April 19, 2023
by Maggie Frank
How come every time I order coffee it seems like it's never enough, but when I make it at home too often it's way too much?
No longer are the times of dumping coffee down the drain, here are some options on how to limit your coffee waste!
1. Body Scrub
First to deal with your leftover coffee grounds. The inevitable waste we trade for our precious morning caffeine.
One great way to utilize the grounds after they’ve been brewed is to make a body scrub. To do this simply mix together well-drained grounds with room-temperature coconut oil. To best use the scrub you will want to sit in the bath for a while to soak. Then scoop a little bit of the scrub into your hands and gently massage it in circular motions on your skin.
This can be used on your arms, back, stomach, and legs, but avoid contact with your face as this skin can be more sensitive. Let the scrub exfoliate your skin and enjoy the benefit of the coconut oil melting in to moisturize it at the same time. Rinse off with warm water. This scrub will leave your skin feeling smooth and looking bright!
2. Ice Cubes
One simple way to utilize leftover brewed coffee is to make ice cubes out of it! Iced coffees are delicious and the cold temperature allows you to taste the notes of the coffee in a new way. One downside to any iced beverage is how quickly it can be watered down by inevitably melting ice cubes. To counteract this effect, Chilling your coffee down with ice cubes made of coffee will only further enhance your drinking experience as you drink! Finally, you can take your time to enjoy your drink without the risk of ending up with a watered-down or separated drink.
Cubes of frozen coffee can also be used as an ingredient in recipes. They would be a great replacement for regular ice cubes in a protein smoothie recipe! Coffee ice cubes plus a sweet flavored protein powder like vanilla ice cream or chocolate with a bit of milk is so delicious and the best post-works-out treat. Coffee ice cubes are also the ideal type of ice to be used in any coffee cocktail. As these drinks are meant to be enjoyed slowly and sipped on, the long-lasting coffee flavor is perfect.
3. Oats
If you're someone who can’t seem to leave enough time for yourself in the morning to make breakfast, overnight oats might be the answer you didn’t know you were looking for. If you haven’t tried to make them with coffee you need to! A foolproof way to make overnight oats is to add the amount of oats you’d like to eat. Let's say approximately half a cup, then you just add an equal amount of liquid. This will be your base recipe that will act as a blank canvas for all your favorite toppings. Check out this sample recipe that you can feel free to adapt to your liking.
Overnight Oats
YIELD: 1 serving
Ingredients
½ cup whole oats
½ cup room temp or cold
coffee
1 tablespoon yogurt
¼ teaspoon
cinnamon
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1 tablespoon
cocoa nibs
Honey to taste
Pinch of
finishing salt
Directions
Place all ingredients in a jar, and stir well. Screw on the top and let sit overnight. Enjoy the next morning!
4. Coffee in Baked Goods
By far, my favorite way to utilize leftover coffee is by using it to bloom cocoa powder. Bloom cocoa powder? I know this isn’t a widely known concept, but it is well practiced among the pastry community.
To bloom cocoa, or
cacao powder means to create a paste using the powder and hot liquid. The result will be a stronger aroma and flavor, plus a better crumb in the baked good.
It's so easy to do and it makes a huge difference in the quality of any chocolate baked good! You might’ve heard about the trick to add a little instant coffee to recipes to enhance the chocolate flavor, and yes that works really well! But, blooming the cocoa with hot coffee instead of just hot water blows the instant coffee trick out of the water. Coffee is proven to be the best liquid to bloom cocoa. Learn more about this
here.
