Chocolate-coated coffee beans

[Darienne]

A friend would dearly love to make chocolate-coated coffee beans and I had to tell her that I didn't know how to do it without a panning machine. I did tell her about Recchuitt's method to coat hazelnuts and said we could do that, but then the coffee beans end up coated also in cocoa...which is alright by me.

Any other method short of dipping the beans one at a time

Thanks

[gap]

I've seen Heston Blumenthal create a panning machine by attaching a good sized coffee tin to the head of a cordless drill, tipping it up on a 45 degree angle (resting it on books I think) and then taping the drill trigger down. Maybe you could give that a go???

[pastrymama]

I've chocolate coated peanuts by stirring them into a bowl of melted, tempered chocolate and then pouring them into a china cap held over a bowl and let them drain for a minute until most of the dripping stops, then spreading out quickly onto parchment to let set up. Works pretty good.

[Darienne]

I've chocolate coated peanuts by stirring them into a bowl of melted, tempered chocolate and then pouring them into a china cap held over a bowl and let them drain for a minute until  most of the dripping stops, then spreading out quickly onto parchment to let set up.  Works pretty good.

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Well, first I had to find out what a 'china cap' was. OK.

Thanks for the information.

[pastrygirl]

A friend would dearly love to make chocolate-coated coffee beans and I had to tell her that I didn't know how to do it without a panning machine.  I did tell her about Recchuitt's method to coat hazelnuts and said we could do that, but then the coffee beans end up coated also in cocoa...which is alright by me.  

Any other method short of dipping the beans one at a time

Thanks

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You could probably leave the cocoa off, but it does hide the irregular surface nicely if you feel it needs hiding. I've used Greweling's method, maybe the same as Recchiutti's? (add tempered choc to slightly chilled nuts, stir. stir, stir, repeat), and it is fine for small batches, but I would not try to coat more than a kg of nuts at a time that way, as all that stirring gets kind of tiring.

Edited October 30, 2008 by pastrygirl (log)

[Darienne]

You could probably leave the cocoa off, but it does hide the irregular surface nicely if you feel it needs hiding.  I've used Greweling's method, maybe the same as Recchiutti's? (add tempered choc to slightly chilled nuts, stir. stir, stir, repeat), and it is fine for small batches, but I would not try to coat more than a kg of nuts at a time that way, as all that stirring gets kind of tiring.

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Just looked up Greweling's method again. I think his chilling of the nuts offers the same effect as Recchiutti's cocoa on still warm nuts. The nuts go into the tempered chocolates, then you add an amount of cocoa, plunge your hands into the mess, and slowly separate the nuts by the action of your hands and the cocoa. I don't have the book with me in Moab, so I can't tell you how much he adds to how much nuts. It works well. You finally shake the cocoa covered, chocolate-coated, sugared nuts in a sieve and then eat. Very nice combination.

No doubt either way would work. I really like the coffee can on the electric drill panning technique, but I think I'll stick with Greweling or Recchiutti.

Thanks

[Darienne]

And yet another question:

Greweling talks about applying the dragee method, first with the sugar syrup and later with the tempered chocolate, for nuts. Then he adds that this could be used for coffee beans, spice seeds and cocoa nibs.

Would you actually first coat the coffee beans with the sugar syrup? The sugar syrup toasts the nuts...should the coffee beans be toasted?

There was no consensus of opinion around the table today. But then we were all just guessing.

Thanks.

[Kerry Beal]

I think you would start with regular roasted espresso beans, no caramelized sugar. I'd sprinkle with a bit of cocoa first to soak up excess oil, shake that off in a strainer, then add a small amount of tempered chocolate and start stirring. I find it helpful to put the bowl over a bowl of ice water to help the first coat to firm up quickly. Spread out on a piece of parchment and into the fridge for a few minutes. Then back into the bowl with a second small amount of chocolate, stir like the devil until it hardens - then back into fridge. A third layer the same way.

They would probably look a little better finished with a tiny bit of cocoa powder. I like to sweeten the cocoa powder with a bit of confectioners sugar.

