Serves a Crowd

Frosted Coffee Fingers

by:
April 20, 2011
4
3 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Makes 1 13 x 17-inch jelly roll pan full
Author Notes

My mom made these when we were kids, and they are just SO luscious that I've been making them for kids, big and small, for decades now. I wish I could include a photo, but I have none in my files, and since it's Passover, cannot make any right now. —ChefJune

Test Kitchen Notes

These coffee fingers were a nice surprise. Super-easy to make and very yummy, except they surprisingly tasted like ginger spice rather than coffee. Perhaps my coffee wasn’t as strong—I may try them again and replace brewed coffee with espresso and see if that makes a difference! The glaze made with a bit of orange juice was good but I would also love to try the glaze with a bit of light coffee or coffee liquor and increase the coffee profile even more—or combine them with others like almond or vanilla extract, or even cinnamon. You can definitely have some fun with the recipe alternatives. —feastathome

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 extra large egg
  • 1/2 cup hot black coffee
  • 1 1/2 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Rumford's baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I use Vann’s Saigon Cinnamon)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 13 x 17-inch jelly roll pan. Have all ingredients at room temperature.
  2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to the egg mixture alternately with the hot coffee. Mix well. Smooth the mixture in the prepared pan.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 13 minutes.
  5. Allow to cool completely before frosting with the following icing: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar Enough orange juice to spread smoothly Mix butter and sugar. Add orange juice to make a thin but spreadable frosting. (The frosting will look almost translucent on the cookies.)
  6. Cut into bars of the size you desire and watch them disappear!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Donna
    Donna
  • LeBec Fin
    LeBec Fin
  • softenbrownsugar
    softenbrownsugar
  • ChefJune
    ChefJune
30+ years a chef, educator, writer, consultant, "winie," travel guide/coordinator

11 Reviews

Gina F. February 4, 2018
These are quite tasty. I used a quarter size sheet pan which seemed to give the same results of the photo above. I also substituted coffee for the orange juice. I froze the cake before icing to make clean cuts. My company was impressed these simple and pretty "fingers."
 
ChefJune February 4, 2018
So glad you liked them!
 
Sherron May 17, 2017
My friend (who is an excellent cook) made these. The taste is excellent but they came out about 3/8ths inch thick. Is the pan size correct? Thank you. Sherron
 
ChefJune May 17, 2017
We'v always made them in that size cookie sheet with sides, and they always come out about the thickness of the ones in the photo. Don't know what happened.
 
debi May 15, 2017
these sound lovely - do they keep well?
 
ChefJune May 16, 2017
They do fine for a few days in an air-tight tin.
 
Terri May 14, 2016
Thank you for this recipe! It is perfectly light and rich all at the same time. I love that it is tied to such a nice memory for you.
 
Donna February 28, 2016
Congratulations! I want some of these!
 
LeBec F. February 26, 2016
CONGRATS JUNE ( and your mom!)
 
ChefJune February 27, 2016
<3
 
softenbrownsugar April 20, 2011
Oh wow, Chef June!
This sounds terrific. No picture, but I did a darn good job of picturing them in my mind!
I like the fact it has brown sugar! Yum.