Chocolate Caramel Latte Muffins made with the newest variety of Millstone Mayan Black Onyx coffee and a secret ingredient.
Oh Two-Handed Coffee Hour… how I love you so.
Did I ever tell you what inspired my two-handed coffee hour? Well it was a few things. First of all, the name was inspired by this blog post on Under the Sycamore. Adding friends and making it a weekly (or kind of weekly) event was inspired by Desperate Housewives, of all places. I swear I was born to be a 1950’s type housewife…although in reality I’d probably be quite miserable. I mean, what did those ladies do all day without the internet to keep them company? 😉
Anyway, you know how in the show Desperate Housewives, after the men would head off to work (or to their mistresses house or to murder some unsuspecting neighbor) the wives would get together in one of the kitchens and spend an hour or so drinking coffee together, chatting about current life drama? I love that… I wanted that. And in all of my 12 years of being a work from home mom, that’s not something that ever really happened regularly. So, I decided to create my weekly Two-Handed Coffee Hour for a once a week connecting time with friends. And I love doing it as much as I thought I would. It’s a soul charging, happy hour. Connecting, especially when you are fairly isolated at home during the day, is such an important thing.
Coffee is certainly the cornerstone of our weekly meet ups. Sometimes I make a breakfast treat, like these Chocolate Caramel Latte Muffins. Other times I’ll grab kolaches from a local bakery or doughnuts or we’ll just let the coffee and chatter fill us up.
Since I’ve been able to do two handed coffee hour on an almost weekly basis, I’ve had the opportunity to try out several different kinds of coffee. My friends at Millstone sent us 2 bags of their newest varieties of premium coffee… Millstone Mayan Black Onyx and House Blend. Both are very different from each other. The Mayan Black Onyx is a rich, full bodied dark coffee with a bold flavor. I love to use it in recipes because of the bold flavor (and to drink it, naturally, as well). The House Blend is a medium roast coffee…a smooth, easy drinking kind of blend. Both have been the perfect addition to Two-Handed Coffee Hour.
I’d love it if we all could meet for two-handed coffee time each week in person, wouldn’t you? Maybe someday, right?
In the meantime, make these muffins, drink some coffee and share some two-handed coffee time with some friends. Enjoy!
Chocolate Caramel Latte Muffins
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup Millstone Black Onyx brewed coffee cooled
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
For the glaze:
- 4 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese softened
- 1 cup Torani Classic Caramel Coffee Syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan with Pam baking spray or paper muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, coffee, milk, vanilla, vegetable oil and vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring to blend; making sure everything is well-combined.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool. Frost with glaze.
For the glaze:
- With an electric mixer, mix Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Caramel Coffee Syrup until well blended and thick, yet still pourable.
- Spoon over cooled muffins and serve.
Disclosure: Thank you to Millstone for sponsoring this post. I was compensated for my time to create and share a recipe using their product. All opinions expressed are my own.
I’d love to be there for your two-handed coffee hour! Of course I’d love one or two muffins as well.
Oh I’d love for you to be here too!! Move closer 🙂
I love this! Every time I see your post about it on FB I wish we lived closer! And these muffins are happening this weekend!
Oh my! I’d love to have muffins like this in the morning – so yummy!
That’s IT!! We are moving to KC!!!! I wish we lived closer.
I think you’ve inspired me to start my own coffee club of sorts! It’s such a fabulous idea and I feel you when you say you could rock the 1950’s motherhood- we wouldn’t miss the internet because we wouldn’t have known about it- and I’m right there with you. I so wish we lived closer so we could spend some real face time catching up. Love these muffins because, duh, coffee and cream cheese!!!! xoxo
Cawffee-Talk is a MUST! I LOVE getting together with my girlfriends over coffee. And muffins. And cakes. 😀
I still hope to make it to one of your coffee hours sometime. Love your heart behind gathering friends together…and especially with coffee involved! 🙂
These muffins sound absolutely amazing as well. Love those flavors!
Gorgeous photos, Kristen!
LOVE your photos! These muffins sound positively divine!
I love how you have a coffee hour time with great friends. I really need to get a group together maybe with kiddos involved just to stay in touch.
I just love the idea of your two-handed coffee hour…it truly is a gift to be able to have uninterrupted time catching up with friends. And those gorgeous muffins would make the whole experience even better!
Ohhhh I want to come to 2 handed coffee hour! Too bad I don’t live closer! Love the new Millstone house blend!
These muffins look amazing — right up my alley, if you ask me! If only we lived closer… then I’d definitely be a regular at your weekly coffee hours. XO
I wish I had a group of people to do a two-handed coffee hour with. Yours always sound do rejuvenating. (Where is that white and blue mug from? It is lovely.)
I love that you take this time each week to connect with your friends over coffee. Such a welcome and needed break from the day to day stuff!!! I wish I was close enough to be a part…and to eat your awesome looking muffins! Those look incredible!!!
Oh, these muffins sound absolutely amazing! I’m hoping to at some point have enough free time to organize a coffee date with my friends too!
I pinned this yesterday. Thought I’d come back for a second look. Was hoping the’d be waiting for me when I woke up this morning, but alas, they’re not. *cries* LOVE!
I love your coffee hour. What a great break in the week to get to talk to friends, get inspired, and just let go! Love the muffins to, they blong at coffee hour!
What a fun idea! I’m with you–if I were a 50s housewife I think I would be bored too, but no internet means you’re more likely to talk to your neighbors and form a bridge club. I feel like our generation has missed out in some ways.
Coffee is my one true love! These muffins look like the perfect coffee snack!
I live for coffee, and now I’m going to live for these muffins. Pinned.
If I was at home all day I would be busy all day. I think the trick would be to have ways to socialize outside of family. I like alone time. Anyway that’s not my life, so I don’t have to be concerned. BUT I am concerned about these delicious muffins—-LOL.
I feel exactly the same way. I’d love to have a weekly get together with friends. I don’t know why I don’t just start doing it. Your muffins looks irresistible.
Seriously!
They’re mouth watering!!!