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These coffee cookies are soft, chewy, and have real espresso mixed right into the dough. They are easy to make, ready in 25 minutes, and there’s no chill time. Full of natural espresso and gooey chocolate!
I think most of us can agree that coffee and chocolate are an absolutely divine combination, and if you’re a coffee lover like me, then these espresso cookies are the cookies you never knew you needed.
The espresso in the dough makes them ultra soft and gooey and the natural coffee flavor is a perfect pairing for the gooey chocolate chips in every bite.
The best part about these coffee cookies is that they can be whipped up so quickly, and despite the liquid from the espresso in the dough, they are baked right away with no need to refrigerate the dough first!
I think I might just start enjoying these with my afternoon coffee.
Why You'll Love These Coffee Cookies
- These espresso cookies can be made using any kind of espresso powder and can be made decaf or regular.
- If you have an espresso machine, you can make a shot of espresso using the machine instead of instant powder.
- These cookies have been tested using regular butter and dairy free butter and can be made both ways!
- Coffee cookies use simple ingredients and are freezer friendly (if you manage to have any leftovers!)
- These cookies have all the cozy, chewy goodness of a classic chocolate chip cookie, but they're like a more sophisticated espresso version!
Ingredients Needed
- Espresso Powder: you can use any kind of instant espresso powder (decaf works fine too), or use an espresso machine to make your espresso and measure out the correct amount needed.
- Flour: This recipe calls for all-purpose flour. I haven’t tested the recipe gluten free, but my recommendation would be to use gluten free all-purpose 1-1 baking flour if you’d like to try it.
- Butter: regular butter or dairy free/vegan butter will work in this recipe.
- Egg: This recipe has not been tested without an egg, but if you’d like to try it you can try replacing this with one flax egg.
- Chocolate Chips: I like to use semisweet (regular or vegan), but you can also use milk or dark chocolate chips. You can also chop up a chocolate bar and use chocolate chunks instead.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step One: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Make the espresso by combining the espresso powder in a small bowl with the boiling water.
If you’re using an espresso machine, make the espresso and measure out one and a half Tablespoons of espresso. Set aside.
Step Two: In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy (around 1-2 minutes). Add in the egg, liquid espresso, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Step Three: Add in the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix just until the last specks of flour disappear. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step Four: Use a cookie scoop or your hands to make 1.5 Tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Place them on the baking sheet, around 3-4 inches apart.
Add a couple more chocolate chips on top if desired, then bake one sheet at a time for 8-11 minutes, until the edges look set and the middles look slightly underdone.
If the cookies have puffed up too much, gently but firmly tap the baking sheet against the counter right away after removing them from the oven.
If desired, finely chop or shave a chocolate bar and sprinkle some chocolate in the middle of each cookie while they are warm.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
FAQs and Expert Tips
This recipe makes around 18 cookies, and the entire recipe only uses one and a half Tablespoons of espresso, which is less than one shot of espresso. Unless you eat the entire batch in one sitting, you aren’t getting much caffeine from one or two cookies.
If you are very sensitive to caffeine you can make the cookies with decaf espresso and the flavor will be the same!
No. While developing this recipe, I tested the recipe this way, but the espresso flavor was too subtle. Adding the boiling water to the powder beforehand brings out a much stronger coffee flavor.
Espresso is much more concentrated than coffee, so using instant or brewed coffee would give the cookies a much milder coffee flavor that will be harder to detect. I definitely recommend sticking with espresso, but if you’re going to use regular coffee, be sure to only use one and a half Tablespoons of liquid.
If your cookies didn’t spread, you likely over-measured your flour. See tips below on the proper way to measure flour.
Expert Tips
- Properly measure your flour: Over-measuring your flour will lead to puffy coffee cookies that don’t spread. I strongly recommend weighing it with a $10 kitchen scale or using the scoop and level method.
- Do not use more than one a half Tablespoons of espresso! If you are a major coffee lover, you may be tempted to add more, but adding more liquid to the recipe will throw off the ratio of dry ingredients and wet ingredients, resulting in a wet texture.
- Don’t over-mix the dough: The texture of the cookies will be affected if you over-mix the dough! Mix until the dough forms, then stop and stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Don’t over-bake your cookies! For cookies that stay soft for days, the key is to take them out when the edges look set but the middles look slightly under-done the cookies shouldn’t be golden brown all over.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
The coffee cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 4-5 days. The baked cookies can be frozen for up to two months in an airtight freezer bag.
To freeze the dough and bake the cookies later, scoop the dough onto a baking sheet and place in the freezer until semi-frozen, then transfer to a ziplock freezer bag.
More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Coffee Cookies
Equipment
- handheld mixer or Standing Mixer
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup butter, softened (regular or vegan)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder SEE NOTES
- 1½ Tablespoons boiling water SEE NOTES
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour SEE NOTES
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate, plus more for topping if desired (regular or vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Make the espresso by combining the espresso powder in a small bowl with the boiling water. If you’re using an espresso machine, make the espresso and measure out 1½ Tablespoons of espresso. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy (around 1-2 minutes). Add in the egg, liquid espresso, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add in the flour, salt, and baking soda and mix just until the last specks of flour disappear. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Use a cookie scoop or your hands to make 1.5 Tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Place them on the baking sheet, around 3-4 inches apart. Add a couple more chocolate chips on top if desired, then bake one sheet at a time for 8-11 minutes, until the edges look set and the middles look slightly underdone.
- If the cookies have puffed up too much, gently but firmly tap the baking sheet against the counter right away after removing them from the oven. If desired, finely chop or shave a chocolate bar and sprinkle some chocolate in the middle of each cookie while they are warm.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
jo
coffee lover here to say these are insanely good thx for the recipe
Gabby
Hi Jo! I'm so happy you loved them, thanks for the review!
claire M
these were to die forrrrr. used regular butter and the nestle espresso chocolate chips instead of regular chocolate chips
Gabby
Hi Claire! I'm so glad you loved the cookies! The espresso chocolate chips sound like a great addition too - thanks so much for the review! 🙂