These coffee chocolate chip cookies pair classic chocolate chip cookies with deep notes of espresso. These cookies are perfectly gooey with lightly golden brown edges and soft, chewy centers. Plus each bite is loaded with rich chocolate and coffee flavor. It’s like having your morning cup of joe in cookie form. You’re welcome, java junkies. 😉
What we love most about this recipe–aside from it being a combination of the two single best things on planet earth–is that the strength of the coffee flavor is 100% customizable. We’ve given a few options in the recipe card for a “touch” of coffee flavor to “big, bold, and bursting” with brewed coffee goodness.
Growing up, my mom and I would bake Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies together. And the best part about having a mountain of homemade cookies (well, besides getting to lick the bowl) was getting to have “breakfast cookies” the next morning. Yep. My mom was known to nab a cookie or two first thing in the morning with her cup of coffee. If I spotted her, she’d let me have some too.
Now, things have definitely not changed for me as an adult. I definitely believe wholeheartedly in breakfast cookies being a thing. But why not combine my love of coffee with my love of chocolate chip breakfast cookies?? And thus, the coffee chocolate chip cookie came to be.
Ingredients
- Butter – we use plant butter or olive oil butter to cut down on the saturated fat content. Regular unsalted butter works too. Let the butter soften slightly for best results.
- Brown and granulated sugar – a mix of granulated and light (or dark) brown sugar result in perfectly sweet cookies with the right thickness and chewiness.
- All purpose flour – for that thick, chewy structure.
- Espresso powder – if you just want a hint of coffee flavor, just add 2 teaspoons. If you’re a java junkie, try it with 2 tablespoons.
- Vanilla extract – enhances the flavors of the cookies.
- Eggs – binding agent.
- Baking soda – leavening agent to help these cookies rise.
- Salt – to bring out all the other flavors.
- Espresso or dark chocolate chips (optional) – optional but highly recommended as a yummy compliment to the coffee notes. Nestle Toll House espresso chips are great, but they’re hard to come by (and might have been discontinued entirely). So if you’re not able to find them, dark chocolate is equally delicious.
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Tips for Making Coffee Cookies
- Use a baking mat – we love to use baking mats to achieve the perfect amount of spread. They help cookies bake evenly and prevent overspreading and overcooking. Plus they eliminate the greasy residue that cooking spray tends to leave behind.
- Chill the dough – chilling the dough allows the cookie dough flavors to deepen. We like to chill these cookies for 1 hour before baking. You can skip the chill time, your cookies will likely spread a bit more.
- Don’t rely on time – baking time is a guideline since ovens can bake differently. Look for lightly golden cookies with set edges and soft centers. We prefer to under bake our cookies a hair so that when they cool and set they are super chewy.
- Adjust espresso to your taste – the beauty of this recipe is that the strength of the coffee flavor is easily customizable to your taste. For more subtle coffee flavor, add just 2 teaspoons of dry espresso powder to the cookie dough. For extra strength coffee flavor, dissolve 2 tablespoons of espresso powder into 2 tablespoons of water and add to the butter-sugar mixture. The dough will be a little stickier with the dissolved espresso, so chilling is necessary.
How to Make Coffee Cookies
In a stand mixer, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar at medium high speed until smooth and creamy and butter is lighter in color, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.
*Option 1 – for strong, bold coffee flavor, dissolve 2 tablespoons of espresso powder into 2 tablespoons of water. Mix dissolved espresso into the butter-sugar mixture.
**Option 2 – for more subtle coffee flavor, add just 2 teaspoons of dry (undissolved) espresso powder to the flour mixture (skip to the next step).
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. **For more subtle coffee flavor, add the desired amount of espresso powder to the flour mixture (do not dissolve in water). Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Fold in the espresso/chocolate chips.
Refrigerate the dough a minimum of 30 minutes before shaping. When you’re ready to shape dough, preheat the oven to 350℉. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Repeat until the cookie sheet is full.
Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden but still soft. Allow cookies to cool partially on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or wax paper to finish cooling.
How to Store
- Room temperature – store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezer – form cookies into dough balls and flash freeze for 1 hour on a cookie sheet. Transfer the dough balls to a large freezer safe Ziploc baggie for up to 3 months. You can also roll into a cookie dough log and wrap tightly with plastic wrap and tin foil to freeze. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before baking. For dough log, slice and bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Espresso powder gives these cookies a hint of coffee flavor without overpowering the other flavors. It also deepens the chocolate flavor of the baking chips.
Yes you can swap instant coffee for espresso powder, but the coffee flavor is much less intense since espresso is much more concentrated than instant coffee.
You have two options. For a more subtle coffee flavor, add the espresso powder directly to the flour-mixture and fold into the butter-sugar mixture. For a stronger coffee flavor, dissolve the espresso powder in a 1:1 ratio of powder and water and mix into the butter-sugar mixture with the vanilla.
Check out our other cookie recipes
- Dark chocolate cranberry walnut cookies
- Pumpkin pecan cookies
- White chocolate peppermint cookies
- Cookies and cream cookies
- Maple brown sugar cookies
Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ c plant or reduced fat butter
- ⅔ c granulated sugar
- ½ c light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2¼ c all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp – 2 Tbsp espresso powder (plus water, if necessary) (see notes about dry vs wet espresso options)
- 1 c espresso or dark chocolate baking chips
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar at medium high speed until smooth and creamy and butter is lighter in color, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.
- *Option 1 – for strong, bold coffee flavor, dissolve 2 tablespoons of espresso powder into 2 tablespoons of water. Mix dissolved espresso into the butter-sugar mixture.**Option 2 – for more subtle coffee flavor, add just 2 teaspoons of dry (undissolved) espresso powder to the flour mixture (skip to the next step).
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. **For more subtle coffee flavor, add the desired amount of espresso powder to the flour mixture (do not dissolve in water). Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Fold in the espresso/chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate the dough a minimum of 30 minutes before shaping. When you're ready to shape dough, preheat the oven to 350℉. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Repeat until the cookie sheet is full.
- Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden but still soft. Allow cookies to cool partially on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or wax paper to finish cooling.
Notes
- What does espresso do to cookies? Espresso powder gives these cookies a hint of coffee flavor without overpowering the other flavors. It also deepens the chocolate flavor of the baking chips.
- Can I use instant coffee instead of espresso powder in cookies? Yes you can swap instant coffee for espresso powder, but the coffee flavor is much less intense since espresso is much more concentrated than instant coffee.
- Do I add the espresso dry or wet into the cookie batter? You have two options. For a more subtle coffee flavor, add the espresso powder directly to the flour-mixture and fold into the butter-sugar mixture. For a stronger coffee flavor, dissolve the espresso powder in a 1:1 ratio of powder and water and mix into the butter-sugar mixture with the vanilla.
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