Coffee and dessert might not seem like the most natural pairing, but we promise, they’re a match made in heaven. Whether you’re looking for a nighttime after-dinner boost, a way to make your chocolate desserts extra decadent, or just want more Kahlúa in your life, these 34 coffee-filled desserts are for you!
One of our top not-so-secret ingredients in the Delish test kitchen has got to be instant coffee granules. We’re using them here (along with espresso powder and instant coffee) to make our chocolate desserts EXTRA rich and fudgy. They don’t end up tasting like coffee, but have a mysterious something extra that will leave you and your guests wanting more. We’ve highlighted some of our favorite recipes here, like our chewy chocolate cookies and fudgy brownies, but you can try adding a teaspoon to any of our myriad chocolate desserts to see what we mean!
Or skip adding it yourself, and let a coffee liquor like Kahlúa do the work for you. It’s hard not to love a recipe that does double duty as a dessert and a cocktail, like our Kahlúa cupcakes or mudslide ice cream. We’ve also included some classic cocktails, like the OG mudslide or a white russian you can enjoy as an after dinner aperitif or for a particularly boozy brunch.
Dessert for breakfast? No judgment from us! Try an extra sweet dalgona coffee (or martini), or whip up some frappuccino pancakes. You could even bake some coffee cake–while traditionally it’s only called that because it’s supposed to be served with coffee, we’ve snuck a tiny bit into our Baileys and banana bread coffee cakes for fun.
For more sweet ideas, check out our favorite desserts and cocktails of all time
