Italian Coffee Recipe (Bicerin)

Coffee and chocolate together in a classic drink from Turin, Italy often referred to as Bicerin or Italian Coffee. You’ll love the creamy chocolate paired with the strong coffee. Add a bit of rum or Bailey’s for a fun “adult” upgrade!

This recipe for Bicerin, an Italian coffee drink, is rich and creamy. It is a great introductory coffee drink for those people who aren't huge coffee fans.

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What is traditional Italian coffee?

In Italy, coffee almost always means espresso. It’s small, strong, and usually sipped standing at the bar in a couple of minutes. Here are a few of the classics you’d see on an Italian menu.

• Caffè is a single shot of espresso. If you just ask for “a coffee,” this is what you get.
• Cappuccino is espresso with steamed milk and foam, and it’s a morning-only drink for most Italians.
• Caffè macchiato is espresso “stained” with a little splash of milk foam.
• Caffè corretto is espresso “corrected” with a splash of liquor, usually grappa. So yes, adding rum or Baileys to your bicerin has Italian backup!
• Bicerin is Turin’s specialty, layered with chocolate, coffee, and cream. It’s more of a cozy treat than an everyday coffee, and honestly that’s why we love it.

I come by my coffee snob status honestly. Between my daughter, my son, and my sister, our family has years of barista experience at neighborhood coffee shops (not the big chains). Some of that rubbed off on me, whether I admit it or not. Enter the fancy pants coffee recipes ;).

The original bicerin comes from Turin, where it’s served in a small glass with espresso, thick chocolate, and cream. My version is sized for a Minnesota winter and works with whatever coffee maker is on your counter. Espresso machine? Use it! Drip pot? Totally fine.

We have quite the coffee recipe collection here on NellieBellie.

Today we bring you yet another delicious coffee recipe, Bicerin.

This recipe is so decadent and rich it needs to be your Christmas Eve treat. Your soul will sing, your taste buds will dance, and your heart will be a bit happier.

If you are going to make and drink this please use good products, so this is the place to try the fabulous chocolate, the full-fat cream, and the new blend of coffee you’ve wanted to get!

Go for the thickest, richest hot chocolate you can. In Turin it’s closer to melted chocolate than a packet mix, and thicker chocolate helps your layers stay put.

Side note: we make recipes 2 or 3 times before putting them on the site to make sure they are repeatable, easy, all that stuff. By the 3rd time we don’t want to drink another coffee drink. Well, we want to but we shouldn’t. So, we brought the 3rd one to our neighbor.

His response?

“OH… MY. GOSH.!!” The response came with the full on milk mustache, true story.

Yep, we agree!

What’s the best way to brew your coffee for a Bicerin?

We think it’s all about preference, if you have an espresso machine, this is its moment. That’s how they do it in Turin. No espresso? A strong pot of coffee gets you good enough. Use a coffee pot, a pour-over, or heck…a good strong instant coffee. As long as YOU like it, that’s what matters!

Italian Coffee Recipe (also known as Bicerin)

4.45 from 9 votes

This recipe for Bicerin, an Italian coffee drink, is rich and creamy. It is a great introductory coffee drink for those people who aren't huge coffee fans.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 1.5 cups

Course: Dessert, Drinks

Cuisine: Italian

Calories: 314

Ingredients Method Nutrition Video

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1/2 cup strong coffee or shot of espresso
• 1/2 cup thick hot chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Chocolate shavings optional

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Method

 

1. Put a mason jar in the freezer (this is for making the cream topping. If you’d rather use whipped cream, skip this step).
2. Make your coffee or espresso.
3. While the coffee is brewing, make a batch of hot chocolate. The thicker the better, since it helps the layers stay separate. Homemade is our favorite, but any hot chocolate will work.
4. Pour your hot chocolate into the bottom 1/3rd of your mug.
5. Pour your coffee over the back of a spoon into the mug, filling to 2/3rds full.
6. Put your heavy cream into the chilled mason jar and close.
7. Shake until the cream thickens slightly.
8. Pour cream over the back of a spoon, filling the mug completely.
9. Top with chocolate shavings.

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 3gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 81mgPotassium: 192mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1167IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 0.2mg

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Other coffee recipes to try:

the BEST Irish Coffee : The easiest Irish coffee recipe! Make this at home anytime of the year.

delicious Mexican Coffee: Full of warm cinnamon and chocolate, this is a favorite in our house!

Boozy Coconut Coffee: Made with coconut milk, this latte is perfect for those that can’t tolerate milk. Or anyone, for that matter…so good!