I have great memories of the extended family getting together at the holidays and catching up over a pot of coffee, or two. Ok, ok, maybe it was three or four pots, but who is counting anyway? The point is that we drank a lot of coffee while talking about the events in each of our lives since the prior year when we stood around and drank multiple pots of coffee together. And of course, we washed all of that wonderful coffee down with holiday treats, which were never in short supply. For a while, we had an unspoken tradition wherein each household would bring their favorite pie or dessert to contribute to the buffet of goodies that we would all then share over the next few days while we were together. Here are some of our family’s favorite holiday coffee pairings, “Pie Edition”!
Pumpkin Pie
Homemade pumpkin pie is a great compliment to a fresh brewed cup of coffee. I personally prefer this combination with black coffee – no sugar or cream (the pumpkin pie provides a nice contrast to the unsweetened coffee.) However, whether you prefer your coffee straight from the carafe like I do, or sweetened with caramel flavored creamer like my father does, enjoying that black brew with pumpkin pie and the company of loved ones is a great way to spend the holidays. Our family also enjoys this holiday combo with ice cream or whipped cream on the pie (Cool Whip works well, too!). Vanilla ice cream is always safe, but there are lots of combinations that go well with pumpkin, so experiment and see what your family loves (but don’t forget the coffee!). Some other ice cream flavors that work well with pumpkin pie and coffee: caramel, peanut butter cup, pumpkin ice cream, bourbon ice cream, and cinnamon (you can also add cinnamon to vanilla ice cream, which is excellent by itself, as well as with pumpkin pie – you can also use this trick with whipped cream, too.)
Frosted Pumpkin Pie
Speaking of pumpkin pie and ice cream, a variation here is “Frosty Pumpkin Pie”. If you don’t know what this is, instead of putting the ice cream on top of the pumpkin pie, it is mixed in with the pumpkin and then refrozen within the pie. The result is a cool treat that pairs beautifully with coffee! Because of the coolness and the texture of the frozen pumpkin, this treat pairs well with traditional hot brew coffee, or cold-brew.
Apple Pie/Apple Crisp
Another standard for our family is hot apple pie. We had a couple of varieties of this – traditional apple pie, as well as an “apple crisp”. The crisp often took on different forms, depending on who made it, but regardless of the form, this provides an excellent pairing with strong coffee. Of course, you can always complete any apple dessert with a scoop of ice cream. The ice cream varieties that work well with pumpkin pie, perhaps minus the peanut butter cup, also work quite well with apple desserts (and of course, coffee!)
Perhaps your family is not as obsessed with pies as we are, so maybe you won’t have multiple varieties of pie at your holiday gatherings. We found that while some family members went for the full sized piece of pie, others preferred much smaller, bite sized cuts of pie, enabling them to sample the creations from the rest of the family without too much guilt! But regardless of the types or quantities of pie at your holiday feast, coffee goes well with any of them! Carrying around a cup of steaming, aromatic, freshly brewed coffee while you make your rounds with the relatives is sure to keep the conversation going throughout the holidays!
Need some more mugs for your holiday get togethers, or maybe some creative gift ideas for those loved ones that will help you drink the coffee? Below is a mug that our friends at Eleutharia Creative made, which will be perfect for those holiday get togethers – grab a few by clicking the image of this beautiful piece of holiday hardware, and don’t forget to check out the rest of their store while you’re there!
