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Quick and Easy

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

by:
April 28, 2021
4.7
32 Ratings
Photo by Rocky Luten
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 12 minutes
  • Serves 50-55 cookies
Author Notes

I love the way coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate, which is why I started doctoring up my favorite chocolate cookies with espresso powder. These cookies are not for the faint of heart, they are decadent and rich, and best accompanied with a glass of milk. —Kelsey Banfield

Test Kitchen Notes

"Two warnings about these cookies: don't give them to young children before bedtime and don't leave them lying around (if you want any left for yourself). These cookies are crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle with pockets of soft chocolate. The espresso powder, as KelseyTheNaptimeChef notes, amplifies the chocolate, but not the sweetness, making it a grown-up cookie. When making any cookies, make sure to cream the butter really well–this aerates the cookies and integrates the sugar–but be conservative with your mixing once the dry ingredients are added." –A&M

"Call me crazy, but I like to drink milk from animals, specifically cows. So when Food52 Writer and Recipe Developer Emma Laperruque announced she was planning an almond milk taste test a couple of weeks ago, I quickly told her I wouldn’t be participating.

But Emma had a secret weapon: Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies. Straight from the oven. And only almond milk testers could get a taste.

These rich, chocolatey cookies are a classic here at Food52. Community member Kelsey Banfield first shared them on the site back in 2009, and they've been sweetening company events and celebrations ever sense. When developing the recipe, Banfield wanted to create an espresso brownie in cookie clothing.

'I love the way coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate, which is why I started doctoring up my favorite chocolate cookies with espresso powder,' Banfield says. 'I also had a toddler at the time so I didn't mind the caffeine kick.'

The recipe calls for two tablespoons of instant espresso powder, the thought of which might make your heart beat a little faster. But don’t skimp. Espresso powder makes chocolate magically more chocolatey, with a slight mocha taste and no extra sweetness.

Before you make a batch, heed Banfield's advice:

'These cookies are not for the faint of heart. They are decadent and rich, and best accompanied with a glass of milk.'

Yes, even almond milk." –Katie Macdonald

—The Editors

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Watch This Recipe
Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (like Medaglia D'Oro, or similar)
  • 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then, add eggs one at time, mixing after each addition to make sure they are well combined.
  3. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. I use a whisk to make sure the dry ingredients are well mixed.
  4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully combined, but do not overbeat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate chips.
  5. Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Using a 1 1/2" ice-cream scoop, or rounded teaspoon, drop dough on the sheet 2" apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve.
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Home cook, food blogger, cookbook author, wine lover, avid traveler, and mother of two young children. Check out my books: The Naptime Chef: Fitting Great Food into Family Life (2012), and The Family Calendar Cookbook: From Birthdays to Bake Sales, Good Food to Carry You Through the Year (2015), Running Press.

