By C.W. Cameron

For the AJC

The popularity of a neighborhood coffee shop often has as much to do with its sweet treats as the quality of the coffee. Standing next to the pastry case while you’re waiting to order, it’s hard not to be tempted by something you see on display. How about a muffin with that cappuccino? A scone with your chai latte? A cupcake with your hot chocolate?

Cafe Campesino is one of the newest coffee shops in town, open since November at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market in downtown Atlanta. Owner Maria Moore-Riggs has a background in professional baking and massage therapy and a master’s degree in psychotherapy. She says running a coffee shop calls on all her professional skills because it’s all about building relationships and nurturing people.

One of the ways she nurtures her customers is by freshly baking scones, cookies, biscotti and more each day. She turns out a surprising number of treats from a 2-by-3-foot counter and a microwave-size convection oven in a tiny corner of the shop.

Cafe Campesino is a partnership with the Americus-based coffee roaster of the same name. The 100-percent organic and fair trade coffee comes from a green coffee importing cooperative. The folks in Americus roast coffee every day, and once a week Moore-Riggs gets a delivery of freshly roasted beans.

Moore-Riggs says with a laugh that she used to be a “burnt coffee” drinker, favoring dark roasts. Now her tastes are changing as she finds that medium roasts are better for appreciating the nuances of coffee flavors. She’s created her own Sweet Auburn blend and encourages her customers to learn, too, by offering free samples of the day’s brewed coffee.

Deciding on a menu for the shop meant taking into account the other offerings at the market. There’s a big lunch crowd, drawn from downtown workers and neighborhood residents. Moore-Riggs decided she would focus primarily on healthy wraps and salads to provide an alternative to the other lunch options.

She also decided to cater to the coffee drinker’s desire for a sweet little something, but again with a healthful point of view. She uses ingredients like agave nectar and unbleached flours, and there’s always something for the vegan crowd.

Each day she offers a different flavor bran muffin and scone and several cookie varieties. And every day there’s plenty of coffee for sale to drink on the spot or to take home to brew later.

--------------------

Sensible sweets

The baked treats at Cafe Campesino aren’t giant indulgences. They’re sensibly sized, made with as many organic and unprocessed ingredients as possible. Here you’ll find recipes for just the right sweet bite for your morning, afternoon or evening cup of freshly made coffee. Two of the recipes call for espresso powder, also labeled instant espresso coffee, and available at Cook’s Warehouse and Whole Foods. If you have an espresso machine, substitute 1/4 cup espresso for the water and espresso powder in the love cakes and the mocha syrup.


C.W. Cameron, for the AJC

--------------------

Hummingbird Bran Muffins

Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 35 minutes Makes: 12 muffins

These moist muffins play off the theme of that Southern favorite, the hummingbird cake made with coconut, banana and pineapple.

1 medium ripe banana

3/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice

1/2 cup plain nonfat or low-fat yogurt

1/3 cup agave nectar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

2 cups wheat-bran flakes

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mash banana to a smooth texture. Stir in pineapple, yogurt, agave nectar, eggs and extract and mix thoroughly. Add coconut oil and shredded coconut and stir until thoroughly combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together bran flakes, all-purpose flour, whole- wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour banana mixture over dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and muffins spring back when touched. Remove to a rack to cool.

In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, vanilla extract and water. Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the top of each muffin.

Adapted from a recipe by Cafe Campesino

Per muffin: 204 calories (percent of calories from fat, 35), 5 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 9 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 36 milligrams cholesterol, 355 milligrams sodium.

--------------------

Cocoa Mocha Love Cakes


Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 25 minutes Makes: 8 cakes

This vegan recipe makes an intensely chocolate treat that’s a cross between a cupcake and a brownie. Maria Moore-Riggs’ interesting take on classic chocolate ganache uses espresso instead of cream to make a shiny glaze for the cakes while staying away from dairy, and she tops each love cake with a tiny pink fondant heart. We tested this recipe with several kinds of chocolate chips, and grocery store staple Hershey’s worked best.

4 teaspoons espresso powder, divided

1/2 cup water, divided

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 8 cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons espresso powder into 1/4 cup water. Add oil, agave nectar and vanilla extract and stir until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add in espresso mixture and 1/2 cup chocolate chips and stir until just combined. Divide mixture evenly among the 8 muffin cups. Smooth tops, if necessary. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until just done. Do not overbake. Remove cakes to a rack to cool.

In a 1-cup heatproof measuring cup, dissolve 2 teaspoons espresso powder with 1/4 cup water. Heat for 1 minute in microwave. Stir in chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute, then stir to melt chocolate. If chips aren’t completely melted, microwave in 20-second bursts and stir until mixture is smooth. Dip tops of the cooled cakes into the glaze.

Adapted from a recipe by Cafe Campesino

Per cake: 359 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 4 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 21 grams fat (6 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 157 milligrams sodium.

--------------------

Chai Spice Scones

Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Makes: 10 scones

Get your favorite spicy chai flavors in a baked treat. Don’t overwork the dough or you’ll end up with tough scones.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream

1 egg

3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves and cardamom. Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and use a pastry blender to cut into flour mixture until butter pieces are the size of small peas.

In a small bowl, beat 3/4 cup cream, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour over flour-butter mixture and use a fork to combine. Add additional cream, if needed, to make the mixture hold together.

Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces, form into 3-inch rounds and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a rack to cool.

In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and water. Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the top of each scone.

Adapted from a recipe by Cafe Campesino

Per scone: 279 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 4 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 14 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 64 milligrams cholesterol, 371 milligrams sodium.

--------------------

Mocha Syrup

Hands on: 5 minutes Total time: 10 minutes Makes: 3 cups syrup

Mocha drinks make up half the specialty coffee menu in many coffee shops, catering to our love affair with the classic pairing of chocolate and coffee. Coffee shop mocha drinks are made with espresso, so duplicating the taste at home is tough unless you have an espresso maker. This syrup will help. Hershey’s Cocoa produces Special Dark cocoa, a blend of natural and Dutched cocoas that works perfectly here. If you can’t find it, substitute half-natural and half-Dutched cocoa. You can create a wardrobe of mocha flavors by substituting the flavored syrups such as mint or caramel that are available in the coffee section of most grocery stores.

11/2 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa

3 tablespoons espresso powder

1/4 cup vanilla extract

In a 1-quart heatproof measuring cup, bring water to a boil in the microwave. Add sugar, cocoa, espresso powder and vanilla extract and whisk to remove all lumps. Return to microwave and heat on high for 4 minutes to reduce syrup slightly. Syrup will keep in the refrigerator indefinitely.

To make a 16-ounce mocha, put 2 tablespoons syrup in the bottom of a mug. Add 1 cup hot coffee and stir to dissolve syrup completely. Top off mug with the hot milk of your choice.

Per 2 tablespoons: 61 calories (percent of calories from fat, 12), 1 gram protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 1 gram fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 19 milligrams sodium.