Most people love flavored coffees, especially as a holiday gift, but flavored beans can be so expensive. This recipe for homemade DIY Orange Liqueur Soaked Coffee Beans is easy, economical, and so delicious!
I have been making liqueur soaked coffee beans for years. Growing up, my mother and I shared a love of flavored coffees. One year, while in college, I soaked coffee beans in liqueurs a few weeks before Christmas, and then gave them to my Mom for Christmas as flavored coffee. The coffee was incredible, and so began a tradition of making liqueur-soaked coffee beans for my mom. Somewhere along the way, life got busy, so I stopped making them for her. When she was here for Thanksgiving, we talked about the days when I made her the homemade flavored coffees. I decided this year I would re-start the tradition for her. If you follow these instructions, you too will have wonderful flavored coffees to share with others this holiday!
DIY Orange Liqueur Soaked Coffee Beans
- 2-3 lbs. Medium Roast Coffee Beans
- 3 c. Orange Liqueur (Cointreau or similar)
- 2 Tbsp. Cinnamon
Take your plain coffee beans and put them in a large glass container (I used a glass flour container). Pour the orange liqueur over the beans. Do not use dark roast beans, as you are going to roast them in the oven for a few minutes at the end of the soaking period, and if you use dark roast, they will taste burnt. You can use any flavor of liqueur you want, but a clear liqueur would be best (Amaretto, Dark Rum etc.)
One of my favorite coffees are beans soaked in Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)! You also do not need to use a brand name liqueur, a cheap liqueur is more economical, but I had Cointreau in the house, and wanted the best for my Mom!
When you’ve poured the liqueur in, stir the beans around to cover. Some of the beans may soak in more of the liquid at the bottom, but that is okay; you should stir the jar several times a day, so all the beans will get a chance to soak-just make sure you are stirring them well. Let the beans soak for 3-7 days, no more, no less. At the end of the soaking period, strain the liqueur out of beans, and spread the beans on a few baking sheets. Sprinkle the beans with the cinnamon.
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees and dry the beans in the oven for exactly 10 minutes. Do not cook them any longer then 10 minutes, as they will burn. Remove the pans from the oven, and let the beans dry for several hours, and then package in pretty Christmas tins. Make sure they are completely dry before grinding!
1 comment