Making coffee with butter and eggs: an old-world way to spice up caffeine consumption

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#Food#coffee#kitchens

I quit my coffeemaker. I use one of these jiggers:

Vietnamese Coffee © by illustir, used under Creative Commons license.

Which makes my coffee dark and sludgey and thick and yummmm.

But today I made it more yum: out of creamer AND condensed milk, too lazy to dig for sugar in the back of the pantry, I spied a stick of butter on the counter and remembered someone emphatically telling me that butter + coffee = true love forever.

I sliced off about a teaspoon, dropped it in my fresh coffee, and stirred until dissolved with a packet of Hy-Vee-brand sweetener.

Melting butter © by tarale, used under Creative Commons license.

SO GOOD.

Butter makes for a really nice cup of coffee. It tastes richer, more decadent, and makes my cheap-ass grounds taste like high society coffee flakes.

If you’re feeling adventurous about your coffee preparation after reading this, I have an additional challenge to issue: next time you want a cuppa, put on the teakettle and get ready for a Scandinavian recipe:

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Egg coffee.

  1. When the kettle whistles, add an appropriate amount of coffee (I used about four tablespoons for a large kettle). Remove from heat to avoid a boil-over.
  2. Crack in an egg. Some people throw in the shells, too.
  3. Wait for the chemistry magic to happen: eggs and coffee grounds will (largely) stick together. Shouldn’t take more than about 30 seconds.
  4. Scoop out the egg/coffee clumps, and enjoy. (If you’re really ooked about stray grounds, pour through a strainer and into your mug.)
  5. Add butter and sweetener if you’d like!

Eggy coffee tastes…bolder. And I MUCH prefer using butter and eggs to using chemical creamer — and I never use up a whole carton of actual cream before it sours.

Just be aware, this is not for the novice food adventurer.

About the Author: Cat Rocketship

I was the Managing Editor of Offbeat Home for a year and a half. I have a rich Internet life and also a pretty good real life. Hobbies include D&D, Twitter, and working on making our household more self-reliant. I also draw things.

Comments on Making coffee with butter and eggs: an old-world way to spice up caffeine consumption

  2. Interesting!!! I honestly would have never ever ever in my life thought of it.

    I just made myself a cup of coffee, and for good measure I threw some butter in. It really does seem to round out the taste quite a bit. The egg in coffee was a bit advanced for me today, maybe tomorrow…or the day after 😛

  3. Though the thought of butter in coffee makes me nauseated for some reason, I’m going to try it anyway. And tea with coconut oil. Because COCONUT OIL. <3

  4. So, maybe my reading comprehension hat is broken, but do you eat the egg or just discard it? I’m intrigued by butter in coffee. I wonder if the vegan butter will taste as good. Coconut oil? I need to get me some of that. I keep hearing wonderful things about it from using it as a moisturizer to eating it with just about anything.

  6. I now have to try butter in coffee. That sounds odd and delicious.

    To jump on the coconut oil bandwagon, I just bought some and started finding uses for it. It’s incredibly light and non-oily. So far my favorite thing to do with it is put a tablespoon or so in a tub of hot water and soak in it. Makes my skin oh-so-soft. Last night I made homemade peppermint patties with it, though. Just coconut oil, honey, peppermint oil, and dark chocolate. Puts a York to shame.

    • It’s good for all sorts of irritated skin, even the vajajay. Test a small amount first, of course. I’ve had chronic itching, mostly because I keep scratching, and this stuff is great.

      • Coconut oil is fantastic on the throat and decolletage, especially for us generously endowed women. It really does things for my 40yr old skin. I use it now instead of moisturizer – and the bonus? No more bra zits because it is anti-bacterial!

        • Coconut oil is also a fantastic makeup remover–even waterproof makeup!
          Haven’t tried it yet, but learned this from Green Beauty Team–they are all about the eco-friendly!

      • My friend also told me some time back that coconut oil is what she uses for her baby’s diaper rash. I haven’t tried it yet myself but have been meaning to get some for the next time I need such a use.

  8. I’ve heard of bacon grease in coffe, but never thought to try butter. my kids call the coffe at my house “a cup of hate” because it’s so dark and rounding out the flavor sounds like a great idea!

  9. I used to put butter in my coffee all the time. Just sit at the table, sneak a little butter in.. you know. I had forgotten about this weird little habit. And it’s certainly much less “gross” to me than the (admittedly delicious) non-dairy creamer that’s really just oils and sugars.

  10. I always knew the egg trick as Cowboy Coffee made in one of those blue tin spatterware coffee pots over a campfire. I had no idea it was Scandinavian!

    • The Cowboy Coffee I learned ’round the campfire was made simply by evenly pouring cold water into the coffee after boiling–the cold water made the coffee grounds sink to the bottom.

    • I think so! But it’s spread across the plains, for sure. The woman who taught it to me was a born-and-bred Nebraskan, who’d been making coffee since, oh, 1910?

  11. My great grandfather used to put wine in his coffee, with butter on top. About 3/4 coffee, 1/4 wine. And just enough butter to give it a frothy top. I don’t know if this was some sort of old world recipe, or just an old man trying to get his fix in over breakfast, but either way, it’s delicious. I highly recommend it.

  12. ooOOOooo! any particular kind of wine?

    and yes, black is beautiful – especially when it comes to good coffee! I can highly recommend Peet’s Major Dickason’s blend (but not without smirking over the name)

  13. I tried the butter this morning and it really is delicious! I use a French press rather than a coffee pot, which already makes my coffee really rich and yummy. Can’t wait til I have more time so I can try the egg trick. I’m also wondering if I’d prefer using a Vietnamese coffee maker. Better go buy one!

  14. They always cracked an egg into the coffeepot in one of my favorite children’s book series (the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace). I was always fascinated and kind of freaked out by that! Now maybe I’ll have to try…

  17. We make egg coffee at the historic farm where I interpret. There’s a basic (typically overwrought Victorian) recipe in the White House Cook Book available for free at Project Gutenberg.
    http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13923/13923-h/13923-h.htm.

    In talking with visitors to the museum, I’ve found that many remember their elderly relatives using egg to settle the grounds. Adding the egg shell to the pot seems to be a largely Scandinavian touch.

    This method is simple, requires only one pot, and was widely used.

  18. Does the egg actually do anything to flavor the beverage, or is it only strong because you just threw all your coffee grounds directly in the water?

    I’m excited to try butter in it, though!

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