Coffee Toast: The Cheese-Filled Dessert That's Both Crunchy And Creamy

What's better than sipping a piping hot cup of coffee with a decadent snack on the side? Combining the two into a coffee-flavored treat. While there are lots of desserts out there that feature coffee as the main flavor profile, like tiramisu or the classic coffee cake, Instagram has shown us the light by introducing coffee toast. It's easy to make with either a toaster oven or traditional oven, and its viral recipe even includes a gooey layer of cheese sandwiched in the middle.

You can recreate coffee toast at home using just one piece of toast instead of two, but the cheesy center complements the sweet, slightly bitter taste of coffee with a savory edge. The crusts are removed from the bread halves for a more uniform look before butter is slathered onto both sides. A slice of cheese is added before sandwiching them and cutting the bread into triangles. The best part about coffee toast is the crunchy cookie crust that's piped on top before baking, similar to the crispy exterior of Mexican conchas. The coffee mixture is created by adding hot water to instant coffee along with butter, an egg, flour, powdered sugar, and even a splash of vanilla extract for palettes in search of a richer flavor. It's then piped on top of the sandwich and baked, transforming the soft icing into a crisp outer layer while keeping the bread soft and ready to pull apart.

Making coffee toast is the next best thing to biting into the coffee bun known as a rotiboy. If you've never had one, it's sold at Pappa Roti, a café that first appeared in Malaysia in 2002 and has since grown as an international franchise known for its baked buns topped with a coffee-based cookie crust. Pappa Roti has just a handful of locations in the U.S. in states such as Texas, Michigan, and Illinois, where it sells its signature buns. Its name means "father of all buns," so the restaurant sounds pretty confident that people will like it.

Although, baking buns from scratch is a tedious task for some, using toast is a much better alternative. On Instagram, @ichomecafe posted their version of coffee toast, explaining to one commenter that since using a bun is more time-consuming, bread can be a better option. Multiple viewers asked about what they could use as a baking substitute for eggs. One option is to use around an ounce of milk instead. Some have also mentioned that you don't have to use a piping bag and can just spread the topping normally. This recipe's coffee crust has us dreaming about how to top otherwise average bakes in the future.