Espresso powder or instant espresso is the secret ingredient in many rich and chocolatey cookies, cakes, and other sweets. We highly recommend keeping a jar in your pantry but it can be hard to find, so here are a few substitutions to use in a pinch…
• Instant coffee (preferably a dark roast) – Because instant coffee isn't as rich as espresso, you may want to increase the amount called for in the recipe. Faith notes that you can use about 50% more but be aware that it "has a harsher taste than instant espresso [and] can taste tinny or sour if too much is used."
• Brewed espresso – Using liquid espresso may require adjusting the other ingredients in your recipe. As Emma advises, "be sure to subtract the amount of coffee or espresso being used from the overall liquids in the recipe."
• Espresso grounds – According to Fine Cooking, commercial espresso powder is actually made from espresso beans that have been ground, brewed, dried, and then further ground. We recently tried this at home to make Martha Stewart's Mocha Slice Cookies and although the process was a bit time-consuming, our homemade powder actually worked very well. We used a mortar and pestle to crush the grounds into a very fine powder.
Have you used any of these substitutes – or another? How did it work for you?
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Anyone know how long a jar of espresso powder keeps? I've got some but I know it's been in my cupboard for at least a couple years.
Hi libbymae. I'd say 2 years would be the limit if the expiry was printed on the jar. If it has never been opened and has a seal on it the you might still be able to use it without any dire consequences.
I've always used instant coffee. So much easier to find and cheaper than espresso powder.
Jmorri26 I used to think the same but have recently come to realise they are very different. Espresso powder is very much richer and has that bitter-sweetness almost like dark chocolate. It makes a significant difference when using in cooking.
I actually just used espresso powder in black bean chili...REALLY good: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Espresso-Chili-107639
What about Starbucks Via? I expected that it might make an appearance on this list though I haven't baked with it myself. Has anyone here baked with Via?
I generally substitute half instant coffee, half dark cocoa powder for the espresso powder. The dark cocoa cuts the sharpness of the instant coffee pretty well (at least in what I've used it in, which is, I'll admit, pretty limited to cookies!)
I always end up using finely ground coffee, because I usually have coffee beans on hand. But I don't have a good basis for comparison to espresso powder. Is there some adjustment I should be making?
I always use Starbucks via, I did not realize there was a difference between this and espresso powder, I will have to try the espresso powder although it us hard to find here, and I really like the via, I do always use more than the recipe calls for but only because I really like coffee flavor. I have used it in 101cookbooks espresso banana muffins and they are always great.
There is an awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe on the neiman marcus website. It isn't the chain letter that goes around, but an actual recipe (for free) that NM put out that calls for espresso powder. That is what mine is in my cupboard for. The best cc cookie ever!
I second the NM cookies. I tried them on a whim a few years ago and now I get requests for them
Anyone have a good alternative for those of us who are caffeine-free? I have looked high and low with little success.
I did use starbucks via once in a pinch, but it is about half sugar, so I cut the sugar in the recipe a bit and used twice as much of the coffee powder called for in the recipe. Worked fine, but espresso powder is definitely better and has a richer flavor.
FYI, King Arthur Flour carries espresso powder, so if you order wheat flour from them on the regular, as I do, then you may want to add that into your order. I bought a jar of it a year or so ago, and it has lasted me a long time.