Coffee-Inspired Thanksgiving Recipes

Now that Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is coming up. For a lot of people, that means cooking! Most of you probably know that turkey contains tryptophan, which can add to sleepiness after a big meal. Below are five coffee-inspired Thanksgiving recipes to add new tastes (and alertness!) to your Thanksgiving dinner:

1.       Smoked Turkey with Sweet Coffee Glaze

All you’ll need is a grill with a lid and some hickory chips, and about 3 hours to smoke this turkey (a smoker works too). Use an 11-12 pound bird, and before smoking douse it in 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, ½ cup of ground coffee, 1 onion, 12 fresh thyme sprigs, salt, black pepper, 2 cups of light brown sugar, and 2 gallons of water. Find the recipe here.

2.       Mahogany Chicken

Chicken may not be the most popular bird at the table on Thanksgiving, but this recipe may change your mind. This recipe uses ¾ cup ground coffee, 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 2-3 large chicken breasts, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, salt and pepper, and ¾ cup of water.

3.       Low Carb Sausage Gravy

This adventurous gravy option combines one pound of ground sausage, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 cup of water, salt and pepper, and the secret ingredient - ¼ cup of brewed coffee.

4.       Coffee Walnut Pie

This pie is easy to make, and a nice change of pace from the usual Thanksgiving pies.  It’s made with ½ cup of strong coffee, and you can find the recipe here.

5.       Pumpkin Latte Cake Bars

This is a great dish to satisfy any pumpkin lover’s taste buds. The cake layer is made from ½ cup of double strength brewed coffee (cooled), 1 box of spice cake mix, 1 can of pumpkin, and 1 large egg. The topping is from 15 oz. cream cheese, ½ cup of sugar, 1 large egg, another ¼ cup of the cooled coffee, 1 packet of instant cinnamon and spice oatmeal, and ¼ cup of chopped walnuts.  Dessert is served!

Don’t forget to add a cup of decaf after dinner, or try one of our holiday-inspired coffees like Pumpkin Spice or Cinnamon Sticky Bun. Happy Thanksgiving!