Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Does anyone else get excited when you find interesting ways to incorporate coffee into desserts and other baked goods? Just me? Well, you might have other thoughts after you check out this next recipe of mine because it’s a good one!

These Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies combine all of my favourite things into one dessert – coffee, chocolate and browned butter. Pair it with a cup of coffee and my afternoons become the most wonderful thing. I also love that you can separate the cookie dough into individual portions and store in your freezer in a Ziploc bag for up to three months. Whenever you feel like a cookie, just take one out and pop into the oven. This way you’ll have warm cookies on demand and your home will be smelling yummy! Double win.

A lot of recipes you see on the internet use instant coffee. I’m not against good instant coffee when you’re in a pinch but I am certainly not a fan of it when you’re baking or cooking. Hard no for me. You can taste the difference. Trust me, I’ve tried it. 

You can bake this dough right after mixing it but I recommend waiting at least 24 hours. Allowing the dough to rest in the fridge lets the flour hydrate and creates a texture reminiscent of bakery style cookies when baked. However if you’re in dire need of delicious cookies ASAP, then go ahead and bake right away. I'm not going to stop you :).

Here’s my recipe, adapted from Anna Olson’s classic that I used for decades until I started experimenting more with baking. Anna Olson (and her show Sugar) was a huge inspiration for me growing up and I attribute my passion for baking to her great show and easy to follow recipes.

Yield: 18 cookies

Adapted from: Chocolate Chip Cookies a la Anna Olson

Ingredients

• 170g (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp milk powder
• 25g fine grind coffee
• 200g (1 cup) dark brown sugar
• 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk*
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 170g chopped dark chocolate (or chips), 50-60% cacao (the better the quality, the better it will taste)

Preparation

1. Heat 1 stick (114 g) unsalted butter and milk powder in a large saucepan over medium heat, swirling often and scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon, until butter foams, then browns, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add the ground coffee into the pot while still hot and let it steep as the mixture comes to room temperature.
2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda and sea salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Scrape the cooled coffee butter and any brown bits into a large mixing bowl and cut the remaining ½ stick (56 g) unsalted butter into small pieces and add to brown butter. Mix everything together until smooth.
4. Add the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar to the butter and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is well incorporated. You can use an electric mixer for this part but it really isn’t necessary.
5. Add 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, vanilla extract and almond extract and mix until the mixture is smooth and no lumps are present.
6. Using a wooden spoon (do not use an electric mixer for this part as you risk overworking the dough and making it tough), mix the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until no dry spots or flour pockets remain.
7. Fold in dark chocolate until well mixed.
8. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour, preferably 24 hours.
9. Scoop dough into balls using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.
11. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
12. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk!

*You can store the unused egg white in the fridge for 48 hours. Add it to your breakfast the next morning!