The Coffee Lover's Gift Guide

{The Coffee Lover's Gift Guide} by Pink Elephant Coffee Roasters

In the age where everyone seems to have everything they need, gift giving can get tricky. For the coffee lover in your life, we've got you covered!

1. Pink Elephant Coffee — Let's start with the basics: The coffee lover needs her coffee. Locally roasted whole bean coffee in Tanzania Peaberry, Guatemala La Libertad and Organic Mexican Decaf pinkelephantcoffee.com $12 for 16 oz.
2. Coffee Lover's Tee — Let the world know how you feel. These unisex v-neck tees are fitted, comfy and cool. Order at skreened.com $29
3. Chemex Coffee Brewer — Hip and oh so stylish, the elegant all-glass chemex gives you total control over the coffee brewing process, plus it looks sharp on your counter top. Find at Williams-sonoma.com $36.95 for 6-cup Chemex.
4. The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee — For a down-to-earth and slightly nerdy intro to everything your coffee lover needs to know about the coffee world, from growing to roasting. Plus, lots of delicious pastry recipes to go along with that cup of joe. Find it at your local bookstore, or at bluebottlecoffee.com, $25 
5. The Best Coffee Ice Cream —  Columbus-based Jeni's Ice Cream knows that the only thing better than coffee is coffee ice cream. The intense coffee flavor in this ice cream is thanks to freshly roasted beans ground and steeped in grass-grazed cream. $12 per pint at jenis.com or get it locally at Spoon Market & Deli in Wooster
6. No-fail Travel Mug — This tried and true 24 oz. stainless steel vacuum bottle from L.L. Bean keeps coffee steaming hot for hours. It also does double duty to keep cold drinks well, cold, for the same amount of time and it can be engraved for a more personal feel. Order at llbean.com, $29.95 
7. Travel Coffee Grinder — For the die-hard coffee fanatic, who even while hiking a mountain or flying in an airplane prefers freshly ground coffee. With a ceramic burr and an easy grip, this one is perfect for brewing small amounts of coffee out on the road. Hario Slim Mill at sweetmarias.com, $35
8. Coffee Tote — Local seller Salt Creek Times creates everything from totes to stockings using recycled coffee jute sack material. Visit her Etsy shop, or find items for sale at Mama Birds, Local Roots and Fredericksburg Market. SaltCreekTimes at etsy.com, $15.95-$44.95
9. Coffee Wall Art — The Compendious Coffee Chart print is a comprehensive compendium of the varied ways to produce wondrous, life-giving coffee, as well as the drinks one can concoct by combining coffee with mixers like steamed milk and chocolate. Educational, useful and looks darn good on any wall. By Popchartlab on etsy.com, $28

Chocolate Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Is there anything better than a warm and gooey cinnamon roll to go with a cup of coffee? If there is, I haven't found it yet.

Thanks to Liz at Oak Grove Coffee Co. for the cinnamon rolls recipe! Of course, I had to go and put chocolate in them.

{Chocolate Pecan Cinnamon Rolls}

Dough: 

1/4 ounce package yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup scalded milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

1/2 cup softened butter, plus more for pan

3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cup pecans and walnuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped (optional)

Glaze:

4 tablespoons butter

1 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons hot water

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl, mix milk, sugar, softened butter, salt and egg. Mix in 2 cups of flour. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes, then place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour or more.

When doubled, punch down dough. Roll it out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9 inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough (generously), then mix cinnamon sugar mixture over the buttered dough. Sprinkle with pecans and chocolate. Beginning at the 15-inch side, roll up dough, then cut into 12 to 25 slices.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

While the rolls bake, mix butter, powdered sugar and vanilla with a hand mixer. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches the desired consistency. Spread over cooled rolls.

Maple Coconut Granola

Good news for Pink Elephant fans: We just got in loads of new coffee in burlap bags so big and coffee-filled that Mitch and I couldn't even carry them up our staircase into the apartment!

In those bags were an organic Mountain Water Processed decaf coffee from Mexico and a Tanzania peaberry. What's a peaberry? It's when a single bean develops inside the coffee cherry, instead of the usual two flat beans. We also have a delicious Guatemalan coffee from Finca la Bolsa, an estate in La Libertad, Huehuetenango. 

