I know I’m not alone in saying that one of the many things I’ve missed since quarantine started was going to coffee shops. A lot of my social activities revolved around this space—of course, always with a caffeinated drink and a tasty dessert as my constant companions.
While it might not be wise to treat your friends to a Christmas coffee date just yet, here’s your next best bet to bring sweet holiday cheer to the coffee lovers in your life: Buy or make them desserts to pair with their good ol’ cuppa.
Trendy desserts
Just as much as their (and maybe your) Instagram feeds are filled with beauty shots of perfectly pulled espresso or mesmerizing latte art-marking, try filling their holiday table with the Internet’s most popular dessert trends.
Pay homage to the coffee-loving plantita with floral cookies. If they’re the early birds, appeal to their love for morning treats like taho with this taho ice cream (which they can pair with iced coffee, perhaps?)
Classics
If you want a fool-proof dessert as a gift, go for the classics—those that you see inside a cake display counter, like chocolate cake or lemon bars. And while you can probably just buy them from your friends’ favorite cafe (should remind them of the good ol’ days), make them more special and personal by baking the treats yourself.
A chocolate cake makes for a classic pairing with coffee. Just think cafe mocha. This no-flour chocolate cake is an easy recipe that you can whip up with just four ingredients. The dense, rich chocolatey taste will go well with the bold flavor of coffee.
Now for something complementary, go for lemon bars. The citrusy, sweet flavor of the lemon bars can highlight the bright citrus finish of NESCAFÉ GOLD.
Coffee cake
There’s a reason it’s called coffee cake, and it’s not because it’s made with coffee. In fact, it doesn’t even have coffee as an ingredient. It just has cinnamon, berries and a hint of lemon—flavors that all work well with coffee.
The New York Times’ version uses sour cream, lending the cake a richer flavor, and comes topped with nuts for texture. I imagine this would be a hit among those who like their coffee strong, too. Another variation can incorporate blueberries and lemon for that bit of tang, which works just as well. (This is allegedly a cake you can use to charm people. Perfect if you want to enchant your coffee friends with your baking skills, right?)
And since this is a coffee cake, it’s best to send it over with coffee your friends can immediately enjoy, too. Consider a jar of NESCAFÉ GOLD, which is beautifully packaged so you don’t have to worry about gift-wrapping it along with your cake. Plus, all your friends have to do is dissolve a spoonful of granules in hot water to have coffee with their cake (and eat it, too).
Cheesecake
Here’s another dessert that just keeps getting better. While it may get so many trendy iterations every season, the cheesecake, at its core, is a classic. Its light flavor, mild sweetness and tang of cream cheese balance out the richness and boldness of coffee.
You can get a cheesecake medley or even cheesecake cups. Or even better, a Dalgona coffee-flavored cheesecake that mixes the dessert and the drink together. (It may even just inspire your friend to make their own.) For something even more decadent, the oozing, caramelized burnt Basque cheesecake is the way to go.
Leche flan everything
If you want your dessert gift to still feel Christmassy, go for leche flan. It is, after all, a quintessential dessert at the Filipino holiday table. But take it up a notch by incorporating it into other desserts like cheesecake, or even better, other baked goods like pandesal. Leche flandesal fuses the caramelized custard dessert with the breakfast staple (not to mention the ultimate coffee partner for Pinoys), pandesal.
Send it off with some coffee and that’ll make for a great Christmas morning breakfast-dessert combo for your loved ones.
Artisanal chocolates
Boxes of chocolate are the simple but sweet gift many would love to get, holiday or otherwise. But instead of just getting your friends any ordinary box of chocolates, opt for artisanal ones that you can customize.
CMV Txokolat for example has a customizable praline box: you can select flavors to include in the box, among which is roasted barako. Kevin Ong Patissier, on the other hand, offers bonbons that come in a variety of flavors that you can easily pair with coffee, such as hazelnut (another classic flavor incorporated into coffee drinks), and even coffee-flavored bonbons like Matutum coffee.
Of course, because it is the season of giving, we ought to go all out. Send your choice of dessert with a jar of NESCAFÉ GOLD. Being made with golden roasted Arabica beans, its smooth taste and rich aroma can complement and balance out the sweetness of any (or even all) desserts you give them. And for any stuck-at-home café lover, being able to recreate the experience would surely be a sweet gift.
Props courtesy of @flora.manila
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