One of our top not-so-secret ingredients in the Delish test kitchen has got to be instant coffee. Not for drinking (though truly the
instant coffee industry has come leaps and bounds), but for making our chocolate desserts taste EXTRA rich and flavorful. They don’t usually end up tasting like coffee, but have a mysterious something extra and intense chocolate flavor that will leave you wanting more.
For these espresso cookies, we really DID want to taste the coffee, so we added 2 whole tablespoons to our recipe. That being said, feel free to reduce the amount of espresso in these if you or your family or friends are sensitive to caffeine. These taste kind of like a mocha, in cookie form—what could be better than that for an afternoon or after dinner pick-me-up? They’re soft and fudgy, and might even be better the day after they’re baked (if they last that long) stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp.instant espresso
- 2 tbsp.whole milk
- 2 1/2 c.all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c.unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp.baking soda
- 3/4 tsp.kosher salt
- 1 c.(2 sticks) butter, melted
- 1 c.packed light brown sugar
- 2large eggs
- 1 tsp.pure vanilla extract
- 1 c.semisweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Directions
-
- Step 1
Adjust racks to center and lower-third position and preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. In a small bowl, combine espresso powder and milk and stir until dissolved.
- Step 2In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Step 3In another large bowl, whisk together butter and sugar. Add eggs and whisk until lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add espresso mixture and vanilla and whisk until combined. Add dry ingredients and stir until just a few dry streaks remain. Add chocolate chips and stir until just combined. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), scoop dough onto baking sheets about 2” apart. Top with flaky sea salt.
- Step 4Bake until edges are just set, 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to let cool completely.
- Step 1