Homemade Coffee Extract - Delicious and Frugal

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    I've always loved coffee-flavored foods, but would you believe that I didn't start enJOYing a cup of coffee until I was around 40 years old? 

    Of course, that cup of coffee was probably half cream and sugar, by the time I added enough sweet and creamy goodness to make it not taste bitter.
    ☺

    A couple of weeks ago, I introduced you to making your own Chocolate Extract.  This week, it's time to learn how to make your own Coffee Extract!  I love to use coffee extract in my favorite homemade ice cream:  Low-Carb Homemade Mocha Ice Cream!  It also works beautifully in mocha shakes, smoothies, and puddings. 

    This extract is one of the wonderful ingredients that is helping my family stay "on plan" with Trim Healthy Mama, a low-glycemic style of eating.  We get to eat so many delicious desserts and continue to lose weight!

    First things first:  Coffee Extract will almost always contain some form of alcohol, used as a natural preservative. 

    If you prefer to make a non-alcoholic coffee extract, keep in mind that you'll need to freeze this if you would like to keep it on hand long-term.  To replace 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur or extract, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of non-alcohol Chocolate Extract mixed with 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, which has been dissolved in 2 Tablespoons of water. Can also substitute expresso, non-alcoholic coffee extract; or coffee-flavored syrup.

    For those of you who are ready to make regular Coffee Extract suitable for long-term storage without refrigeration or freezing, you'll need to decide if you'd like gluten-free Coffee Extract, or whether or not that matters to you.

    I prefer to make my extracts so they are gluten-free, for guests who require that as part of their diet.  When out and about, shopping for gluten-free vodka or other forms of alcohol, look for products that have been distilled from potatoes.  Yup, you heard me right.  No grains, if you want this to be gluten-free. 

    Coffee extract has two simple ingredients:  coffee and vodka.  How easy is that? !!!

    (Note:  you may also use white wine or gin, or even brandy or cognac.)

What You'll Need:

• 1-1/2 to 2 cups vodka (if needing gluten-free, use potato mash vodka or other non-grain alcohol)
• 1/2 cup coffee beans or ground coffee beans, or instant coffee
• 2- to 4-cup glass jar with tight-sealing lid
• blender
• muslin bag/jelly bag or fabric/rubberband (generally available at hardware stores)
  

    Grind up enough coffee beans to measure 1/2 cup.  You may also use whole coffee beans in your blender, if it's powerful enough to blend those up well.  If you'd like your extract really strong, add more coffee!

    Or, measure out 1/2 cup of instant coffee crystals.  There's no need to be "exact" in your measurements, though.  Different measurements will just adjust the strength of your extract.

    Measure 1.5 to 2 cups of vodka or other alcohol into your blender.  Consider the size of the container you'll be storing this in.  If you'll be using a pint jar, measure about 1-3/4 cups of vodka into the blender to allow room for the coffee beans/crystals.

    Add coffee beans or measured ground coffee to the vodka/alcohol in your blender.  Blend for 5 minutes. 

    If you blend too long and the mixture gets too hot, you'll lose some of the preserving benefits of the vodka/alcohol.

    In other words, if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix or a Blendtec, you may want to shorten the length of blending time.  You don't want to open up the blender and see the extract liquids boiling!

    My first attempt to strain the coffee extract was a big fail.  I lined a funnel with a coffee filter, but even after 10 minutes of sitting, it had only strained a tiny amount.

    I didn't wait 24 hours or longer to see if the coffee would continue to strain well with the coffee filter/funnel.  I was anxious to finish this process!

    Instead, I grabbed a fabric jelly bag and poured the extract through the bag.  After pouring off all of the liquid, I squeezed the bag carefully to remove any last bit of liquid extract. 

    Next time, I'll line a quart canning jar with some muslin or similar fabric, fastening it around the edges of the jar with a strong rubberband, and pour the liquid coffee extract through the fabric.  That will be much easier!

    If you're interested in a double extraction, pour this strained liquid back into your blender, add more coffee, and repeat the blending and straining process a second time.  This makes the coffee extract even more potent and strong.

    I'm thrilled that I no longer need to purchase expensive coffee extract!  This was so easy to make, even with an inexpensive blender. 

    If you'd like this to be flavored, you may also add some almond extract, peppermint extract, cinnamon, or other flavors of your choice, to the finished product. I would recommend avoiding extracts that contain propylene glycol.  If you use cardamom pods or the powdered herb blended with the coffee, this will neutralize the effects of the caffeine (decaffeinate it). 

    Some people will drink half a shot of the coffee extract to perk them up in the morning or before a big test.  I don't know that I recommend doing that, but then, I'm not a medical professional - nor a coffee addict.  Ha!

    Below, you'll see the recipe ready for you to print out. 

    Coffee Extract doesn't need to be refrigerated, and can be stored indefinitely for your baking and cooking uses.  After you have followed this recipe, it's completely ready to be used; there's no need to store this for months until it reaches potency.  However, you'll want to store your Coffee Extract in a dark cupboard or closet.

The full recipe for Homemade DIY Coffee Extract:

    Pour measured vodka or other alcohol into blender.  Add ground coffee, coffee beans, or instant coffee crystals.  Add additional extract flavorings, if desired, or ground cardamom or pods if you'd like the extract to be decaffeinated. 

    Blend for up to 5 minutes in your blender; for high-powered blenders like Vitamix or Blendtec, don't blend so long that the mixture gets too hot.

    Line a jar or container with muslin or other straining/jelly bag type of fabric.  Fasten fabric securely to the edge of the jar with a strong rubberband.

    Pour blended coffee mixture into straining bag or fabric.  Squeeze liquid from bag or fabric.  You now have coffee extract!  Repeat process a second time using strained liquid to make a double extract, if desired.

Ingredients and Supplies:

• 1-1/2 to 2 cups vodka (if needing gluten-free, use potato mash vodka or other non-grain alcohol)
• 1/2 cup coffee beans or ground coffee beans, or instant coffee
• 2- to 4-cup glass jar with tight-sealing lid
• blender
• muslin bag/jelly bag or fabric/rubberband (generally available at hardware stores)

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Here's a free printable sheet of labels you may use to decorate your jars!

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    (Those of you receiving this blog post via email subscriptions may need to click through to the actual post to view and print off the Homemade Coffee Extract labels.)  Click on the image, below, to open up the PDF document containing the Coffee Extract labels.

    Coffee Extract may be used with any type of recipe you'd like!  If you're using the Trim Healthy Mama way of cooking, you may enJOY taking a look at my new Visual Shopping Guide for Trim Healthy Mama...a virtual shopping list of ideas when you are grocery shopping.

 

     In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission...without it costing you a penny more.   I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Joy In Our Journey. I humbly thank you for your support!

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