Dark Chocolate Coffee Cookies
My favorite cookie of all time. These coffee cookies have a deep coffee flavor with chunks of dark chocolate ribboned in each bite. With crisp edges, a soft and chewy center and no chill time, these are the perfect cookies for any day of the week.
Whether you’re dipping in coffee or enjoying them on the go, these cookies will leave you wanting to come back for more. The combination of brown sugar, dark chocolate and espresso powder leaves the perfect sweetness without taking away from the coffee flavors.
Keep your cookie jar full with other homemade cookies, like classic chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter banana cookies or switch it up with this applesauce coffee cake.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Only 135 calories per cookies.
- Made with simple ingredients.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this coffee cookie recipe. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions:
- Unsalted Butter: make sure your butter is softened so it creams with the sugar properly. This ensures your cookies will be perfectly soft with crispy edges.
- Granulated Sugar: the mixture of brown and white sugar gives these the perfect chewy texture.
- Light Brown Sugar: you can use dark brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
- Egg
- Espresso Powder: A culinary espresso powder will yield the best results. I use Cafe Bustelo espresso powder, which has a very strong coffee flavor and is easily found pretty much anywhere. You can use your favorite.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Dark Chocolate Bar: Lindt 70% cocoa dark chocolate bar or your preferred brand. Be sure to save some for adding on the top.
Variations
- Use a milk chocolate bar for a sweeter cookie.
- Add caramel chews for an incredible new twist.
Dietary Modifications
- For gluten-free, use King Arthur Meaure for Measure GLuten Free flour.
- To make these dairy-free use coconut oil for butter and dairy-free chocolate chips.
How to make the best coffee cookies (a visual step-by-step guide):
Step 1: mix wet ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream the butter for 1 minute in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer (image 1). Scrape the sides of the bowl down, then add both sugars (image 2) and cream for 2-3 minutes until the mixture looks fluffy. Mix in the egg until incorporated, then add the espresso powder (image 3) and vanilla and mix well (image 4).
Step 2: add dry ingredients add chocolate chips
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour to the butter mixture (image 5), mixing until just combined (image 6). Add in the dark chocolate chunks (image 7) and fold in by hand (image 8), I like to keep 2 squares to push into the tops of the cookies after scooping.
Step 3: scoop into cookie dough balls
Scoop up 2 tablespoon-sized portions of dough (or use a 1-ounce sized cookie scoop) and place the dough on the lined cookie sheets at least 2-inches apart. Add the reserved chocolate chunks on top lightly pressing into the dough (image 9). Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown (image 10).
Expert Tip!
Don’t skip the chunks or flakey sea salt on top, it takes it to a new level.
Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Espresso and coffee use the same beans, however, are different methods of making coffee. Instant coffee is brewed and dehydrated coffee beans. Espresso powder undergoes the same process but because of the length of the brew time, brings out a deeper and more complex flavor. Espresso powder will be much more flavorful than instant coffee. For this recipe, you can use either but will need to add more instant coffee to get the rich flavor.
Cafe Bustelo espresso powder gives these cookies their robust coffee flavor. If your espresso powder has a mild flavor profile, I suggest using 1 Tbsp. to make sure the coffee notes come through. If you prefer just a hint of coffee flavor, use instant coffee powder instead. Instant coffee is less concentrated than espresso powder so the flavor won’t be as dramatic.
Check out our other cookie recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Coffee Cookies
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Equipment
- 1 Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 96g
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar 96g
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3/4 Tbsp. espresso powder Cafe Bustelo
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 210g
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 (3.5 oz.) dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped into bite-sized chunks 90g
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter for 1 minute in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Scrape the sides of the bowl down, then add both sugars and cream for 2-3 minutes until the mixture looks fluffy. Mix in the egg until incorporated, then add the espresso powder and vanilla and mix well.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour to the butter mixture, mixing until just combined. Fold in the dark chocolate chunks by hand, I like to keep chocolate 2 squares to break and press into the tops of the cookies after scooping.
- Scoop up 2 tablespoon-sized portions of dough (or use a 1-ounce sized cookie scoop) and place the dough on the prepared baking sheet at least 2-inches apart. Add the reserved chocolate chunks. Sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. To ensure a soft and chewy texture, rap the baking sheet on the counter firmly once or twice to deflate the baked cookies. Cool the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Notes
- A culinary espresso powder will yield the best results. You can also use instant espresso granules but you will need to use 1 ½ tablespoons total and mix it in for longer to allow the granules to dissolve.
- 3/4 Tbsp. of Cafe Bustelo espresso powder is the perfect amount, anything more will be overpowering.
- If you want chunks of chocolate visible on the top of these cookies, make sure to set some aside and press them into the tops before baking.
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
I just made these and they are SUPER yummy! I used the Nescafé Gold Espresso powder (Blonde) and the coffee flavor is super subtle. I almost don’t even notice it til after I’ve eaten the cookie if that makes sense! My 12 year old gobbled up two immediately when he got home from school. I think the combo of the subtle espresso flavor + dark chocolate + sea salt makes these amazing!
Yumm, blonde espresso sounds yummy!! So glad you loved them.