I love coffee in any form... especially when chocolate is in the mix. Want to make the best chocolate covered coffee beans at home? Here, I share the BEST recipe!
The ultimate midday snack or even cheat day addition: Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans.
The perfect mix of bitter and sweet is hard to come by in stores: perfect parts chocolate with equally rich and bitter espresso beans can be too difficult a task for most companies.
More times than not, I pick up a pack of chocolate covered coffee beans to be left disappointed and completely unsatisfied: the chocolate is way too sweet, overpowering the coffee taste, or the espresso beans are way too crunchy for my liking, and make me worried about losing a filling.
Sick of trying to find the perfect balance, I decided to create my own simple and inexpensive recipe that makes amazing Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans every single time.
What Are The Best Coffee Beans for Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans?
I've found that using medium to dark espresso beans creates the best tasting chocolate covered coffee beans. This is because of the pairing of chocolate notes that bring out the natural sweetness and richness in the coffee beans.
If you’re not a huge fan of dark coffee, go for a lighter bean. You’ll still get an equally sweet and bitter snack, it just won’t be as strong as using darker roasted beans.
What Do I Need To Make Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans?
There are only a couple of things that you need to make chocolate covered coffee at home: Your favorite whole espresso beans and some really, really good chocolate!
What You'll Need To Make The Best Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans:
- 1 Cup of Coffee Beans: Again, choosing the type of coffee bean depends on your preference. I like to go for a medium roast, but some people I know like the mix to be extra heavy on the coffee flavor – tailor the type of bean to the way you usually drink your coffee!
Click here for my favorite whole coffee beans that you can buy on Amazon!
2. 5 Ounces of Chocolate: What’s so great about making your own chocolate covered coffee beans is how easy it is to tailor the taste to your preference. On days where I want more of a bitter taste than sweeter, candy styled chocolate covered coffee beans, I use dark chocolate. If you’re not a fan of bitter tasting coffee, go for a lighter milk chocolate.
3. Other Options: You can add different toppings to your chocolate covered beans like coco powder, shredded coconut, sea salt, or even chili power for some kick. There's really no limit, so do you: go crazy, friends.
Watch this video to learn more about chocolate and coffee pairings and why they work so well together:
Did you know coffee goes great with cheese, too?
Click here to see how amazing coffee can be with these coffee and cheese pairings!
Home Recipe For Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
Now that you have the right ingredients, you can start to assemble these little nuggets of coffee goodness.
Get ready for the best chocolate covered coffee beans of your life!
How To Make Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans (Step-by-Step Recipe):
- Roast the Beans: I know that the beans are already roasted, but if you roast them for about 5 to 8 minutes, you’ll get beans that aren't difficult to chew later. Crunchy espresso beans are delicious, but I prefer when they don't break my teeth.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the beans evenly on a sheet pan and put them in the oven for about 5 to 8 minutes. Once they’re done, make sure they cool fully before moving on.
- Melt the chocolate: Place 4 to 5 ounces of either milk or dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil, then heat the chocolate for about 30 seconds. Mix the chocolate. If not fully melted, place the chocolate back in the microwave for about 15 more seconds. You can also do this over the stove, in a heat resistant bowl over a pot with water in it.
**If using this method, you'll have to also stir your chocolate continuously, and heat slowly over a low flame so you don't burn your chocolate!
- Combine the two: Work quickly! Add the coffee beans to the melted chocolate and mix until the beans are evenly covered, then scoop out the beans and lay them out individually on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper. Option: you can repeat the process if you want another layer of chocolate – I’m not judging… do you.
- Let the mix dry: Once the chocolate is dried completely, store in an airtight container at room temperature, in a cool, dry place (or enjoy them all in one sitting. It's hard not to).
Pro Tip!: You can add a delicious flavoring to your beans by adding a little creme de menthe to your chocolate, or, dusting your recently covered beans (while they're drying) with a light cinnamon sugar. SO GOOD!
Making your own Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans is super easy and will save you the disappointment of sub-par coffee beans!
Add your own twist to the mix by adding personalized toppings or keep it simple with sweet chocolate: the possibilities are endless!