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154 Reviews

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tekkie22 December 14, 2023
Made the recipe using espresso shots instead of powder. Used 1/4 cup less white sugar. Increased flour and baking soda slightly to compensate for liquid from espresso. Cookies came out really good. Will be making these again for sure.
rivnam March 7, 2023
Hello! I made these recently and they're 10/10! I used instant coffee in place of espresso powder. My husband, however, isn't.a fan of the coffee flavour in cookies. If i leave out the espresso powder, will it change the texture of the cookies?
golden M. October 30, 2022
Delicious chocolate cookie! I used regular unsweetened cocoa and special dark. When they came out of the oven I added two candy eyes as tomorrow is Halloween. Great recipe.
Susan L. July 12, 2022
This is, hands down, the best cookie I have ever baked...and I'm 58...I'm known for my chocolate desserts...I teach "Home Ec" now called Family and Consumer Science. My husband asked for this cookie for his birthday instead of cake. They are THAT good! Measure carefully and don't overcook.
Bebe December 28, 2021
My daughter and I baked up some post-Christmas Day cookies and this was the winner, hands down…delicious!
katherineannhickey@gmail.com October 11, 2021
I was disappointed with this recipe... the batter was very gritty and hard to work with, and the baked cookie itself had a bit of a sandy texture.
AdventureGirl October 19, 2021
The first time I made them, it was really gritty with a sandy texture. I remade them with super fine sugar and I beat the butter for 3 minutes and then added the sugar and beat an extra 3 minutes. The texture was not gritty the second time around.
Susan L. July 12, 2022
I think that you might not have beat the butter and sugar long enough
Sharon May 16, 2021
I have made this recipe several times and it is so good. I don't bake but this looked easy and I love the coffee/chocolate combo. I usually make the recipe, bake about 1/4 of it and package the rest for the freezer. Delicious and I always have them on hand.
Janet X. December 23, 2020
I make a set list of cookies for Christmas each year, including springerle, pizzelles, and six or seven others. A few days ago, my Christmas baking complete (or so I thought!), I was served some store-bought cookies that involved chocolate and coffee that were so good that I went looking for a recipe and headed back to the kitchen. These are SO good. Yes, I changed them, but only a little. I reduced both the sugar and brown sugar to 3/4 cup of each, added a teaspoon of vanilla, and added a tablespoon of instant decaffeinated coffee to the two tablespoons of instant espresso. My husband said, "You should add these to the regular Christmas cookies." I shall.
Sequeiraca December 14, 2020
I don't have a mixer. If I hand mix, how long should I hand mix?
Cgraeff December 14, 2020
No worries. These cookies are very forgiving. I would just hand mix until everything seems to be incorporated. They do get a little firm and it will take some muscle. I’ve made them many times and they always try out great.
candieadams July 19, 2020
I fell in love with Deseo cookies with cocoa and dark chocolate chips during a visit to Eataly in NYC a few years ago...from then on, whenever I visited the city, I'd stock up...not much hope of doing that any time soon so I tried this recipe to make my own...just finished baking them and they turned out wonderfully...
Lindsey June 26, 2020
Great cookies. Made as directed except I subbed espresso chips for half the chocolate chips. I also refrigerated the dough overnight which really helped with the shape. Some people mentioned their cookies spread too much (due to all the butter) so chilling the dough will definitely help.
Dockjekyll April 13, 2020
Amazing cookies! Exactly as described with wonderful soft centers and slightly crispy exterior. I halved the recipe but kept the espresso the same (2 tbs for half the other ingredients). I used freshly ground espresso beans that I use in my espresso machine. I also made larger cookies using a golf ball sized ball of dough. Half the recipe made 15 amazing cookies.
Thanks for sharing! Huge hit!
Ken D. November 24, 2019
Made these today. Turned out great. Used dark chocolate chips and they were fabulous.
Michelle M. November 8, 2019
What can I make using espresso baking chips? I have that and not the espresso powder. We don't use instant coffee either. I'm stuck! Lol.
AdventureGirl November 8, 2019
omit the powder and use 6 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips and 6 ounces of your espresso baking chips.
Rsmeltzer October 16, 2019
Can anyone think of clever ways to veganize these cookies?
tekkie22 December 13, 2023
Vegan chocolate chips and vegan butter or warmed coconut oil. Use only baking soda instead of eggs (and maybe add some aquafaba to batter). You'll have to experiment with the ratios.
Katrina B. July 12, 2019
Whaaaaay too much salt. Maybe try 1/2 tsp. This was honestly okay but the salt destroyed it.
thirschfeld July 13, 2019
Made them dozens of times. Recipe is spot on. Maybe you added double by accident.
russeaime October 15, 2019
Same here as thirschfeld. Made this a million times exactly as written and never had a problem with the salt.
Sheri L. November 10, 2019
If you used regular table salt instead of kosher as called for it would be too salty.
Erika C. December 17, 2018
I made these cookies over the weekend. Followed the recipe to the T and they came out dry, good flavor but dry. I have no clue what I did wrong. Will try making them again. Any ideas of what could've gone wrong?
Dindin S. May 15, 2019
Overbeat or too long in the oven?
heathjeffrey February 24, 2021
I found if I bake them at 375 for 8-9 minutes they come out better for me.
Susan L. July 12, 2022
I teach cooking and it would be my guess that you had too much flour. If you scoop the flour with your measuring cup you will compact it and get too much. Stir the flour and lightly spoon it into your measuring cup until it is way over the top. Get a metal spatula or the flat side of a butter knife and gently slide it across the top of the measuring cup. Trust me...it makes a difference if you are not weighing your flour.
DarrahP November 29, 2018
This is the 3rd time I'm making these cookies. They make so many which I love because I can share them with friends, family, and coworkers. They have a great cakey texture, are extremely rich, and REQUIRE a glass of milk. If you really enjoy that coffee flavor I would add 3-4 tablespoons of espresso powder. They have a good chocolate - espresso balance but I enjoy a more coffee flavored cookie.
Cgraeff September 8, 2018
I used instant expresso as called for and the coffie flavor was still suttle but if you thought “coffee” you could taste it. Delicious cookie! True comment to stay away from these cookies too close to bedtime. 😝
Cgraeff October 16, 2019
Oh I recently found decaf instant espresso powder on Amazon and will be substituting that next time
Marie September 1, 2018
I wonder (about those of you who sample raw dough) if you are aware of this:
https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm508450.htm
Susan L. July 12, 2022
Just use pasteurized eggs