Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Coffee cake usually takes center stage when it comes to breakfast-worthy sweet treats, but funny enough, it doesn't actually contain any coffee anywhere in the mix. These coffee chocolate chip cookies, on the other hand, are packed with rich, robust coffee flavor, making them yet another breakfast-approved sweet (and perhaps an even better one). Yes, you can enjoy one of these cookies with a cup of joe, or simply enjoy the coffee experience without the mug. 

I love these cookies because they turn out are soft and chewy in the center with those distinct crispy edges on the outside. They are also packed with bittersweet dark chocolate chips, which pair beautifully with the coffee flavor. Another great aspect of this recipe is the convenience; since you start with melted butter instead of butter straight from the fridge, you don't even need to get out the hand mixer — just a simple wooden spoon will get the mixing done. There's also convenience in deciding when to serve the cookies, as they work just as well as a breakfast or brunch treat as they do a sweet after-dinner dessert.

Our two star flavor ingredients in this recipe are instant espresso powder and dark chocolate chips. If you want the chocolate flavor without the chocolate chips, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder instead. Other necessary ingredients include eggs, unsalted and melted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large bowl. Mix to combine.

In a small bowl, stir the espresso powder and 1 tablespoon of hot water together until a smooth paste forms.

Add the espresso paste to the butter and sugar mixture and stir until evenly incorporated with no streaks.

Add the egg and vanilla to the mixture and stir until fully combined.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms with no dry pockets of flour.

Fold in the dark chocolate chips.

Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes, until firm enough to scoop cleanly.

Towards the end of the chilling period, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Scoop roughly 1 ½ tablespoon portions of dough and roll into balls. Place the dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each one to allow space for spreading.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look slightly puffed but still soft.

Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes, until firm enough to lift without bending.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

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When it comes to swapping out the espresso powder in this recipe for other types of coffee powders, some subs will work and others won't. Instant coffee will work here, but there are some things to note. The flavor will be significantly milder since instant coffee isn't as concentrated as espresso powder. To amp up the coffee flavor, use an extra 2 teaspoons of instant coffee when blending with hot water. Instant coffee granules are much coarser than espresso powder, so make sure they fully dissolve and there are no clumps before adding to the dough mixture.

Ground espresso, which is the type that you actually brew with, is not an acceptable substitution here. Since it consists of ground coffee beans, it is not meant to fully dissolve in water. The grounds will actually stay intact, even after mixing with hot water, resulting in a gritty texture in your cookies. If you're sensitive to caffeine and want to leave that out, decaf espresso powder will work just as well in these cookies.

Many cookie recipes out there call for chilling the dough, while there are some cookie doughs that actually shouldn't be refrigerated at all. In this particular recipe, however, the 30-minute chilling step is critical. The main reason the chilling step is non-negotiable is because the base of the cookie dough starts with melted butter. Many cookie recipes use chilled butter that is creamed with the sugar in the first step, which is a different process. Since we are starting with melted butter (that is likely slightly warm still), the cookies will end up with a different shape and texture if the dough is not chilled. Also, without chilling, the texture of the cookies would be somewhat greasy, and the cookies would spread too much or become too thin.

The chilled dough is also firm enough to scoop out and roll into nice and neat balls. Without chilling, the dough is very sticky and would be very difficult to form into cohesive balls. The rest time in the fridge also gives the dry and wet ingredients time to dissolve and meld, which gives you chewier cookies and more depth of flavor. If it is more convenient to make the dough and let it chill overnight, this will work fine. If the dough is too firm to roll into balls, just let it sit on the counter at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling.

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