Cosmic Ristretto Chocolate Bites

August 16, 2016

Photo by Kyle Valenzuela

Nostalgia and Acid

You can taste the acid in Green Flash’s Cosmic Ristretto. The Baltic porter reminds me of coffee. I thrive for that acidic flavor, even at the sake of having some intense acid re flux. Bad behaviors aside, it got me wanting to make more coffee flavored dishes. Stone Mocha IPA cupcakes is just one of many recipes featuring flavors from your local cafe. I have ounces upon ounces of instant coffee to use and I don’t intend to use the concoction for drinking purposes. Perhaps I am too hard on instant coffees…

Besides the acidity, thoughts that come to mind when tasting the Cosmic Ristretto are bold and rich. The kind of rich you find in a liquor-infused ganache, specifically rum for nostalgic reasons. As a child, my sweet-tooth was not refined. It didn’t understand subtly all too well. But that sweet tooth still exists. Using darker chocolate, a beer high in acidity, and a little freshly brewed coffee, I can create a chocolate infused with bold flavors and the right amount of sweet.

Take that childhood.

Outcome

Delicious and dark in flavor, these chocolate bites balances rich flavors with the sweet. However, I would suggest using confectionary sugar as granulated sugar was a bit on the crunchy side.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1½ cups of dark chocolate chunks
• 1⅓ teaspoons of instant mocha espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons of fresh brewed coffee
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar. Use an electric mixer to blend the ingredients together. Add the vanilla extract and continue creaming.
2. Pour the butter cream in a nine inch square pan. Evenly distribute across the pan and set aside.
3. In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a simmer. Add chocolate chunks, espresso powder, coffee, and a pinch of graham crack in another medium bowl. Place bowl over sauce pan and double boil chocolates, mixing vigorously. Be careful not to burn your chocolate.
4. Pour melted chocolates over your buttercream mixture, evenly spreading across the pan. Place in the fridge for at least one hour.

Originally published at bakingbrew.com.