Pair your cup of joe with these crisp, chewy, and scrumptious coffee cookies for the ultimate coffee experience!
Think of this pairing as the adult version of milk and cookies. It’s strong, stimulating, and simply delish.
These coffee cookies aren’t just for coffee addicts, though.
While their coffee flavor is definitely strong, there’s more to them than just that.
The flavor is divine, and texture-wise, they’re absolute perfection.
They’re crisp and chewy around the edges. They’re so soft in the middle, that they almost melt in your mouth.
They’re studded with chocolate chunks and pecans, two elements that complement each other beautifully.
The sticky coffee glaze is the perfect cherry on top. It adds an extra layer of sweetness and coffee goodness.
I bet you’re drooling already, so let’s dive right in!
Coffee Cookies Recipe
If you like mocha, you’ll love these coffee cookies.
This recipe combines chocolate and coffee to create the best flavor profile known to man!
The coffee flavor makes the cookies sweet, but not saccharine. Coffee and dark chocolate create the perfect balance.
These coffee cookies aren’t just irresistible, they’re easy to make, too.
The dough doesn’t require chill time, which means you can bake them right away and wolf them down once they’re done!
Ingredients
Short and sweet, just like I like it! Here’s everything you need for these scrumptious coffee cookies.
- Instant coffee/espresso powder. Any kind works, as long as it’s high-quality. You can even use decaf if you’re planning on serving them to kids.
- Flour. The base of the cookie dough. I use all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sugar. I use equal parts white and light brown sugar for the best results. Brown sugar adds moisture to the cookies, but since it’s too sweet, you’ll want to balance things out with white sugar.
- Butter. It has to be softened to room temperature before use. That’ll make it easier to incorporate it with the sugars.
- Egg. Allow it to come to room temperature beforehand so it mixes easily with the other ingredients.
- Chocolate chunks. I prefer semisweet because I don’t like my cookies to be overly sweet. But whatever kind of chocolate works here, dark, milk, white, you name it.
Are coffee cookies high in caffeine?
The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso for an entire batch, which makes 15 cookies.
That’s less than a shot of espresso for all cookies combined.
So, no, these cookies aren’t high in caffeine. Even if you eat the entire batch, you’ll still only get less than a shot’s worth of coffee.
How to Make Coffee Cookies
Here’s the best thing about these coffee cookies: they’re incredibly easy to make and you won’t need to chill the dough before baking.
That means you get to enjoy them right when they’re done. Yay!
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the butter, sugars, and egg.
Beat them together at medium speed just until the mixture turns smooth and fluffy. This will take about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the dry ingredients.
Gently mix in the flour, coffee, baking soda, and salt. I like to sift the dry ingredients to ensure my batter doesn’t have any lumps.
At this point, it’s better to use a spatula to mix the ingredients instead of a hand mixer. This way, you don’t risk over-mixing the dough.
Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour. Expect a thick dough.
4. Drop and bake.
Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Be sure the dough balls are at least 2 inches apart to make room for spreading.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes. The edges should have set, but they should still be wet in the middle.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 4 minutes, and then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Or, if you can’t wait anymore, have one now!
5. Make the coffee drizzle.
While the cookies are cooling, make the drizzle by dissolving the instant coffee and powdered sugar in water.
The glaze should be thick and sticky.
6. Garnish, serve, and enjoy.
Once the cookies have cooled, drizzle the cookies with the glaze. Serve them and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Coffee Cookies
Want your cookies to come out perfect every time? Check out these excellent tips and tricks below!
- Measure the flour properly. Using more flour than needed will yield dry cookies. The best way to get the most accurate measurement is to use a kitchen scale. Or, just scoop with a large spoon into your measuring cup.
- More coffee, please! For a more pronounced coffee flavor, add another tablespoon of instant coffee or espresso. Want the coffee flavor but not the caffeine? Easy, just use decaf!
- Don’t over-mix the dough. This is another culprit for dry cookies. You’ll want to stop as soon as the wet and dry ingredients are well combined.
- Avoid overbaking. The edges should look set, but the centers should still be a little wet. They’ll continue to cook as they cool. We all know gooey, underbaked cookies are much better than dry, overbaked cookies.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Allow the eggs and butter to come to room temperature first. It will ensure that everything blends easily.
How to Store and Freeze Coffee Cookies
To Store
First, be sure the coffee drizzle has been completely set before storing.
This way, you can pile the cookies on top of each other without worrying about them sticking.
Place the cookies in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for 4-5 days.
To Freeze
For baked cookies: place them in freezer-safe bags and freeze them for up to 2 months. Let them thaw at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
For unbaked cookie dough: Form the dough into balls and place them on a lined baking sheet. Freeze them for 1-2 hours or until frozen solid.
Transfer the balls into freezer-safe bags and freeze them for up to 2 months. Bake them straight from the freezer, adding 1-2 minutes to the total bake time.
If I leave out the chopped nuts would any ingredient measurements have to be adjusted?
Hi Margaret, you can definitely leave the nuts out if you prefer! They’re optional.
Hi Harriet, I love baking too, and I sure hope you enjoy the cookies!
These were so easy to make at the end of a huge baking day and they were a hit. Two people said they were their new favorite cookie, so I’ll definitely be baking them again.
I made them with King Arthur gluten-free flour and used the instant coffee granules, though also added a splash of strong coffee to the batter. Left out the nuts as well due to allergies, but may try them another time for a different group. Texture turned out great, a little softer than they looked in the photos, which I was very pleased with for a gluten-free cookie. Also ended up making the glaze with just strong coffee and powdered sugar and that worked great too, it really adds to the cookie. Very happy with this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!! <3