What kind of Coffee Master would I be if I didn’t announce and partake in National Coffee Day (NCD)?? Today is the day where coffee is recognized for all its wonderful abilities, flavors, pairings, benefits, and social affairs. Today is the day I have an actual reason to celebrate my love for the bean, not that I ever felt like I needed one! You can’t stop love I tell ya.
In order to honor this day I prepared a tasting for myself, some of my fellow coworkers (including a regular customer,) and even my mom! It’s never a wrong time for a coffee tasting, and I often spring them on my fellow baristas when time permits, but it’s an absolute MUST for NCD.
For this tasting I also wanted to honor the arrival of fall, because fall and coffee go together like cayenne pepper and sweat. My usual one cup a day habit has found its way to a “once in a while” two cup habit simply due to the cozy feels I get with a hot mug on a rainy afternoon. I feel warm and fuzzy just typing that out. Where was I..OH yeah, FALL!
For starters I went with the obvious – pumpkin. A light and fluffy pumpkin spice sugar mini muffin to pair with Anniversary Blend one last time before it’s gone for the season. Have you snagged yourself a bag yet? It’s only going to be around a short while longer.
Not to fear, Thanksgiving Blend will be here soon!
Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 chia egg ( 1 tblsp chia seeds + 3 tblsp water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cinnamon sugar topping: coconut oil, cinnamon, and raw sugar.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F, and prepare a mini muffin tin with coconut oil on the side to prevent sticking. These also successfully make larger muffins if you prefer those over the mini version.
- Make your chia egg and set aside for it to coagulate while you combine your first few ingredients.
- In a large bowl combine your flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, cloves, baking powder and salt.
- In another separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, almond milk, brown sugar, melted coconut oil, chia egg and vanilla.
- Pour this wet mixture into your dry mix and stir using a wooden spoon until combined.
- Scoop batter evenly into you muffin pan.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool, and then top with cinnamon sugar mix.
For the cinnamon sugar topping: I used 1/2 tblsp cinnamon, and about 3 tblsp sugar. I melted a little bit of coconut oil at a time and rolled the top of each muffin in the oil before rolling into the cinnamon sugar mix.
Tasting Notes: The spicy notes from the cinnamon, and smooth flavors of the pumpkin paired beautifully with the crisp and spicy flavors of Anniversary Blend. Anniversary Blend alone can be a bit sharp, but the sugary coating to the muffin harmonized perfectly to tone down the flavor of the coffee. These muffins were AMAZING.
Next I played it simple and somewhat safe. I made dark chocolate covered Fuji apples rolled in pumpkin seeds, and paired them with House Blend. For those of you that like an all around medium roast (medium body/acidity) I highly recommend this one, it’s very smooth.
Assembly for these was simple – melt yourself some dark chocolate, cover as much of the apple as you desire, crush some pumpkin seeds, and roll the apple in the seeds. Voila.
Tasting Notes: The rich cocoa and nutty seeds harmonized AMAZINGLY with the smooth, balanced body of House Blend. The cocoa notes stood out the most, and I was surprised by how well these paired together. House has a distinct nutty/cocoa flavor, and while this is a coffee that can be savored easily on its own, combining it with the chocolate takes your palate party to an entire new level. That’s a party I always want to attend.
Coffee continues to amaze me the more I play around with pairings and flavor profiles. For those of you that don’t drink coffee (I will never understand, but I accept you anyway) check out this article for other ways to use coffee besides consumption. Not to mention my Coffee Energy Bites were featured, bringing over 16,000 readers to my blog in two days! Wow, thank you BuzzFeed!
It’s the little things.
Q: How are you celebrating National Coffee Day? Even if you don’t like coffee, I recommend you make these muffins. They are so good.
