76 Coffee Desserts for a Sweet Pick-Me-Up

October 01, 2019
Photo: Oxmoor House
With these delicious coffee-flavored desserts, you can have your coffee and eat it too. From mocha brownies to tiramisu, we have both classic and updated recipes with the rich, roasted flavors of your favorite morning pleasure. Get your caffeine fix in a totally new way with these sweet and decadent coffee desserts. Not only are they satisfying on their own, but they also pair perfectly with a warm cup of coffee.
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Cappuccino Swirl Bars

Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer
Cappuccino Swirl Bars Recipe

Don’t be fooled: These bar cookies may look fancy, but store-bought wafer cookies are the secret to the chocolate crust. Make these coffee-flavored beauties in advance and refrigerate them up to three days.

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Caramel-Mocha-Sea Salt Cupcakes

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Jan Gautro
Caramel-Mocha-Sea Salt Cupcakes Recipe
This cupcake is a combination of salty and sweet blended with mocha and is one of the most requested flavors at Dreamcakes Bakery.

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Kahlúa Cookie Dough Bites

Time Inc. Video Studios
Kahlúa Cookie Dough Bites Recipe

If you're only going to have "a bite" of dessert, this is the bite to have.

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Coffee Flour Brownie à la Mode

Time Inc. Video Studio
Coffee Flour Brownie à la Mode Recipe

Adding a bit of coffee flour to box brownie mix not only contributes richer flavor and a slight caffeine boost, but also delivers a whopping dose of potassium. Just 1 tablespoon of coffee flour contains 310 mg of potassium. Topped off with a scoop of coffee ice cream, this dessert is a mocha-lover’s paradise. If you want to make these brownies completely gluten-free (coffee flour is naturally gluten-free), use your favortite gluten-free brownie mix. 

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie with Coffee Liqueur Whipped Cream

Photo: Daniel Agee; Food Styling: Pam Lolley; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis
Pumpkin Spice Latte Pie with Coffee Liqueur Whipped Cream Recipe

Whether or not you’re a fan of the infamous, seasonal Starbuck’s beverage, we’re willing to bet you won’t have any regrets about swapping your typical pumpkin pie for this caffeinated uptake this Thanksgiving. We were surprised by just how amazing a hint of coffee sets off creamy, spiced pumpkin pie filling, but the depth of rich flavor speaks for itself—this PSL-inspired pie is in a league of it’s own. Served with a coffee liqueur-spiked whipped cream, this fall dessert reaches a level of decadence a basic pumpkin pie could only dream of. Note: If you opt to create a decorative lattice effect as we did here, be very careful when placing your dough strips atop the pie—the pie’s surface will be very hot and not fully set.

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Coffee Liqueur Affogato with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Time Inc. Video Studio
Coffee Liqueur Affogato with Chocolate Whipped Cream Recipe

This decadent dessert is ridiculously easy to make and is based around 4 of our absolute favorite things: caffeine, booze, ice cream, and chocolate.

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Mocha Balls

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Mocha Balls Recipe

Coat in chocolate two at a time.

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Caramel Frappuccino

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Caramel Frappuccino Recipe

This easy, copycat version of your favorite coffee shop drink tastes just like the real thing!

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Mocha Puppy Chow

Photo: Emma Crist; Styling: Emma Crist
Mocha Puppy Chow Recipe

A teaspoon of instant espresso powder and rich dark chocolate morsels are all that's needed to add depth and a slight coffee-flavoring to classic puppy chow. You can use chocolate cereal in place of plain cereal for extra-chocolatey flavor. This delicious homemade chocolate-cereal treat comes together in less than 10 minutes for an easy, sweet, and portable snack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

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Coffee-Hazelnut Pie

Hector Manuel Sanchez
Coffee-Hazelnut Pie Recipe

Shake up your Thanksgiving buffet with this incredible offering. Taking inspiration from the best part of classic pecan pie (the sweet goo!), this nutty treat serves several tasty upgrades while still cutting sugar by more than a third. Toasted hazelnuts contribute supreme crunch and a sweetness unsurpassed by any other nut, while instant coffee and coffee liqueur deepen the flavor with delightfully bitter nuances. And that dollop of chocolate-hazelnut spread? That's simply a touch of sweet genius, as is the sprinkling of flaky salt on top. Make the pie up to a day ahead, and refrigerate; be sure to let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving to wake up all the flavors.

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Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Coffee Glaze

Photo: Darcy Lenz
Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Coffee Glaze Recipe

Full of warming fall flavors, these fluffy Pumpkin Spice Cookies are just about the perfect after-dinner treat to pair with a cup of coffee. After all, they’re basically everyone’s favorite seasonal latte delivered in cookie form. 

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Mocha Java Cakes

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine
Mocha Java Cakes Recipe
Even the cook will have a hard time believing these litte chocolate-filled chocolate cakes take less than 45 minutes to assemble and bake.
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Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread

Mocha-Chocolate Shortbread Recipe
Chocolate-covered shortbread is the yummy end to a wonderful meal. You're likely to have all of the ingredients for this recipe stocked in the pantry.

