Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies
Soft and chewy, these chocolate chip espresso cookies are delicious with rich coffee flavor, toasted browned butter, and plenty of chocolate chunks. They are perfect for coffee lovers. It’s like a cup of morning coffee and a cookie in one!
Yes, browning butter means there is an extra step in these cookies, but they are no chill cookies so you can make and bake them in less than an hour!
Browning butter is a step well worth taking too. It gives a rich butterscotch flavor to the cookie dough that complements the espresso flavor wonderfully.
I use this cookie base in a lot of my cookie recipes! Brown butter cookie bars, mini egg cookies, and these m&m cookie bars are just a few.
About these coffee cookies
This coffee cookie recipe is:
- Easy to make – This cookie dough is made with melted and browned butter so it can be made without a stand mixer or electric mixer.
- No chill time – You need 10 minutes to cool the melted butter is all. If you want to make these cookies in advance or extra thick cookies, they can be rolled and chilled (or frozen) until you want to bake them. However, chilling is not mandatory.
- Amazing flavors- these espresso cookies are so flavorful thanks to the instant coffee granules (instant espresso powder) in the dough and the brown butter, which brings caramel notes. It doesn’t matter what brand of instant coffee you use as long as it’s espresso powder. The bitter flavor of espresso beans works well with a sweet cookie.
- Plenty of dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks – Perfect for chocolate fans! Biting into a chunk of gooey chocolate is a real treat along with the coffee flavor.
- Chewy cookies – The cookies are chewy because of the melted butter, with slightly crispy edges.
I’ve also a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies without butter!
What is brown butter?
Brown butter, also known as beurre noisette is simply butter that has melted, and then cooked a step further so that the milk solids in the butter caramelize. This gives a wonderful caramel flavor to the butter.
The depth of flavor in the butter depends on how much it is left to caramelize. Too little and the flavor will be too mild to make a noticeable difference in the cookie dough.
Too much and you run the risk of burning the milk solids and cooking off too much liquid which can ruin the dough structure.
How to brown butter
Over medium heat, let the butter meltdown. Avoid using a dark pan as you will struggle to see the caramelization of the butter and run the risk of burning it.
Once melted, let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids in the butter have caramelized into a golden amber color and the butter smells nutty.
Pour the hot butter into a mixing bowl, including all the caramelized solids at the bottom of the pan, and allow it to cool down for 10 minutes before continuing with the recipe.
Coffee in cookies
Instant coffee powder (espresso powder) is added to the dough to increase the flavor profile. Brown butter and coffee are a match made in heaven! The coffee powder is added to the cookie dough’s wet ingredients.
I use instant espresso powder as this dissolves. Using coffee grinds made from whole coffee beans gives the cookie a rougher texture.
The ingredients
These chewy coffee cookies use only simple ingredients. Find the full list of ingredients in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
- Unsalted butter – Melted and toasted to nutty, caramel perfection. You can use cold butter right from the fridge and melt that down.
- Espresso powder – It makes this coffee cookies recipe so special.
- Brown sugar and white sugar – for sweetness. Brown sugar adds moisture to the cookie and granulated white sugar gives crisp edges. (No brown sugar? Try these chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar instead!)
- A large Egg – for structure
- Vanilla extract-flavor
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips or a semi-sweet chocolate bar, chopped into chunks.
- Flaky sea salt for topping
Method
Let the butter melt in a medium saucepan, then let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty. Pour it into a large bowl and allow it to cool down for 10 minutes.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and heat the oven.
To the butter add the sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and egg and beat it together until well combined.
Don’t worry if the espresso powder doesn’t dissolve completely in the butter mixture.
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium bowl. Stir the flour mixture into the cookie dough mixture just until a dough forms, then add the chocolate chips.
Continue stirring until it’s all combined.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line baking trays with parchment paper.
Roll the cookie dough into balls using around 2 tablespoons of dough for each, or a medium cookie scoop.
Space them out generously onto the prepared baking sheet.
Baking
Bake the cookies for around 10-11 minutes in a preheated oven until they have puffed and the edges have cooked. The cookies will seem very soft, will continue cooking a bit on the hot oven tray once out of the oven, and will firm up as they cool down.
Don’t overbake them or the cookie will be crunchy and not chewy.
While the cookies are still hot from the oven, sprinkle them with flaky salt. This is optional but salt pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the cookie. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool further.
Extra round cookies
If you would like to achieve the extra round cookie look for perfect cookies, you’ll need a circle cookie cutter or glass that’s bigger than your cookies.
Once the cookies are baked, and still hot from the oven, use the cutter or glass and place it over the hot cookie, then swirl it gently around the cookie.
This will help form it into a perfect circle. The cookies need to be hot, and not over-baked for this to work.
Storing
The brown butter chocolate cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or the baked cookies can be frozen for up to three months.
Related Recipes
If you want to make a smaller batch of these chewy espresso chocolate chip cookies without the hassle of rolling cookie dough balls, try these small batch cookie bars!
For an egg-free cookie, try these condensed milk chocolate chunk cookies!
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 218 g
all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 170 g semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
- Flaky salt to serve
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty. Pour it into a bowl and cool down for 10 minutes.
- Add the sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and egg to the butter and beat it until well combined. Don't worry if the espresso powder doesn't dissolve completely.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate medium bowl. Stir the flour mixture into the cookie dough mixture until a dough forms, then add the chocolate chips. Continue stirring until it's all combined. If the cookie dough is still very warm due to the butter, let it cool a bit more before adding the chocolate chips so they don't melt into the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line baking trays with parchment paper.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls using around 2 tablespoons of dough for each or a medium cookie scoop. If the dough feels greasy, let it stand for 5 minutes, and it will firm up. Optional: Place the dough balls in the refrigerator for 20 minutes for thicker cookies.
- Space them at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
- Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes until they have puffed and the edges have cooked. The cookies will still be very soft but will continue cooking on the hot oven tray once out of the oven and will firm up as they cool down.
- While the cookies are still hot from the oven, sprinkle them with flaky salt.
These are the best choc chip cookies I’ve ever ever tasted! Sooo delicious and so easy to make!
Thank you! So happy to hear that X
Is the butter measurement ‘sticks’ the same as ‘cups’ ? Also can you melt the butter first then measure or you measure it in solid form then melt it does either method yield the same amount required?
Thanks
Hey it’s equal to 3/4 cup butter. I measure first and then melt. It lessens in quantity a once melted since water evaporates, around 15% so it’ll be around 145g once melted
This cookie has everything I need: chocolate, coffee and salt. It is perfection.
Yay so happy to read this Beth!
I am making them right now, can’t wait for the results!
I’m a bit confused. Recipe says add sugar. Brown? Granulated? both?
Both 🙂
Hi! If I wanted to use instant coffee instead (since idk why I can’t find instant espresso in groceries around me) how much should I use? Thanks so much and I’m excited to try this recipe!
Instant coffee is the same for this recipe so you can just use the amount stated 🙂