Hello lovelies, today isn't just about a new recipe — I'm also introducing you to someone: Espresso Cookies and Our Kitchen Favorite. Because a little while ago a new roommate moved into our kitchen: the Sage the Oracle™ Touch* and, without exaggerating: the whole family has fallen a little in love. Most of you who follow me here and on Instagram already know I'm a big coffee lover. Sage's barista machine really catapulted my love of coffee to a whole new level! Papa Frei only became a coffee drinker at all because of it — and our girls have turned into little baristas.
But let's start from the beginning: as a longtime owner of a capsule machine, I'd been unhappy for a while. The coffee was okay, but the waste problem bothered me more and more. I did switch to compostable capsules, but that wasn't a lasting or satisfying solution. Sure, I'd also looked at the "fancy" portafilter machines with a grinder, but I admit I was a little intimidated by them. So the inquiry from Sage Appliances came at just the right time, and a short while later our stylish new roommate moved in.
The Sage the Oracle™ Touch doesn't just look really cool — it's also totally intuitive to use. Add water and beans, choose the drink you want on the touchscreen, and the machine more or less takes care of the rest. The beans are ground and automatically tamped (i.e. pressed down). Then you swap in the portafilter, and the machine determines the optimal water temperature and regulates the pressure so the coffee doesn't turn bitter. The milk frothing works great too — we always use oat milk, and thanks to the automatic temperature control it comes out perfect every time. If cleaning is needed, the machine lets you know and walks you through it step by step on the screen.
Favorite coffee
As you can see, we're really thrilled, and every family member found their favorite drink pretty quickly. I love a flat white, i.e. a more compact milk foam. Papa Frei now grabs a coffee to-go every morning (he never drank coffee before), and the girls love making themselves a frothed milk. But they've also grown into little baristas, and since the machine is genuinely child's play to operate, we parents now get coffee in bed on the weekend — heavenly!!
You can save your favorite drinks under names, so everyone knows right away where to find their favorite.
Making coffee has become a lovely ritual by now, and we also love trying new beans. These days my favorite holiday souvenir is coffee beans. Right now we're enjoying our favorite coffee from Bali — even in grey November it takes you right back and reminds you of that beautiful time. You'll quickly find your own favorite coffee; for me it's important that it's organic and fair-trade certified.
Sometimes I really have to rein the kids in, because they'd happily make me 5–10 coffees a day — that's a bit much even for me! But it does mean I'm all the more excited when I have guests and can offer them the most delicious coffee — I'm almost disappointed when a guest doesn't want to try one. There is one downside worth mentioning, though: I don't really want to drink coffee anywhere else anymore, unless there's a really good barista machine at the café, because you get totally spoiled.
But I also promised you a fitting recipe, and of course it's something you can enjoy with a delicious coffee: espresso cookies. The cookies are quick to make, vegan of course, and they turn out really delicious with a hint of espresso and lots of chocolate.
Recipe
And here's the recipe for the Espresso Cookies and Our Kitchen Favorite:
