Chocolate chip espresso 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/espresso combined (i.e. mocha), then you might find this recipe for chocolate chip espresso 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.
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 Espresso Cookies are the Best
- Quick & easy mocha flavored cookies that are ready in just 20 minutes
- Homemade chewy and fudgy chocolate chip coffee 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 - Use 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 cookies a delicious mocha flavor and enhances the chocolate flavor. Try it in my chocolate orange bundt cake!
- 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 coffee powder: This substitute 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 dairy-free 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.
- Aim to under-bake cookies. 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
Using espresso powder in cookies both enhances the chocolate flavor and provides a rich and deeper flavor overall.
The total amount of caffeine in this entire batch of espresso cookies is equivalent to 2-3 shots of espresso. Divided amongst 18 cookies, there is very little caffeine in each cookie.
Yes, not only is it a perfect flavor pairing, but espresso naturally enhances the flavor of chocolate when paired together in cooking and baking.
🍪 More Cookie Recipes
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Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer or electric hand-mixer
- 2 large baking sheets
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 sheets. 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.
- 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.
Mark
Delicious! We used Civilized Coffee Espresso Powder.
MaryAnne
Fantastic, Mark!
Barb Haner
These sound interesting....