P.S. Need a laugh? Ask Mitch to pronounce some of these coffee regions when you get a chance. Of course, you need something to eat to go with all those cups of coffee. Here's some granola that's hearty, nutty and sweet!

{Maple Coconut Granola}

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats

2 to 3 cups nuts, chopped (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pepitas)

1 cup coconut 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 cup vegetable oil (or cooking oil of choice)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried cranberries or cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup and salt. Combine both mixtures. Spread over a large baking sheet and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then toss in the dried fruit.

Pink Elephant: Who We Are

After months of building our coffee company, Pink Elephant got its first account this week!

To begin, let me tell you our story. Mitch and I, two obsessive coffee lovers and budding entrepreneurs, saw our good friends at Oak Grove Coffee Co. in Wooster putting their love of coffee to good use — not just roasting their own coffee to have the freshest, most delicious cup at home, but making a successful business of it! We were inspired and our own coffee roasting dreams took root. With the help of our friends, that dream became a reality when we bought our 1 pound air roaster from Sonofresco, an awesome company from Washington State.

The shiny silver machine fit perfectly in our studio apartment in downtown Millersburg. It now sits on a special roasting table Mitch crafted from plumbing pipes and boards, which we painted blue of course. From there, we began ordering samples of green coffee beans from importers and began the trial and error of finding the perfect coffees — roasting, cupping and drinking cup after cup of coffee, a peaberry from Brazil one day and a single origin from Peru the next. We are caffeinated, to say the least.

Meanwhile, we got the legal work in order — licenses, permits, fees, labels and more. With the help of a friend, we designed our lovely elephant logo. For our packaging, we made stamps, stickers and developed a brand. I, being the social media freak that I am, went nuts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and now, the blogosphere.

Our first order came from a friend who needed a housewarming gift. Then came orders from family and friends. Last week, our first online order came in from a friend in Cleveland. Fun stuff!

Enter Creekside Coffeehouse & Cafe in Killbuck, Ohio. This quaint little coffee shop in downtown Killbuck is exactly the place for Pink Elephant —With a huge variety of coffee and espresso drinks, delicious food, a great atmosphere and awesome service by the friendly staff, Erin and Angie, the place is perfect. And the roasted red pepper soup with smoked gouda is to die for.

After sampling our coffee, they agreed to use it as their house brew and sell bags of our whole bean coffee for customers to take home. We're pumped!

The dream is to take this coffee business to the next level. This first account is the first step! Cheers.

Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

{Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream}

snapshots

Brownie Batter Ice Cream

{Brownie Batter Ice Cream}

~Ice Cream Base~

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

6 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon tapioca starch

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Over medium heat, add heavy cream, whole milk, half the sugar and the salt in a medium saucepan. Heat until it reaches a bare simmer. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks just to break them. Whisk in rest of sugar. When hot, use half the cream mixture to temper eggs, whisking constantly. Then return egg mixture to cream mixture. Heat until thickened, 2-3 more minutes. Immediately pour into a bowl in an ice bath, stirring occasionally. Chill overnight. Stir in vanilla, then freeze according to ice cream maker instructions. When nearly down, slowly pour in brownie batter. When putting in container, layer in brownie chunks.

~Brownie Batter~

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 + 1/8 cup sugar

1/3 cup natural cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons whole milk

1/4 cup flour

Directions

Melt butter over medium heat. Let cool slightly. Whisk sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Pour butter in a steady steam into dry ingredients, whisking. Whisk in vanilla and milk. Add flour and stir to combine.

~Brownie Chunks~
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1-1/4 cups sugar

2/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/3 cups flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8 glass baking dish with foil, pressing firmly into pan and leaving a 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray; set baking dish aside. Melt butter over medium heat. Let cool slightly. Whisk sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium bowl to combine. Pour butter in a steady steam into dry ingredients, whisking. Whisk in vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating vigorously to blend after ach addition. Add flour and stir just to combine. Scrape into prepared pan. Bake until top begins to crack and a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs, 25 minutes. 

Cut half the batch into bite-sized pieces.

This ice cream tastes like the perfect brownie sundae: Big chewy hunks of brownie, swirls of brownie batter and vanilla ice cream to mellow it all out. Serve atop a warm brownie for pure decadence!