Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans

Steve Wertz said:

All I have is a 7lb bag of the classic Nestle Semi-sweet
chocolate chips. I'd like to make it slightly sweeter or more of
a milk-chocolate.

Could I just add powdered sugar as I melt the chocolate in a
double boiler? Or should I try and cost them with granulated
sugar as they're cooling?

Is there any way to turn it into milk chocolate - maybe by adding
milk powder?

Any other gotchas when making CCCBs? Will the beans be "tender
enough, or should I roast them some more?

I must have missed the post for which this is a parody.
Certainly, SW knows enough about these subjects to know
the answers, or at least ask reasonable questions.
These questions are not reasonable, and are obviously
for his own amusement.

"Tender enough", indeed.

Mark Thorson said:

Steve Wertz said:

All I have is a 7lb bag of the classic Nestle Semi-sweet
chocolate chips. I'd like to make it slightly sweeter or more of
a milk-chocolate.

Could I just add powdered sugar as I melt the chocolate in a
double boiler? Or should I try and cost them with granulated
sugar as they're cooling?

Is there any way to turn it into milk chocolate - maybe by adding
milk powder?

Any other gotchas when making CCCBs? Will the beans be "tender
enough, or should I roast them some more?

I must have missed the post for which this is a parody.
Certainly, SW knows enough about these subjects to know
the answers, or at least ask reasonable questions.
These questions are not reasonable, and are obviously
for his own amusement.

No, Mark. It's not for my amusement. Contrary to your
perception, I am next an expert on every subject - thought I
appreciate the implication.

There are exactly 2 recipes out there on the Internet all
duplicated across the first 30 sites I looked at.

One recipes says: "If the beans aren't already roasted, put them
in the microwave and keep them there for about 15 minutes, at
400° Fahrenheit."

As you can see, there's not a lot of quality information out
there. And I am not a chocolatier, and rarely make sweets.

Is there a problem asking about something you've never made
before?

Quoted message said:

"Tender enough", indeed.

I've had commercial CCCBs that were hard as rocks. Other about
the texture of Corn Nuts, and others even more tender.

So do *you* have any answers? Or are you just drunk?

-sw

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mark Thorson said:

Steve Wertz wrote:

Clipped

Quoted message said:

There are exactly 2 recipes out there on the Internet all
duplicated across the first 30 sites I looked at.

One recipes says: "If the beans aren't already roasted, put them
in the microwave and keep them there for about 15 minutes, at
400° Fahrenheit."

As you can see, there's not a lot of quality information out
there. And I am not a chocolatier, and rarely make sweets.

Quoted message said:

I've had commercial CCCBs that were hard as rocks. Other about
the texture of Corn Nuts, and others even more tender.

So do *you* have any answers? Or are you just drunk?
-sw

So chew up of one of them beans to test. They might even be stale and you
can throw them on a compost heap or in the forest and feel good about it.
I dunno about the chocolate thing.
I wonder what it would taste like to powder them up, combine with
chocolate icing and use as filling between cake layers? Maybe add some poppy
seeds or walnuts to round out the nutty texture.
Edrena

Steve Wertz said:

I've got a bag of coffee beans I was given for Christmas (by
someone who hopefully doesn't read this group).

I don't drink much coffee, let alone have the stuff to grind and
filter real coffee beans.

All I have is a 7lb bag of the classic Nestle Semi-sweet
chocolate chips. I'd like to make it slightly sweeter or more of
a milk-chocolate.

Could I just add powdered sugar as I melt the chocolate in a
double boiler? Or should I try and cost them with granulated
sugar as they're cooling?

Is there any way to turn it into milk chocolate - maybe by adding
milk powder?

Any other gotchas when making CCCBs? Will the beans be "tender
enough, or should I roast them some more?

-sw

I wouldn't make them with milk chocolate--that would be too much of a
contrast in flavors IMO. In March I found some bags of CCCB's and
they were wonderful. Until you got to the bean itself, where it
seemed you were imbibing dry coffee grounds after you chewed them.
The beans were very crisp, and coated with a good bittersweet
chocolate.

Try toasting them in the oven, and nibble one to see if it's worth
bothering to coat them at all.

Then tease your milk chocolate recipe out of the information here:
http://www.chocolatealchemy.com/recipes_chocolate4.php

Personally, I'd just buy the coating chocolate at a kitchen or crafts
supply store for a first try.

maxine in ri

Steve Wertz said:

One recipes says: "If the beans aren't already roasted, put them
in the microwave and keep them there for about 15 minutes, at
400° Fahrenheit."

I can't imagine roasting coffee beans that way.
You can roast them in a hot air corn popper:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/airpopmethod.html

I've done that, and it works well. But if you
really get into roasting coffee, the hot air
corn popper will not last very long.

If you don't want to turn this into a coffee
roasting project, you'd probably be better
off just buying them already roasted.

Quoted message said:

I've had commercial CCCBs that were hard as rocks. Other about
the texture of Corn Nuts, and others even more tender.

If they're properly roasted, they certainly will
not be hard as cornnuts. They will be delicately
crunchy, just like any other roasted coffee bean.

But more to the point, don't you need a rotating
pan to make CCCB? I don't know how else you
could make them.

Mark Thorson said:

Steve Wertz said:

One recipes says: "If the beans aren't already roasted, put them
in the microwave and keep them there for about 15 minutes, at
400° Fahrenheit."

I can't imagine roasting coffee beans that way.

I can't even imagine setting a microwave for 400F, let alone
microwaving coffee beans for 15 minutes at anything above 15%
power.