47 thoughts on “National Coffee Day”
Shawna
happy National Coffee Day, my coffee-loving friend! love this post and your adorable-ness: “can’t stop love, i tell ya.” preach it. 🙂 those muffins look wonderfully yummy — i might have to make those at some point this season! xo
Brittany
PLEASE make them, you will not regret it. ❤
brickhousechick
I am one of “those” non-coffee drinkers (sorry), I like the flavor but it gives me headaches. 🙂 I read the article you linked and loved it! Who knew you could do all those things with coffee? Congrats on having your recipe make the cut. That’s exciting! Those mini muffins look amazing as does the apple with dark chocolate and pumpkin seeds. YUM!!! 🙂
kathy@vodka and soda
YES x 10000000 for pumpkin spice muffins!! i made some this weekend along with pumpkin spice and choco chip cookies and now they’re all gone!! they could have at least saved some for the person who made them. greedy little shits!!
Brittany
Greedy little shits indeed, however I like when others eat all the treats I bake because it takes away the temptation!! I am OK eating them the day I make them, but then when they are on the counter staring at me I EAT THEM ALL. Not good.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
How did I not know it was national coffee day? I am going to go celebrate with a big cup of coffee now.
Mmmm mini muffins. I think all foods are better in mini varieties.
Amy @ A Desert Girl
I think you are meant to own a coffee shop and bakery in some cute little PNW setting. Well done!
Brittany
Just the thought makes me swoon. ❤
Kirtley Freckleton @ The Gist of Fit
I am SOOO trying those pumpkin wonderland muffins!!!!!
Brittany
I LOVE the rename you did. Wonderland is VERY fitting.
Lauren @ ihadabiglunch
I thought of you when I heard today was NCD! Errrmagod that topping on the muffins – that looks incredible. I bet the cloves bring the flavor of those muffins to a whole other level.
allieksmith
Mmmm, nothing beats pumpkin, fall, NCD, and Anniversary Blend!! This whole post makes me warm and fuzzy inside 🙂
katalysthealth
these muffins sound bomb girl!
and can you believe that we don’t have a place near me that gives away free coffee today? makes me super sad. but then again, my boss always brings me in a starbucks coffee on Mondays, so I guess I did get my free coffee 😉
Brittany
I actually didn’t go get any free coffee either, however I get free coffee daily at work soooo…I just brewed my own at home. HA.
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
That’s fabulous news about your energy bites. Get it girlfriend.
Love the coffee pairings even if pumpkin was involved. The cute little sugar muffins tops more than make up for it. I’d like to rip the top of that muffin off with my teeth.
Matt @ Runner Savvy
These look awesome!
I just use my Keurig daily. I know it’s not “real” coffee, but I’m lazy!
Brittany
That totally counts! I’m devoted to my French press, but that’s not to say I don’t take advantage of others Keurig machines when I’m around.
Unless of course you’re only drinking the flavored stuff…then we may have an argument for “not real” coffee. 😉
P
Happy NCD! I have definitely been drinking more of the beverage to help me through exam time! I have mostly been taking advantage of the free coffee on campus from a Keurig and k-cups. 🙂
ahellams
I already have bananas that are begging to be banana bread and now these are speaking to me too…looks like a big night of baking for me tomorrow!!
Ellie
I celebrated National Coffee Day with a day off and $0.50 off at the Wegmans café. I actually tried to go to Dunkin’ Donuts but they were closed for renovations! I think that might be illegal today…
Aja
Beautiful photos. Delicious looking muffins. I heard it was national coffee day in my second class of the day. I really needed a cup by the third, but my workout woke me up.
Brittany
Love when a good workout does the trick!
Lucie Elizabeth (@CollectingLight)
Id never even heard of National Coffee Day until it was all over Facebook – so amazing! I love that there is just another excuse to drink coffee! And those spiced muffins may just be the cutest thing Ive seen all week!
journeysthroughmeadows.com
Davida @The Healthy Maven
you’re the person I immediately thought of when I heard it was National Coffee Day 🙂 Drank my french roast on your behalf!
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
Congrats on Buzzfeed, girl!! That’s freaking awesome 😀 And I seriously think of you whenever I walk in to Starbucks or whip up a brew at home. I told you about trying the date and coffee combo you mentioned? Un.real.
