Chocolate chip coffee cookies are fudgy and gooey with crisp edges. We use instant espresso powder and chocolate chips to give them a delicious mocha flavor, and because no dough-chilling is required, they are ready in just 20 minutes! You can even use decaf espresso/coffee for caffeine-free cookies.
If you love the taste of chocolate and coffee combined (i.e. mocha), then you might find this recipe for chocolate chip coffee cookies to be down-right dangerous.
Adding instant espresso or instant coffee to chocolate recipes works magically to make them taste more intensely of chocolate, like in my chocolate old fashioned donuts, chocolate orange cake, and vegan chocolate avocado mousse.
For these cookies, the espresso flavor takes center stage, while heightening the chocolate flavor at the same time, and it's especially pronounced if you use dark chocolate chips. For all of you mocha-lovers, proceed with caution....
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⭐️ Why These Cookies are the Best
- Quick & easy coffee flavored cookies that are ready in just 20 minutes
- Homemade chewy and fudgy cookies with crisp edges
- No dough-chilling required
- Make ahead/bake later instructions provided
- Use either instant espresso/coffee powder or decaffeinated powder
- One-bowl coffee cookie recipe that's also freezer-friendly
🍫 Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter lets us control the amount of salt in our cookies. Make sure you start with cold butter, which helps to create the perfect texture without chilling any dough.
- Light brown sugar - Adds subtle molasses flavor and moisture to our cookies
- Eggs - I recommend using room temperature eggs to create lighter and fluffier cookies
- Vanilla extract - We use an ample amount of vanilla extract to complement the coffee flavor
- Instant espresso powder - Gives our chocolate coffee cookies a delicious mocha flavor
- Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips - You can decide how chocolatey you want your cookies to be; semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate chips will all work great
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Instant espresso powder: Instant coffee powder can be used but will be less intense flavor-wise.
- Decaf: Substitute with decaf instant espresso powder/instant coffee for all of the mocha flavor but (almost) no caffeine.
- Dairy-free: Substitute vegan butter and chocolate chips for dairy free cookies.
- Make vegan: You can easily make vegan cookies by making a few tweaks: substitute vegan butter, vegan chocolate chips, and use flax eggs (combine 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it becomes gelatinous.).
- Gluten-free. I haven't recipe tested this, but you should be able to substitute 1:1 with all-purpose gluten-free flour for similar results.
- Brown butter: For a richer and more nutty flavor, use brown butter in your cookies.
🥣 How to Make Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add cold butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium-high speed until well-combined and no lumps of butter remain, about 3 minutes. Turn off mixer, scrape down sides of bowl, and mix again for 2 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for an additional 2 minutes until well incorporated. Pour in vanilla extract and mix for an additional minute.
Add flour, baking soda, salt, and instant espresso powder. Mix on low speed until flour is almost absorbed.
Remove bowl from stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to mix in chocolate chips by hand.
Use a large cookie scoop to place balls of dough onto lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (if using).
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are just barely set in the middle. Let your coffee cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Use parchment paper. This makes for easy clean-up.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- How to freeze: Place completely cooled cookies in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Freeze dough to bake later: Place cookie dough balls on a lined baking sheet and freeze for up to 2 hours. Transfer dough to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake cookies directly from the freezer, adding an extra 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
- Serve cookies with a cup of oat milk hot chocolate for a decadent treat.
- Aim to under-bake. They continue to bake after taking them out of the oven, so always opt for under-baking cookies when in doubt.
- Use a cookie scoop. This helps to make uniform cookies and allows for even baking.
- Make ahead: Place prepared (and covered) cookie dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours, then follow baking instructions.
- Make decaf: Substitute with decaf instant espresso powder/instant coffee for all of the flavor but (almost) no caffeine.
- Use cold butter. This will create the perfect texture without having to refrigerate your dough before baking.
- Use room-temperature eggs. When eggs are room temperature they are easier to beat, which creates light and airy cookies. If you forget to take your eggs out of the refrigerator ahead of time, place them in a bowl of warm water for 10-15 minutes and this will do the trick.
- Spoon and level your flour. Don't scoop with a measuring cup. Instead, use a spoon to place flour into your measuring cup and level with a knife. This is a more accurate way to measure flour when baking.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
These espresso chocolate chip cookies pair beautifully with a cup of coffee!
Cookies can vary quite a bit in texture, so it depends on what you're going for. For thinner, crispier cookies, use more granulated sugar than brown sugar, along with room temperature butter. For thicker and chewier cookies, use more brown sugar, and either start with cold butter, or refrigerate your dough for at least one hour before baking.
The amount of baking soda and/or baking powder that you use in cookies will make a difference in how much your cookies rise.
The total amount of caffeine in this entire batch of coffee cookies is equivalent to 2-3 shots of espresso. Divided amongst 18 cookies, there is very little caffeine in each cookie.
🍪 More Cookie Recipes
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Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup instant espresso powder
- 2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add cold butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Using the paddle attachment, mix on medium-high speed until well-combined and no lumps of butter remain, about 3 minutes. Turn off mixer, scrape down sides of bowl, and mix again for 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for an additional 2 minutes until well incorporated. Pour in vanilla extract and mix for an additional minute.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, and instant espresso powder. Mix on low speed until flour is almost absorbed.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to mix in chocolate chips by hand.
- Use a large cookie scoop to place balls of dough onto lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt (if using).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are just barely set in the middle.
- Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Use parchment paper. This makes for easy clean-up.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- How to freeze: Place completely cooled cookies in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Freeze dough to bake later: Place cookie dough balls on a lined baking sheet and freeze for up to 2 hours. Transfer dough to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake cookies directly from the freezer, adding an extra 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
- Aim to under-bake. They continue to bake after taking them out of the oven, so always opt for under-baking cookies when in doubt.
- Use a cookie scoop. This helps to make uniform cookies and allows for even baking.
- Make ahead: Place prepared (and covered) cookie dough in the fridge for up to 48 hours, then follow baking instructions.
- Spoon and level your flour. Don't scoop with a measuring cup. Instead, use a spoon to place flour into your measuring cup and level with a knife. This is a more accurate way to measure flour when baking.
Mark
Delicious! We used Civilized Coffee Espresso Powder.
MaryAnne
Fantastic, Mark!