[Darienne]

I think you would start with regular roasted espresso beans, no caramelized sugar.  I'd sprinkle with a bit of cocoa first to soak up excess oil, shake that off in a strainer, then add a small amount of tempered chocolate and start stirring.  I find it helpful to put the bowl over a bowl of ice water to help the first coat to firm up quickly.  Spread out on a piece of parchment and into the fridge for a few minutes.  Then back into the bowl with a second small amount of chocolate, stir like the devil until it hardens - then back into fridge.  A third layer the same way. 

They would probably look a little better finished with a tiny bit of cocoa powder.  I like to sweeten the cocoa powder with a bit of confectioners sugar.

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Thanks, Kerry. Tomorrow may be the day we make them.

[thegreatdane]

Kerry's suggestion is spot on, only I'd suggest you use TWO bowls; transferring between the two so you can remelt what chocolate has stuck to the first bowl. Otherwise, most of your chocolate will coat the bowl and not the beans. Good luck!

Tom

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry's suggestion is spot on, only I'd suggest you use TWO bowls; transferring between the two so you can remelt what chocolate has stuck to the first bowl.  Otherwise, most of your chocolate will coat the bowl and not the beans.  Good luck!

Tom

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The only advantage I found to the single dirty bowl was that the subsequent doses of chocolate hardened more quickly than the first. (I suppose the chocolate on the beans might have the same effect).

I know that with the coating pan the first application of chocolate takes a long time to harden up, and you actually drizzle chocolate on the sides of the empty bowl and wait for it to harden before you start - it helps the product tumble better. I wonder if it helps it harden faster too?

[Darienne]

Kerry's suggestion is spot on, only I'd suggest you use TWO bowls; transferring between the two so you can remelt what chocolate has stuck to the first bowl.  Otherwise, most of your chocolate will coat the bowl and not the beans.  Good luck!

Tom

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The only advantage I found to the single dirty bowl was that the subsequent doses of chocolate hardened more quickly than the first. (I suppose the chocolate on the beans might have the same effect).

I know that with the coating pan the first application of chocolate takes a long time to harden up, and you actually drizzle chocolate on the sides of the empty bowl and wait for it to harden before you start - it helps the product tumble better. I wonder if it helps it harden faster too?

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I love it when two experts begin trading suggestions back and forth. Thanks, guys. Tomorrow morning is now set for the coffee chocolate coating event. My friend/landlady/next-door-neighbor has never worked with chocolate before and I am hardly an expert in the field. Should be fun.

Edited November 1, 2008 by Darienne (log)

[Darienne]

Completely forgot to ask...

I am going to give my friend the choice of dark 63%, dark 56% and milk chocolate in which to dip her coffee beans AND she is going to say, FOR SURE, ...oh, whatever you think is best.

Well, I have no idea what is best. Any thoughts?

What do you dip your coffee beans in: bittersweet, semi-sweet or milk?

Thanks

[Kerry Beal]

Bittersweet!

[Darienne]

Bittersweet!

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Thanks, Kerry. Denny picked semi-sweet without any discussion.

There we were, armed with coffee beans, chocolate and three slightly differing sets of instructions. By the time we were into coating #3, we had it figured out and under control. The trick was balancing the bowl of chocolate and beans in ice cold water while stirring like mad , and the answer was our dog water bowl which I had grabbed off the floor and dumped ice cubes into as a last resort. We could nicely tip the mixing bowl on its side in the dog bowl without having the bowl slide or risk getting water into it. And now the beans did separate so nicely as they cooled and were manipulated. Yes, just remember the dog water bowl solution.

As for using one bowl versus two bowls, we never quite got that one right. We merely cleaned the one bowl over and over again after each use. And two sets of arms were better for the stirring than one. I might think about that coffee can set on a drill panning machine idea.

Doing something for the first time is always exciting and a bit nerve wracking. Doing it again is very satisfying and I might try it again soon with sugared nuts which appeal to me more than coffee beans.

I think I just like bittersweet on everything!!!