These homemade Coffee Cookies are the perfect treat for coffee lovers, combining rich espresso, chocolate, and lots of sweetness in every bite. Topped with a sprinkle of sea salt, they’re a delicious way to satisfy your sweet tooth and coffee craving all at once.
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Flavor a dessert with coffee or espresso and I will eat it. Coffee ice cream is my go-to order of choice (especially with java chips or heath bars mixed in... Oreo cookies work, too).
Give me all the tiramisu and espresso brownies, cakes, and cupcakes. Add coffee to everything, please.
However, one dessert you don't typically see coffee being added to is cookies. And why not? It's the perfect pairing!
After lots of recipe testing, I've determined that these coffee cookies are high up on the list of my favorite cookies in the world.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
If you are a fan of all things coffee-flavored, you will be absolutely obsessed with these coffee cookies.
And to be clear, you don't have to be a black coffee drinker or even a coffee drinker at all to enjoy the slightly robust, creamy flavor of sweet coffee cookies. Especially when there are chocolate chunks involved!
My mom has declared these her favorite cookies ever and even my 10-year-old nephews loved them.
They're super easy to make and can be customized in so many ways!
🗒 Ingredients
Coffee cookies are fairly simple to whip up - here's everything you need (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):
- Espresso powder: King Arthur espresso powder is my favorite. If you don't have espresso powder, you can substitute with finely ground strong coffee granules, but the flavor will likely be a bit different.
- Hot water
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semisweet chocolate chunks or chips: optional, but recommended!
- Flaky sea salt: optional, but recommended!
🍪 How to make coffee cookies
The baking process is the same as any other cookie baking process, with a simple espresso powder paste added in.
To start, add the espresso powder and hot water to a small bowl and stir until a paste forms. Set this aside.
The first time I made these cookies, I used 1 ½ tablespoon of espresso powder, but everyone who tested them wanted even more coffee flavor, so I upped it to 2 Tbsp.
If you want the coffee flavor to be a bit more subtle, you can use 1 ½ tablespoon (the flavor is definitely still there!).
Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add egg, vanilla, and espresso paste and mix until combined.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
And mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, taking care not to over-mix. Fold in chocolate chunks or chips, if using.
Now, put the dough in fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes. I highly recommend completing this dough chill step for the best cookies possible.
When the cookie dough is almost done chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop about 2 tablespoon of cookie dough (I use a #40 cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 ½ inches apart.
I like to add a couple more chocolate chunks to the cookie dough balls once they're in the pan, so they look extra pretty when baked.
I also sprinkle on some flaky sea salt and highly recommend this as it complements the flavors so well!
Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, until they're just turning golden around the edges, but are still soft.
Let the cookies cool in the pan for a couple minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
And you're ready to enjoy!! I personally think coffee cookies go fabulously with a nice big cup of coffee. But they're also perfect with tea, milk, or totally on their own.
The cookies are super soft and chewy and the flavors are out of this world. Coffee, chocolate, and sea salt are pretty much a dream team combination.
You know when you come across a cookie (or cupcake or brownie) recipe that you know will become a go-to that you'll make over and over again. These coffee cookies are that for me.
And I hope they become that for you, too!
⏲️ How to store
Once your cookies are cooled completely, store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
When stored properly, the cookies should stay fresh for about a week. If they last that long!
You can store them in the fridge to keep them fresh for longer, but the cold of the fridge will definitely change the texture a bit and I think they're much better at room temperature.
🎉 Variations on recipe
I absolutely love these coffee cookies as is in case you couldn't tell by all of my excited raving.
But I also love that there are so many ways you can customize them to suit your own tastes.
Here are some ideas:
- Leave out the chocolate if you simply want coffee flavor in all its glory
- Add Heath bars for yummy coffee toffee flavor
- Add crushed Oreo cookies if you love coffee Oreo ice cream and want to mimic those flavors
- Add mini marshmallows or marshmallow fluff swirls for even more sweet creaminess
- Add nuts like hazelnuts or pecans for extra crunch and nutty flavor
- Swirl in some caramel sauce
- Instead of chocolate chunks, try adding dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips
- Mix in a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom (or a Chai mix) for a fall-like chai flavor
- Top the cookies with a mocha glaze or a chocolate icing
No matter how you bake these cookies, I think they'll become a quick favorite amongst your friends and family!
☕️ More coffee-flavored recipes
I told you I'll add coffee into any dessert I can and that's the truth! But I'm also not opposed to adding coffee and espresso to savory dishes, too.
Here are some of my favorite recipes with coffee and/or espresso added to them:
I also love this simple coffee pudding recipe.
If you're just a coffee lover in general, be sure to check out all my Starbucks recipes.
These coffee cookies make the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, but I certainly wouldn't judge you if you enjoyed one or two for breakfast. How could I when I've done it myself??
What's your favorite coffee-flavored dessert?
📖 Recipe
Coffee Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon espresso powder
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips optional
- Flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Add espresso powder and hot water to a small bowl and stir until a paste forms. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter both sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg, vanilla, and espresso paste and mix until combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, taking care not to over-mix. Fold in chocolate chunks or chips, if using.
- Put dough in fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.
- When cookie dough is almost done chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoon of cookie dough (I use a #40 cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 ½ inches apart. Top with more chocolate chunks if you want. Sprinkle tops of cookie dough with sea salt if desired.
- Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes, until cookies are just turning golden around the edges, but are still soft. Let cookies cool in the pan for a couple minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Sharon Anderson says
My VERY FAVORITE COOKIE!!