Deeply rich and utterly satisfying, these Espresso Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies showcase the happiest marriage of chocolate and coffee. With the perfect combination of a chewy center and lightly crisp outer edges—along with that ideal "mocha" flavor—this simple recipe will have you quickly reaching for seconds!
This recipe was updated October 10, 2023.
This cookie tastes amazing any time of year, but I especially love these with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the spring and summer.
This was inspired by my Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins, and pairs well with this White Chocolate Mocha or any of our easy homemade coffee drinks.
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Ingredients
This espresso dark chocolate chip cookie uses simple, on-hand ingredients. For the espresso, you can use ground espresso beans, finely ground coffee beans, coffee powder or instant coffee.
Unsalted Butter - bring your butter out about 30 minutes before mixing to let your butter come to room temperature. If you need to use salted butter, omit ½ teaspoon of salt from the recipe.
Granulated White Sugar - the perfect touch of sweetness
Light Brown Sugar - you can use dark or light brown sugar. Lots of brown sugar lends the perfect "chew" and moisture, along with a touch of molasses.
Finely Ground Espresso - measure after grinding. I used 2 pods of instant espresso for my Nespresso machine.
Eggs - bring your eggs out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before mixing in order to bring to room temperature
Vanilla - flavor enhancer
All-Purpose Flour - or gluten free flour blend. I love King Arthur Measure for Measure and use it in all my baking recipes.
Baking Soda - just the right amount of rise.
Kosher Salt - I prefer to use kosher salt in my cookie recipes, because I love a little extra saltiness, but feel free to use table salt if you prefer.
Dark Chocolate Chips or Chunks - I used a combination of chips, pre-made chunks, mini chocolate chips and chopped chocolate because that's what I had on-hand. I love all the different textures of chocolate!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
These cookies are really simple to whip up, but pay special attention to my few tips, especially if using gluten free flour.
Place butter, sugar, brown sugar and ground espresso in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat butter mixture on medium speed for 8 minutes. This is a VERY important step to get the perfect cookie texture.
Add room temperature eggs and vanilla to butter mixture.
Add flour, baking soda and salt all at once. Mix just until no flour streaks remain. Then add chocolate.
Use a large cookie scoop to evenly scoop cookie dough and place on a silpat mat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 10-11 minutes, until edges are set and center is soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, then remove and allow to completely cool on a cooling rack.
Look at all those espresso granules and TONS of chocolate goodness! This is cookie batter perfection and will yield excellent cookies.
Hint: Cookie dough can be refrigerated if needed. Simply press plastic wrap right on top of the cookie dough (so it is not exposed to air) and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before scooping. Remove from refrigerator about an hour before scooping and baking for best results.
Substitutions
This is a seriously fantastic cookie recipe already, but here are a few ways to make it fit into your dietary needs.
- Gluten Free - as mentioned before, this recipe works great with gluten free flour blends. I use King Arthur Measure for Measure, but you can use your favorite blend, but I cannot guarantee the results.
- Dairy Free - the butter in this recipe can easily be swapped for vegan butter such as plant butter sticks or Earth Balance. Do not bring this butter to room temperature. It works better when used cold. Otherwise follow the recipe as stated.
- Vegan - to make these cookies vegan, simply swap the butter as mentioned above and then use an egg substitute. You can use a store-bought prepared egg substitute, or my use my favorite method, a flax seed egg. Check this post for lots of egg substitution ideas.
If you are strictly gluten free or have Celiac disease, please read all ingredients and be sure to use equipment that has not been used with regular flour foods. Especially if you bake for someone with allergies, just check with them for suggestions before getting started.
Variations
Again, I love this recipe as it is, with all it's chocolate mocha flavors, but here are a few ways to change it up if you want to!
- Add More Coffee - increase the amount of ground espresso or, add chopped chocolate covered espresso beans right into the cookies or place on top before baking for an added caffeine rush.
- Mix up the Chocolate - instead of dark chocolate, go for white chocolate for that white chocolate mocha cookie. Goes great with our Iced White Mocha recipe!
- Salt - add a sprinkle of kosher salt to the tops of your coffee cookies when they come out of the oven. This adds another dimension of flavor and increases the already amazing flavor in the cookie.
If you're interested in taking this cookie to the next level, try turning it into a cookie cake with this awesome Gluten Free Cookie Cake recipe. Simply add the 2 tablespoons of espresso powder and you've made an amazing cookie cake, perfect for any celebration!
Equipment
There are so many cookie baking supplies out there. But let me tell you, I make cookies almost every day (literally) and here are the few tools I can't live without.
My OXO Good Grips Large Cookie Scoop, my Silpat Mat (sometimes I use parchment paper too), and my Cookie Spatula (always slides perfectly under every cookie).
Storage
Feel free to make this dough ahead of time. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days when covered and sealed in an airtight bag or container.
Although, my favorite way to keep cookies is by freezing them! I just scoop out balls of dough and freeze in a parchment lined baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer cookie dough balls to a zip-top bag. Be sure to label and date the bag. Cookie dough will keep fresh when frozen this way for up to 3 months.
Top tip
Double your batch of cookie dough and freeze half the dough into dough balls. Then when you're ready for an after-dinner treat, grab one or two dough balls and bake. My favorite is to have lots of different flavors on-hand so the whole family gets their favorite cookie straight from the oven! Such a treat!
Espresso Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed tightly (or dark brown sugar)
- 2 Tablespoons finely ground espresso beans measure after grinding
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour or gluten free flour blend
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks
Optional Toppings
- ½ cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1 Tablespoon finely ground espresso beans
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter, sugar, brown sugar and ground espresso until lighter in color and fluffy (about 8 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until no flour streaks remain, scraping the bowl as needed. Do not over mix.
- Mix in the chocolate chips/chunks for just a few seconds.
- Scoop dough and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes until just done. Remember, the dough is dark, so the color doesn't change much when they're done. Don't over bake!
Brandon b
I'm a beginner at baking but these espresso cookies are simple and delicious!I tried freezing the individual dough balls as well and now I'm hooked on fresh baked cookies whenever I want! Give them a try.
Amy
I'm so glad you love these!