So it’s January and it’s drab and all anyone is talking about is how they’re revamping themselves. The gyms are crowded and all everyone is ever eating is salad. Many have embarked on the January Whole 30 (including us). Maybe some people are trying to give up coffee or at least reduce the amount of caffeine in their lives.
Enter this: my buttered coffee alternative. Because here’s the thing, I’m married to a coffee afficionado and…well…um…errr I don’t really like coffee. It’s a little too bitter for me even when it’s prepared perfectly.
But you know what I do like? The act of going out for coffee. So I usually order some super milk heavy coffee (latte, cappuccino) and enjoy the social time. But when I’m at home, I make my own version of coffee. Because the other thing is that I don’t really know how to brew coffee. M makes a Chemex every day and we don’t own a coffee machine. I grew up watching my parents drink instant coffee, so it’s just never been a skill I’ve picked up. What I like to make is a caffeine free, much less bitter, super creamy coffee-like drink.
Buttered coffee, a concept recently popularized by the guy behind Bulletproof (but valued amongst mountain dwellers of the Himalayas for centuries in the form of yak butter tea), is basically coffee mixed with ghee and a special coconut oil that is high in medium chain triglycerides (fat). Something about the combination of caffeine and healthy fats is supposed to boost mental clarity and physical wellbeing (see this link for more details). I’m not sure I’m convinced that buttered coffee is a good breakfast replacement or that it gives as much energy as is purported but I do know that the combination of coffee with ghee is DELICIOUS. I do believe that getting healthy fat in your diet is important both to support the body’s normal functioning and to encourage us to go into fat burning mode and keep us from eating so many simple carbohydrates which can cause blood sugar crashes. The recipe I have today uses my favourite coffee replacement: Dandy Blend. Dandy Blend is made of powdered dandelion root, chicory, barley, rye and beet root. Don’t worry, despite the rye and chicory, it’s still totally gluten free because the gluten is extracted in the process (but because Dandy Blend is made of grains, it is not Whole 30 compliant). Ghee is dairy free and is Whole30 compliant though. My blend here is totally creamy and gives a real coffee like flavour. The added protein from the collagen makes it like a warm smoothie and I think it works as a great snack or breakfast beverage (not a replacement).
Below is the recipe for how I like to make it but I’ve also included substitution instructions for using real coffee and for making it Whole30 compliant. Happy Brewing!
For other fun beverage ideas, see:
| Marilene's Buttered Coffee | Print |
- 2 cups hot, just boiled water
- 2 tbsp of Dandy Blend
- ½ cup full fat coconut milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp ghee or butter or coconut oil
- pinch of sea salt
- ½ tsp of maca powder (optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric (optional, will turn it to a golden colour and impart a bit of flavour)
- 2 scoops of collagen peptides (optional but good for protein boost)
- Add all ingredients to blender and blend on high until rich and creamy. Drink while still hot.
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