Espresso Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chunks
These Espresso Cookies have layers upon layers of coffee and dark chocolate flavor packed into them with a hefty sprinkling of flaky espresso salt to top them off. Homemade coffee-infused butter is my trick to baking the most rich, flavorful and chewy espresso cookies! Ready? Let’s bake ‘em. Yields 15 cookies.
Servings: 15 servings
Calories: 370kcal
Ingredients
Coffee-Infused Butter
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup whole espresso beans or coffee beans
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon freshly brewed espresso or strong coffee
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups dark chocolate chopped, plus more for tops
Topping
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
Infuse the Butter:
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter.1 cup unsalted butter
- Once melted, stir in coffee or espresso beans, remove from the heat, cover and steep for 30-60 minutes (the longer you allow the butter and beans to steep, the more intense the coffee/espresso flavor you’ll get).½ cup whole espresso beans or coffee beans
- Pour the butter and beans through a fine-mesh strainer set over a heatproof bowl.
- Discard beans. Place butter in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Cookie Dough:
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment affixed, add the chilled coffee-infused butter from recipe above, brown sugar and granulated sugar.1 cup dark brown sugar , ½ cup granulated sugar
- Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the egg and egg yolk and mix on medium speed for another minute until fully incorporated.1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk
- With the mixer off, scrape down the sides and bottom, then add the espresso powder, vanilla and brewed espresso.1 teaspoon espresso powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon freshly brewed espresso or strong coffee
- Mix on medium until incorporated. With the mixer off, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- Stir on low speed just until incorporated, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the chopped chocolate and stir just until incorporated.2 cups dark chocolate
- Using a ¼ cup (2 ounce) cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 6 per sheet, spacing dough about 2 inches apart.
- Gently press chunks of dark chocolate into the tops of each cookie.
- In a small bowl, mix together the espresso powder and flaky salt and sprinkle liberally on top of each cookie.1 tablespoon espresso powder, 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt
- Bake in a preheated oven for 5 minutes, rotate baking sheets and continue baking for 5 minutes more or until cookies are starting to turn golden brown at the edges and no longer look raw in the middle.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheets. Optional: use a large round cookie cutter to circle around each cookie immediately after removing from the oven. This helps create perfectly round cookies.
- Move cookies to a cooling rack and bake remaining cookies.
Notes
- Store baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I recommend warming them slightly in the microwave at ½ power for 30-45 seconds before serving
- Cookie dough may be frozen for up to 3 months. Place scooped cookie dough onto a sheet tray in a single layer and freeze for at least an hour, then place frozen cookie dough into a freezer-safe storage bag in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to baking. Place chopped chocolate and espresso sea salt on top of cookies just prior to baking
Nutrition
Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.1g | Protein: 3.8g | Fat: 20.3g | Saturated Fat: 12.1g | Cholesterol: 58.4mg | Sodium: 176.6mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26.5g