Quoted message said:

You can roast them in a hot air corn popper:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/airpopmethod.html

I've done that, and it works well. But if you
really get into roasting coffee, the hot air
corn popper will not last very long.

If you don't want to turn this into a coffee
roasting project, you'd probably be better
off just buying them already roasted.

The bag I have is from Alaska. I ahve no idea if it's grown
there, but they are indeed roasted. I was just wondering if
there was anything I could do to make them less crunchy.

Quoted message said:

But more to the point, don't you need a rotating
pan to make CCCB? I don't know how else you
could make them.

Some say just throw them in melted chocolate and pour them out
onto a backing sheet lined with wax paper. Others say to glop
them out in dollops like peanut clusters. And for the really
patient, dip them one at a time and set on wax paper. Repeat
three times. No thank you.

I'm just going to dump them in melted chocolate and do the cookie
sheet thing. Then break into pieces.

-sw

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sat, 19 May 2007 13:29:10 -0700, Mark Thorson wrote:

I'm just going to dump them in melted chocolate and do the cookie
sheet thing. Then break into pieces.

-sw

I wonder what coffee brittle would taste like? Use a sugar syrup cooked to
the crack stage, maybe mix in a little chile pepper. I may actually try
this. Don't hold your breath, but I'll report back in iffn I do.
Edrena

Steve Wertz said:

(snips)

Quoted message said:

Some say just throw them in melted chocolate and pour them out
onto a backing sheet lined with wax paper. Others say to glop
them out in dollops like peanut clusters. And for the really
patient, dip them one at a time and set on wax paper. Repeat
three times. No thank you.

I'm just going to dump them in melted chocolate and do the cookie
sheet thing. Then break into pieces.

-sw

Hm... this got me thinking -- what if roasted coffee beans were used
instead of peanuts to make brittle?? I wonder how that would turn out?
Just an idea 😉

Sky

Sorry, no specific info on making chocolate covered coffee beans, just a
story.

I worked in the accounting and finance department of a local hospital.
Lots of us had candy dishes on our desks and people were always bringing
in homemade goodies to share.

I had just gotten back from lunch and had purchased a half pound of dark
chocolate-covered espresso beans, which I dropped on my desk before
heading to the restroom.

When I returned, Sheri, a co-worker, was standing next to my desk with
watering eyes, wiping her tongue with a Kleenex.

Before I could ask what was wrong she blurted out that she'd seen the
bag of goodies on my desk, and because I never minded sharing and always
had good things to eat around she'd helped herself without asking first.
And then god smote her for being rude. What'd she'd thought were
chocolate-covered peanuts turned out to be nothing of the sort.

To this day I can't eat chocolate-covered coffee beans without thinking
of Sheri.

Kathleen said:

When I returned, Sheri, a co-worker, was standing next to my desk
with watering eyes, wiping her tongue with a Kleenex.

I don't understand how CCCB could have that
effect on a person. Chocolate-covered Thai
chili peppers, maybe, but coffee beans?

I'm doing a lot of cooking today so I was in a hurry. I call
this coffee bark:

http://tinypic.com/fullsize.php?pic=62xrius

Not as pretty, but tastes just like the $15/lb stuff. This was
12 oz's of beans and 14oz's of chocolate. I should have thrown
in some peanuts, I'm thinking.

-sw

Steve Wertz said:

I've got a bag of coffee beans I was given for Christmas (by
someone who hopefully doesn't read this group).

I don't drink much coffee, let alone have the stuff to grind and
filter real coffee beans.

All I have is a 7lb bag of the classic Nestle Semi-sweet
chocolate chips. I'd like to make it slightly sweeter or more of
a milk-chocolate.

Could I just add powdered sugar as I melt the chocolate in a
double boiler? Or should I try and cost them with granulated
sugar as they're cooling?

Is there any way to turn it into milk chocolate - maybe by adding
milk powder?

Any other gotchas when making CCCBs? Will the beans be "tender
enough, or should I roast them some more?

-sw

I've tried making them - total PIA, and don't come out the way the
store bought ones do. The chocolate is not thick enough. A friend made
almost a bark out of it which used coarsely chopped coffee beans,
which wasn't bad.

Steve Wertz said:

I'm doing a lot of cooking today so I was in a hurry. I call
this coffee bark:

http://tinypic.com/fullsize.php?pic=62xrius

Not as pretty, but tastes just like the $15/lb stuff. This was
12 oz's of beans and 14oz's of chocolate. I should have thrown
in some peanuts, I'm thinking.

-sw

I have seen chocolate covered coffee beans being made at my local
chocolatier. He has a sort of cement mixer contraption and he puts in
the beans and then carefully pours in limited amounts of Guittard
melted (to what temperature I don't know) chocolate and the whole
time, the beans are tumbling and gathering chocolate. It's how he
makes chocolate covered macadamias too.

I think you also need to wear the white lab coat he wears🙂.

aloha,
beans
roast beans to kona to email
farmers of Pure Kona

Quoted message said:

I have seen chocolate covered coffee beans being made at my local
chocolatier. He has a sort of cement mixer contraption and he puts in
the beans and then carefully pours in limited amounts of Guittard
melted (to what temperature I don't know) chocolate and the whole
time, the beans are tumbling and gathering chocolate. It's how he
makes chocolate covered macadamias too.

Those tumblers are pretty common (and necessary) for making all
sorts of candies like M&M's, Lemonheads, Good and Plenty, and
jelly beans. As well as all those chocolate covered goodies.

Towards the end, there's a gloss thrown in to make them nice and
shiny.

-sw