now you’re really starting to enjoy the coffee. How does each sip finish? The sensations that remain in the mouth when the coffee is gone are the finish, or aftertaste. Some coffees impart a sweet, lingering finish; others are more direct, even abrupt.

Before you know it, a full cup has elapsed, and you’ve been immersed in the wonderful wealth of sensoral information held within a single cup. Think about that coffee’s balance, how all of its individual flavors and taste sensations come together. Great coffees are balanced – great coffees have a whole composition that is greater than the sum of its parts.

So go ahead – savor your cup of coffee.  We’ll be right there with you.

—

While my family is not Italian, every year for Christmas Eve we have lasagna. I don’t really know when this tradition started, but it’s been going for as long as I can remember. Suddenly, it hit me: what could be more perfect than tiramisu for dessert after all that lasagna? Spicy Eggnog Tiramisu, of course.

Layers of creamy eggnog-spiced whipped cream cover ladyfingers dipped in rich Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Spicy Eggnog. The scent alone from this dessert is enough to make your guests request dessert first. Serve it in a festive red dish, and you have got the capstone to your holiday meal!

Tiramisu is not a hard dessert to make, but it does require care and methodical steps. I personally think it’s a perfect holiday dessert because you can make it up to a day in advance, and it doesn’t take up valuable real estate in the oven on the big day. You can simply pull it from the refrigerator, sprinkle it with cocoa powder, and impress your family with a fancy and fantastical dessert.

Happiest of holidays to each of you – may the new year bring you a Revelation in Every Cup™!

Spicy Eggnog Tiramisu

Serves 6-8
Ladyfingers are a traditional Italian cookie also known as Savoiardi. They are meant to be dunked or dipped, much like biscotti. They are also the traditional building blocks of Tiramisu. You can usually find ladyfingers at your local grocery store – I found mine at Trader Joe’s. You can also buy them at Amazon.com, which I have linked to below.

Ingredients
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/8 cup of granulated sugar, divided
4 oz mascarpone cheese (roughly half the container)
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons eggnog
8 oz Fair Trade Green Mountain Coffee Spicy Eggnog, room temperature
2 tablespoons marsala wine (Kahlua may be substituted)
20 ladyfinger cookies
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
cacao nibs for garnish (optional)

Directions
This is a recipe where a hand mixer, rather than a stand mixer, is an asset. I highly recommend starting out with 3 medium bowls on your countertop, and your hand mixer at the ready. You will need to wash the hand mixer beaters after each step. You should also have your 9″ x 7″ serving dish ready to go.

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar and egg yolks, beating on medium speed until thick and pale, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in mascarpone until combined – do not overmix. Set aside.

Wash, rinse, and dry mixer beaters. Add egg whites to a second medium bowl, along with a pinch of salt. Beat until the eggs just hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/8 cup of sugar a little at a time until it is fully incorporated, then continue to beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.

In a third medium bowl, beat cream and eggnog with cleaned beaters. Beat until the mixture holds soft peaks.

Fold cream into the mascarpone mixture gently and thoroughly, then fold in the whites and make sure they are gently, but fully incorporated as well.

In a shallow bowl (I used a pie plate), mix cooled coffee and marsala wine (or Kahlua). Dip one ladyfinger at a time into the coffee mixture, for about 3 seconds – then flip over onto its other side and do the same. Transfer the ladyfinger directly to the serving dish. Layer 10 ladyfingers on the bottom of the serving dish. You should have approximately 6 from top to bottom of the dish, and 4 along the side to fill in the empty space.

Spread half the creamy mascarpone mixture on top of the ladyfingers, making sure to level the cream out evenly. Repeat a second layer of coffee-dipped ladyfingers, then cover the second layer with the rest of the mascarpone mixture, making sure the topping is smooth and even.

Chill covered lightly with plastic wrap for at least 6 hours, but no more than 24.

Just before serving, sprinkle with cocoa powder and cacao nibs (if you choose to). You may substitute semi-sweet chocolate chips for the cacoa nibs if you like.

Serve to friends and family on fancy china, surrounded by sparkling Christmas lights, Christmas carols, and love.

–

This is the recipe I’ve been waiting all year to write. Recently, a promotional email from Green Mountain Coffee^® went out. The subject line? “Pumpkin Spice is Here!”. The text of the message? “Some people wait all year for this.”

Yeah. I fully admit it. I’m pretty sure I inspired that marketing genius. Because I do. I wait all year. Or, actually, I try not to wait all year. I try to buy as many Pumpkin Spice K-Cup^® portion packs as I can get my grubby little hands on, and then I hoard them, rationing myself to 2 (okay, 3) cups a day, praying that they’ll last through to August.

It never works out. I just can’t get enough of the Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice coffee.

Two years ago, my husband added fuel to the fire, buying me a Keurig Milk Frother for our anniversary. In November.

Autumn + Pumpkin Spice + Milk Frother = one jittery recipe writer full of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, my friends. I don’t regret a single cup.

I knew we had to go sweet for this recipe. Our last recipe was savory, Island Coconut Chicken Curry, if you remember. But there’s really only one direction you want to go when it comes to pumpkin and spice and everything nice – and that’s straight down Sugar Lane.

The first recipe I ever had featured on Green Mountain Café was a chocolate mayonnaise cake. A recipe near and dear to my heart because it was my grandfather’s. It relies heavily on strong coffee for its signature flavor, and so I wondered, how would a Spice Cake with a coffee and mayonnaise base be?

If the email I received from my husband’s coworker this morning is anything to go by, not only does this cake work, the combination of the coffee-base and Pumpkin Spice coffee infused buttercream are, and I quote, “like manna from the Gods”. (He often foists the extras of my creations off on his co-workers – it’s actually made him quite popular!)

I hope that you enjoy Pumpkin Spice coffee, and Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, as much as I have. They both embody everything I have come to love about the Fall: cozy comfort, inviting warmth, and enticing aromas.

Happy Autumn, everyone!

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cupcakes

makes 16-18

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon All Spice

1 cup Mayonnaise – no substitutes!
1 cup (8 oz) Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice Coffee, cooled
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and all spice. Stir completely with a wire whisk – this will allow the ingredients to distribute evenly and also aerate.

In a smaller bowl, combine mayonnaise, coffee, and vanilla extract. Whisk as well, until ingredients are well mixed.

Stir wet ingredients into dry, mixing completely to make batter.

Line 12 count muffin tins with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray. Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop batter into each muffin well. You should end up with exactly 18 cupcakes if you use the 1/4 cup measure.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake removes cleanly. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened to room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cold Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Pumpkin Spice Coffee
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions
In a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, cream butter until it is light and fluffy – 4-10 minutes at least. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add coffee one tablespoon at a time, mixing again after each addition, and then vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.

My kitchen was very warm, so my icing seemed a bit too soft at this point. I refrigerated it to stiffen it up, and then re-mixed it when I was ready to frost my cupcakes. If after refrigeration the frosting seems too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of half and half and mix well again with your mixer. Alternate between tablespoons of half and half and Pumpkin Spice Coffee until frosting reaches your desired consistency.

Cupcakes and frosting will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.