Godiva Iced Chocolate Truffle Coffee and Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Chocolate... the food of the gods.  Luscious, decadent, even ambrosial, a girl's got to have her chocolate - at least I do.  Imagine my elation when midday on my birthday I found none other than a box marked "Godiva" on my doorstep.  Tearing open the package I found, thanks to Godiva Coffee and the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, not one, but two 12 oz packages of Godiva Coffee.

Immediately catching my eye, the Godiva Chocolate Truffle Coffee nearly jumped up and down begging to be used.  Not to be outdone, the package of Godiva French Vanilla Coffee made its presence known as well as we held them both up for close examination.

Liv immediately requested a frozen, blended, whipped concoction filled with ice cream and additional chocolate, but not having earned my barista degree yet (stay tuned...), we opted for a simple iced coffee to get started - Godiva Chocolate Truffle style!

I'm must preface my thoughts by stating that I am a coffee purist.  I don't do flavored coffee very often, though on occasion certain flavors really do hit the spot, and I opted in on this offering knowing that my kids would love some of the iced blended coffee drinks we would be able to create with the Godiva Coffees.  However... I must admit I'm no longer sure there will be any Chocolate Truffle Coffee left for us to experiment with if I don't stop my afternoon iced coffee treats.

Godiva describes their coffee as a "pleasant pause in your day" and they hit the nail in the head with their apt summation.  Rich, luscious and creamy, this iced coffee ranks up there as one of the best I've ever had.  Perfectly roasted Arabica coffee beans are blended with Godiva flavors, in this case bringing a touch of chocolate to the cup.  As I many times enjoy a piece of chocolate along with my coffee, the combo is a homerun for me.

Not being able to leave well enough alone, and definitely not helping my pre-Bahama Vacation waistline, I had a nagging memory of a Coffee enhanced cookie that had recently crossed my path.  Further investigation turned up a recipe on Epicurious using ground coffee beans directly in the cookie.  If ground coffee beans were good, I figured ground Godiva Chocolate Truffle coffee beans would be even better.  So... about that  pleasant pause in my day, how about Chocolate Espresso Cookies AND Godiva's Chocolate Truffle Iced Coffee??  Yes, please!!

One would think that I would be smart enough to stop there... however, tomorrow is always another day to start thinking about that swim suit figure.   As I was working on said figure and walking through my local Carlsbad Village I stumbled upon the newly located Carlsbad Chocolate Bar, "Bringing chocolate to Carlsbad one piece at a time".  Low and behold they just happened to have Chocolate Espresso Truffles.  Truffles, Truffle Coffee, AND Chocolate Espresso Cookies??  Once again... Yes, please!

Thankfully, Liv helped me polish off the treats as I sat in the sun taking my pleasant pause to my day.  Thank you Godiva for a wonderful birthday treat!

Godiva Chocolate Truffle Iced Coffee 

1 scoop Godiva Coffee (1 1/2 Tbs)
4 oz. very hot water
frothed milk

Using a coffee press (a birthday present to myself after receiving my Godiva Coffee!) I placed 1 scoop per serving Godiva coffee into the bottom.  Pour 4 oz per serving very hot water over the coffee and let brew for about 4 minutes.  In the meantime froth some milk (I used skim).

Press coffee and pour into a glass.  Add milk if desired, or only foam if you prefer (I like only foam).  Pour coffee and milk over ice, sit down, and sip.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Espresso Cookies

adapted from Epicurious - Gourmet Magazine, 1997 

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 Tbs unsweetened cocoa

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbs finely ground dark-roast coffee beans, such as Godiva's Chocolate Truffle Coffee (I ground the Godiva coffee for a few seconds in a grinder for a finer grind)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 2 large heavy baking sheets or line with a silicone liner.

In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt 1 cup chocolate chips and butter, stirring until smooth and remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat.  Whisk in the 6 Tbs of unsweetened cocoa until smooth.

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs, sugar, and ground coffee on high speed until very thick and pale and mixture forms a ribbon when beaters are lifted, 3-4 minutes, then beat in the chocolate mixture.  

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in remaining chocolate chips and walnuts.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets and bake in in middle of oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until puffed and cracked on top. Cool cookies on baking sheets 1 minute and transfer to racks to cool completely.