Coffee Cookies

At a glance

What stands out: These coffee cookies will put a little pep in your step! Rich, chewy, and full of chocolate in every bite.

How long it takes: 15 minutes of prep, plus 12 minutes baking per batch
Equipment you’ll need: mixer, bowl, and baking sheets
Servings: 36

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If coffee and cookies are your go-to afternoon snack (guilty!), what if we told you that you could combine the two into a single treat that’s chewy, chocolatey, and caffeinated too? These coffee cookies are a dream come true for coffee (and cookie) lovers everywhere!

This is a cookie that has had many transformations over the years. We used to make them without the chocolate chips but decided we like the mocha vibes chocolate adds to these coffee cookies. We also tested many versions of the dough to nail the reliable texture. In the end, we added cornstarch to create thick, soft cookies (reminiscent of chocolate chip cookies) without requiring any chilling time for the dough.

Although they’re excellent any time of the year, these coffee cookies would also be reliable tucked into a tin of Christmas cookies with classics like cream cheese spritz cookies. They’re an all-purpose, year-round kind of cookie!

Mocha-Flavored Coffee Cookies

Rich coffee flavor. Some people drink coffee just for the hit of caffeine; other people genuinely enjoy the taste. If you fall into the latter category, you’ll love these cookies. They’re packed with rich coffee flavor that makes them stand out from your typical chocolate chip cookie. You’ll find that a coffee cookie is the reliable accompaniment to your cup of cappuccino or espresso, or spiked hot chocolate!

Chewy texture. The addition of cornstarch creates a thick and chewy texture in these cookies to make them completely irresistible. Adding cornstarch to cookies is a little secret we've learned over the years and we think you’ll agree, it makes a difference.

Straightforward to mix. With no chilling time required for the dough, this recipe is speedy and simple to whip up whenever you’re craving something sweet (and caffeinated).

What goes in

• Instant coffee granules or espresso powder: While you can use either in this recipe, they’re not quite the same. Espresso powder is ground coffee beans, while instant coffee is made from freeze-dried brewed coffee. Espresso powder will give you a more assertive coffee flavor. Look for it in the coffee aisle of the grocery store. You can also use it to make mocha brownies, tiramisu dip, and mini mocha cheesecakes.
• Unsalted butter: Let your butter soften at room temperature for an hour before you bake so it’s straightforward to cream into the sugars.
• Granulated sugar and brown sugar: It’s important to use both types of sugar. We tested this recipe with just brown sugar and the cookies didn’t turn out as well. You can use light or dark brown sugar, whatever you happen to have on hand.
• Egg: We like to let the egg come to room temperature with the butter. It’s not a deal-breaker if you forget but it does allow the egg to blend more easily into the other ingredients.
• All-purpose flour: Just regular white flour is all you need. You could also make the cookies with whole wheat flour; we would use a 50/50 mix so the cookies don’t turn out too dense. Although we haven’t tested it, we believe a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour would also work in these coffee cookies.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch yields a thick, chewy texture and keeps the cookies from spreading too thinly on the baking sheet.
• Baking powder and salt: You’ll need these two pantry essentials for making most cookie recipes.
• Chocolate chips: We like dark chocolate chips (semi-sweet) but milk chocolate chips are fine. Coarsely chopped dark chocolate bars work well, too.

How it comes together

Preheat your oven to 350ºF. The rack should be in the middle of the oven. A preheated oven is important when you’re baking cookies. Never put cookies into a cold oven to bake; they’ll burn on the bottoms.

Prep the coffee. In a small bowl or measuring cup, blend the instant coffee or espresso powder with a tablespoon of hot water until it’s completely dissolved. Refrigerate or freeze it for a few minutes while you prep the other ingredients. If the coffee mixture is too hot, it tends to melt the butter which isn’t ideal.

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the softened butter with the sugars, both the granulated sugar and the brown sugar, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Finish mixing the wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, followed by the coffee mixture. The mixture should be smooth and combined.

Add the dry ingredients. Rather than dirtying another mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients, toss them together a bit, then work them into the wet ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Form the cookies. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. For a more rustic look, just drop the cookies 2 inches apart and call it a day. For round, symmetrical cookies, lightly shape the dough into balls first. If you’re looking for picture-reliable cookies, place a few chocolate chips on the top of the dough balls.

Bake. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are just beginning to brown. (If it’s warm in your kitchen, we recommend popping the cookie dough in the fridge while you wait for the first batch to bake.)

Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes until they firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Ways to change it

• Make them fancy. Dip the cookies into melted dark chocolate, or drizzle melted dark chocolate or white chocolate over the top. (Just make sure the cookies are completely cooled first!)
• Add extra caffeine. Instead of chocolate chips, use chocolate-covered espresso beans (or half chocolate chips, half espresso beans) to make these coffee cookies extra buzz-worthy.
• Switch up the chocolate. White chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, or a combination of two or more varieties would be rich in these cookies.

Keeping leftovers

Allow the coffee cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before placing them in an airtight container. They can be kept at room temperature for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

If you freeze these cookies, let them thaw at room temperature before serving, or warm them up in the microwave (just a few seconds!) for a warm cookie that tastes freshly baked.

• Yield: 36
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 12 minutes
• Total: 27 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons espresso powder or instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened ( 2 sticks)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips, additional if desired

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve the instant coffee granules or espresso powder in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Set in fridge to cool.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the egg until well combined. Add the dissolved coffee and mix until incorporated.
5. On top of the wet ingredients, add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Gently mix together the dry ingredients before stirring into the wet ingredients. Stir until combined. Dough will be quite stiff.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Drop rounded tablespoons (1 ½ tablespoon scoop) of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. For perfectly round cookies, lightly shape the dough into balls. If desired, top with a few extra chocolate chips for a picture perfect appearance.
8. Bake cookies on the middle rack for 12 minutes or cookies are firm and the edges are lightly golden.
9. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Storage: After the cookies have cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw frozen cookies at room temperature or warm them briefly in the microwave, just a few seconds.

Possible variations: Substitute milk chocolate or white chocolate chips. Coarsely chopped chocolate bars or chocolate-covered espresso beans could be used instead of chocolate chips. Drizzle the tops of the cookies with melted chocolate, if desired.

Recipe has been completely revised and retested 9/2024. Originally published as Coffee Cookies with Clove.