Coffee Butter Spread

If food blogs are to be believed, it's the Japanese who "invented" coffee butter spread. I wanted to try it ASAP when I saw it on an online food article. There are teeny tiny jars at the grocery stores but they have corn syrup and the usual unpronounceable preservatives. The easy to prepare recipes available online are similar to each other and those who made it at home seem to love it. Well, who doesn't like sweet coffee butter on toast while drinking a mug of morning espresso?

I always have a 2-ounce jar of Ferrara instant espresso that I use exclusively for baking and cooking. I get it from either Harris Teeter or Wegmans for less than $4.00. It's very dark, strong, and has good coffee flavor. It's better for baking and making candies than the King Arthur coffee powder IMHO.

The spread is actually just a thicker caramel sauce flavored with coffee. It's easy to cook and there are only 4 ingredients: sugar, salted butter, heavy cream, and espresso powder. I only used ¾ cup sugar but you may increase to 1 cup for a sweeter spread if preferred.

Coffee Butter Spread

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon espresso powder

12 tablespoons sugar

8 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature

• Heat heavy cream in the microwave until almost boiling. Stir in coffee granules until dissolved completely. Cover with plastic wrap to keep warm; set aside. 
• Place sugar in a heavy medium stainless steel saucepan. Turn heat to medium low and let sugar caramelize to medium brown, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent burning and uneven browning. Stir in butter 1 tablespoon at a time. It will bubble so be careful. Stir until butter is fully incorporated. Slowly add warm cream and coffee mixture. Continue cooking over low heat for about 2 minutes while constantly stirring.

• Transfer into a measuring cup; let cool completely. Once cool, stir vigorously with a rubber spatula or with a hand mixer. Transfer into a sterilized jar and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.