Brittany
Thank you!! I had no idea it was even coming I just opened my stats and was like WHOA WTF. hahaha. Man oh man I wish you lived near by, you would be my perfect tasting guinea pig. 🙂
GiGi Eats Celebrities
Those pumpkin mini muffins remind me of Cinnamon Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts… I used to POUND 2493294723846 of them… Aw man, I remember when Dunkin Donuts used to be “birthday treats” in grade school. I would get so EFFING EXCITED and I would seriously eat the whole box and everyone would get pissed with me… And then I would get in trouble and have to sit in the corner. But me, sitting in a corner, hyped on sugar – Yeahhhhh NO! LOL!
Food, Booze, & Baggage
Those muffins look so tasty! Happy belated Coffee Day! You have some lucky coworkers 🙂
Charlotte
I cant believe i didnt know about this yesterday!! (Gah charlotte this is why you have to read blogs every. day.) Luckily i celebrated anyways bc everyday is national coffee day in my belly, but i think ill celebrate a little extra today and have an extra cup (or 2)
The Zen Kat
My mouth is watering after seeing the dark chocolate apples!
Choc Chip Uru
OMG buzzfeed? That is freaking awesome 😀
And Happy Coffee Day 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Ashley
The apple slices with chocolate and seeds look incredible for being so simple! I’m always aware of the random national food days because I’m a TV producer so there’s always some news story about it but National Coffee Day is definitely the best of all of those days. But I’m lame because I didn’t even drink a cup that day.
Melanie
Oh my word, those muffins look amazing! The cinnamon/sugar topping, to die for. I am LOVING your apple concoction as well. Yuuu….ummmm.
the vegan 8
Oh my dea God, those muffins are perfection!! Seriously, my total kind of recipes. I absolutely love Fall spices and cinnamon….I eat cinnamon and ginger daily on my toast! I love that cinnamon sugar topping, OMG. That is so cool about Buzzfeed featuring your coffee bites!!! How did that happen…did they just contact you? They look so scrumptious, I totally need to try them!!!
Brittany
No they didn’t contact me at all!! I just signed into my blog the other day and saw my stats SKY ROCKET and I was like WTTTTFF. So I checked where they were coming from and boom…BuzzFeed. I don’t even care that they didn’t ask!! They linked to me and credited my photo so I’m cool with that! HAH.
Arman @ thebigmansworld
I always associate coffee with you. How dare you. Just kidding. They call it liquid gold for a reason. Now for those muff…ins. Ha, get it.
Rach @ This Italian Family
Those little pumpkin muffins are so cute!
Miss Polkadot
Very timely post! I didn’t even know about National Coffee Day – I’m not from the US so I’m excused, right 😉 ? – but started drinking coffee just this past weekend. So I’d say I celebrated with a mug of fair-trade coffee with some stevia and a splash of almond milk – it’d have been eons better accompanied by one of your pumpkin muffins, though.
Brittany
Welcome to the dark side, and by dark I mean coffee. 😉
Miss Polkadot
Haha, thank you. I knew that one of many dozen affectionate ways you coffee fiends talk about your favourite brew. (:
Lucie Elizabeth (@CollectingLight)
Id happily come and cook you some 😉
Luv What You Do
Oh those muffins look divine! I’d love one with my tea right now!
1VivaciousVictoria
Love this! Your sweets look divine and I chuckled quite a bit at “go together like cayenne pepper and sweat”!
apartmentwife
you’re ridiculously sweet. you prepared a tasting for coworkers and your mom on national coffee day? so cool, and i wish i had been a tester- those muffins look ah-may-zing 🙂
di @ life of di.
I don’t think I had a cup of coffee on National Coffee Day 😦 I will definitely be making up for it here in the next couple of weeks once Charlotte arrives!
BookOfBokeh
I’m confused. Isn’t EVERY day Coffee Day?!
Brittany
YES! 🙂