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Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies

Becky Luigart-Stayner
Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies Recipe
Coffee, toffee, and chocolate come together for a triple-threat of fabulous flavor in this brownie recipe.

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Pumpkin-Espresso Tiramisù

Photo: Alison Miksch; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller
Pumpkin-Espresso Tiramisù Recipe

Make Ahead: Loosely wrap baked and cooled tiramisù in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Easy Mocha Chip Ice-Cream Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick
Easy Mocha Chip Ice-Cream Cake Recipe
This frozen dessert comes together quickly then just needs a little time to set in the freezer. Use premium-quality ice cream for rich, luscious results.

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Cappuccino Blossoms

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Buffy Hargett
Cappuccino Blossoms Recipe

These coffee-flavored cookies have relatively small amounts of granulated and light brown sugar becasuse the coffee liqueur and the dark chocolate kisses add a good bit of sweetness. Also, you might want to note that this is an egg-free recipe.

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Mocha Chocolate Cake

Mocha Chocolate Cake Recipe
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Chocolate-Coffee Cheesecake Tartlets

Photo: William Dickey; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey
Chocolate-Coffee Cheesecake Tartlets Recipe
Treat yourself to this bite-size dessert featuring coffee-flavored chocolate cheesecake in a mini phyllo shell.  Easy pick-up desserts like this one are perfect for entertaining, so you may want to double the recipe. You can make them ahead and chill them overnight.

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Vanilla Bean-Espresso Crème Brûlée

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Linda Hirst
Vanilla Bean-Espresso Crème Brûlée Recipe

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Coffee Angel Food Cake with Fudge Glaze

Coffee Angel Food Cake with Fudge Glaze Recipe
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Coffee and Doughnuts Ice Cream Sandwiches

Photo by Daniel Agee
Coffee and Doughnuts Ice Cream Sandwiches Recipe
You're welcome

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Nutella Iced Coffee

Time Inc. Video Studio
Nutella Iced Coffee Recipe

Don’t be surprised if this decadent, chocolatey twist on a typical iced coffee becomes your #1 caffeinated beverage of choice. While you can also prepare this Nutella Iced Coffee by whisking the ingredients together by hand, the blender makes creating a perfectly smooth beverage easy. P.S. You do not want to skip out on the coffee ice cubes—they make this cool caffeine hit all the more delicious. To make them, simply freeze lightly sweetened coffee (you can use leftovers from your morning pot) in ice cube trays overnight. 

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Espresso Crinkles

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr, Jan Gautro
Espresso Crinkles Recipe
Lightly coat your hands with flour to make rolling the dough into balls easier. The dough freezes well. Freeze the dough after step 1, thaw in the refrigerator, then proceed with step 2. The powdered sugar coating gives these cookies an appealing cracked finish. Serve with coffee to echo the espresso.
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Mocha-Pistachio Biscotti

Photo: Oxmoor House
Mocha-Pistachio Biscotti Recipe
"Biscotti" is an Italian word referring to hard, crunchy, twice-baked cookies. These biscotti can be kept for weeks in an airtight container, but are pretty enough to be wrapped in clear plastic with a ribbon and given as a gift.

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Decadent Chocolate-Espresso Cheesecake

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas 
Decadent Chocolate-Espresso Cheesecake Recipe

Dessert and coffee all in one slice, this over-the-top cheesecake is a surefire crowd-pleaser. To garnish with chocolate shards, melt dark bittersweet chocolate, and spread it in a thin layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Let it stand until set, and break into pieces.

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Cappuccino-Walnut Toffee

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Buffy Hargett
Cappuccino-Walnut Toffee Recipe
Some brands of butter have slightly higher water content than others. We prefer Land O'Lakes butter for this recipe.
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Bittersweet Brownies

Photo: Cooking Light
Bittersweet Brownies Recipe

The highlight of fudgy brownies is their crisp sugar crust on top. Instant espresso intensifies the chocolate flavor for this not-too-sweet dessert.

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Espresso-Walnut Cake

Becky Luigart-Stayner; Melanie J. Clarke
Espresso-Walnut Cake Recipe
This cake was screaming for a streusel topping, so we actually used two bowls.

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Mocha-Dark Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Oxmoor House
Mocha-Dark Chocolate Chunk Brownies Recipe
Low in calories, fat, and cholesterol but rich in decadent chocolate flavor, these brownies tout the heart-health benefits associated with coffee and dark chocolate.
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Mocha Chocolate Mousse

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Mocha Chocolate Mousse Recipe

This seriously easy and decadent mousse hides a smart secret: reduced-sodium soy sauce. Just 1/2 teaspoon elevates the rich dark chocolate flavor. Add crunch with cookies to contrast the mousse's silky texture. Heating store-bought shortbread in the oven opens up the flavors of the buttery cookies.

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Espresso Crepes with Ice Cream and Dark Chocolate Sauce