Colombia El Peñol is back! This coffee was one of my favorite offerings from 2014, in fact, I created one of my favorite pairings with this coffee (which never made it to the blog. Maybe I’ll recreate it with this new offering!) This coffee randomly appeared on the scoop bar at the Roastery for a short time in mid October, and is the subscription coffee for the month of December. This coffee is elegant and balanced with notes of black currant and a touch of bittersweet chocolate.
While I was in Sacramento, I came across a lot of very old recipes, and I have been having fun recreating them, and breathing new life into them. The jam bars are very easy to make, and are the perfect compliment to Colombia El Peñol!
Colombia El Peñol is a washed coffee with a medium body and acidity. It is delicious hot or iced. I personally enjoy it brewed with the chemex (hot) or as a cold brew.
Cultivated and processed by 160 smallholder farmers near La Piedra del Peñol, a 722-foot high rock revered by locals in the towns of El Peñol and Guatapé, the beans are combined and dried at a central mill. Over the years, Starbucks has created a strong bond with this community, helping them start recycling centers and an initiative to instill in area youth a passion for environmental stewardship. As one local teacher puts it, “If the children learn to take care of the environment when they are small, they are going to be educated adults. When they have families of their own, they will replicate the education in the next generation.”
Colombia El Peñol with chocolate currant bars
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup lightbrown sugar, packed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter. cold (I like to place it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes prior to using it)
- 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, divided
- ⅔ cup black currant jam
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add the flour, sugar, salt and the cold butter into a food processor. Process until coarse crumbs are formed. Set aside 1 ½ cups of the mixture for the topping. Press the remaining crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Add the condensed milk and 1 cup of the chocolate chips to a small sauce pan. Over low heat stir constantly until chips are completely melted. Pour the chocolate mixture over the baked crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top of the chocolate.
- Drop the jam by the teaspoonful evenly over the top of the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips
- Bake for 35 minutes, until filling is set. Let cool completely in pan, and then cut into squares.
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