As cliché as it has become, most of us suffer from a serious addiction to caffeine. We need it in the mornings to function, we have a cup during the course of the day, and we drink it after dessert in decaf form (because even though we know we don’t need the caffeine, we’re so addicted that we have to pretend to drink the caffeine). There’s even an alarm clock in the works that will wake you up with the smell of coffee by brewing it right there on your bedside table. If that sounds amazing to you, then these coffee-inspired treats are just what you never knew you needed.
1. Banana Coffee Chip Breakfast Cookies
Cookies for breakfast? Count me in. Although highly satisfying, these cookies are surprisingly low-guilt compared to your run-of-the-mill cookie. Ingredients include almond butter, ripe bananas, dark chocolate chunks, oats, and ground coffee. One 12 cookie batch only calls for 1/4 of sugar and 2 tablespoons butter, which means I will only feel slightly guilty when I eat the whole batch.
2. Coffee Breakfast Smoothie
Running late? Never again will you have to choose between a cup o’ joe and a healthy breakfast to kickstart your day before running out the door. This coffee breakfast smoothie recipe is the best of both worlds and only requires three ingredients: coffee, a frozen banana, and some vanilla whey protein powder. If you’re about to get in the car for your commute, consider bringing a straw along as well so you don’t have to worry about obstructing your view of the road when you sip on your breakfast/coffee.
3. Coffee Jelly
Although it may be foreign to us here in America, coffee jelly is apparently a very common treat in Japan. It is exactly what it sounds like: coffee blended with gelatin to create a caffeinated treat that will shake you out of your humdrum coffee routine. It can be served with a splash of milk, a dollop of whipped cream, or can even be broken up and served at the bottom of your tall glass of iced coffee like bubble tea.
4. Ice Cream Coffee Float
This recipe could only be easier if somebody made it for you. Simply combine your favorite brew of iced coffee, a substantial scoop of ice cream (this recipe calls for vanilla, but imagine all of the delicious possibilities that Ben & Jerry’s might bring to the party), and whatever toppings your heart desires– such as crushed up Oreos, M&Ms, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, etc.
5. Chocolate Donut Ice Cream Sandwiches
This recipe for Chocolate Donut, Nutella, and Coffee Ice Cream Sandwiches is one that you might make during finals week when the only thing that you’ve learned throughout the entire semester is that death is inevitable so you might as well live life to the fullest. That’s because I can only guess that each of these little beauties averages about 600 calories minimum. But like Drake says, YOLO.
6. Brown Sugar Coffee Cookies
Clearly, I have no issue with dessert for breakfast. Imagine dipping this light, chewy cookie into your early morning cup o’ joe, paired with maybe a banana and a cup of yogurt. Consider adding dark chocolate chips or chunks to incorporate a new flavor and texture dimension into these yummy breakfast bites. These brown sugar coffee cookies may not be as healthy as the first cookie recipe I shared with you, but definitely have the coffee flavor to earn them a spot on your breakfast plate.
7. Chocolate Mocha Pancakes
So here’s where you might be thinking “Okay Emily, this doesn’t really count as breakfast, does it?” Well, yes, my friends. It does. Although it is basically a chocolate cake, it is also a pancake. So maybe it is glazed in mocha sauce and topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips. It also contains eggs, coffee, and flour and those are all breakfast foods, so in my book these chocolate mocha pancakes are therefore a breakfast food.
8. Mocha Nice Cream
If you’re wondering what “nice” cream is, you’re not alone. I was also unaware before reading this recipe that nice cream is what people call ice cream made from bananas. Who knew? Either way, this guilt-free treat delivers a coffee kick to jump-start your morning routine. With only 4 ingredients, mocha nice cream could be your new breakfast favorite.
Could you give up your morning cup o’ joe by substituting in one of these coffee-flavored breakfast bites? Don’t worry if your answer is no, because mine is too. I do know, however, that I will definitely be trying each of these coffee-inspired treats alongside a nice hot cup of covfefe for many mornings to come.