Five Snacks to Pair With Coffee
There's nothing like that feeling when your first sip of coffee hits your soul. Pair that with a complementary snack, and you've got yourself a recipe for a fantastic day.
The usual donut won’t do, however. Treat yourself to these quick, café-ready vegan options to spice up your morning joe. Remember, a bit of edible flowers, or a dash of cinnamon enhances the nutritional value of your next break.
Cinnamon Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.
For a bite that's healthy as well as delicious, you can't go wrong with cinnamon roasted pumpkin seeds. The spice is known to support digestion (it’s even categorized as an antidiabetic); and the snack is easy to make, tastes fantastic, and goes well many of the best coffee flavor syrups listed on Coffee or Bust.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 cups pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, mix the coconut oil, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Add the pumpkin seeds and mix until coated. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture out evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Lavender Lemon Scones.
For something a little fancy, whip up a batch of scones and impress your next [virtual] coffee date. These delectable delights are comforting yet energizing — like spring — and pair surprisingly well with a light roast, sustainable, fair-trade coffee ;)
Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup chilled coconut oil
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp lavender flowers
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375°F. In a bowl, mix the sugar and 2 tbsp lemon zest, mashing them together to enhance the flavor. In a separate bowl, combine the almond milk and lemon juice to create a buttermilk substitute.
In a third bowl, mix the almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flowers, and sugar mixture together. Mash in the chilled coconut oil until pea-sized mealing starts to form. Slowly pour in the buttermilk substitute until a dough forms. Knead the dough, then roll it out into a thick rectangle. Cut the dough on angles, place on the pan, and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Chocolate Croissants.
It should come as no surprise that chocolate and coffee taste amazing together. A fluffy, flaky chocolate croissant looks challenging to make, but there’s some sweet shortcuts that make it simple.
Ingredients:
1 package vegan-friendly puff pastry
1 dark chocolate bar
1 cup almond milk
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cut the puff pastry into rectangular strips. Add a piece of chocolate and roll it up. Brush the puff pastry with almond milk for a nice golden finish as it bakes. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. If you wish, you can melt dark chocolate with almond milk to add a beautiful chocolate drizzle that stuns.
Dried Cranberry Biscotti.
Biscotti is a classic snack with coffee. This hardened bread treat is perfect for dipping in a hot cup of java. The dried cranberries in this recipe bring out the fruity notes in some types of coffee — especially dry processed ones.
Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup dried cranberries
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix your dry ingredients. In a second bowl, mix your wet ingredients. Slowly incorporate the wet mixture into the dry mixture, folding to make a dough.
Shape the dough into a rectangle on a pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven to cool for ten minutes. Slice the loaf into inch-wide slices, spacing them evenly on the pan, and put back in the oven for 20 more minutes. Allow them to cool completely before serving.
Wildberry Bruschetta.
For a brunch-friendly twist on an old favorite, serve your coffee with a wild berry bruschetta. This recipe swaps out savory flavors for a sweet, delicious treat that looks as great as it tastes.
Ingredients:
1 baguette, cut into inch-wide diagonal slices
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 cups fresh berries, sliced
1 cup vegan cream cheese
directions:
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Brush the baguette slices with coconut oil, then sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Bake the slices for 5-10 minutes until browned and crispy. Spread the vegan cream cheese over the warm slices and top with the mixed berry slices.
Tag us with your snack pics on IG. We’d love to see how your bruschetta comes out @urbanwellnessmag.
Photos: Cathal Mac an Bheatha, Sarah Gualtieri, Brigitte Tohm, julie aagaard, Monika Grabkowska and Lisa Fotios.
Words:
Wendy Dessler is a Cali girl and super-connector who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.