Someone commented to me recently that Shane must eat like a king with all the recipes I try for the blog. I wouldn’t exactly go that far, but there is a lot of variety to our meals so it’s never boring. There is, however, a downside to being this food blogger’s husband. Two, actually. First, even if you’re starving, you usually have to wait a few extra minutes for a couple of photos to be snapped before you can dig in. Also, you really can’t get too attached to any one recipe. We have a few go-to dinner options that I repeat, but otherwise, if I’m cooking I’m probably trying something new. The same goes for baked goods, maybe even to a larger extent – there’s almost never a repeat (outside of ice cream recipes, which seem to be the exception). When a simple craving for a chocolate chip cookie struck the other day, instead of turning to my favorite recipe, I started searching for a variation. Because you can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes, right? π
I ended up deciding on these espresso chocolate chip cookies. I was mostly intrigued by the fact that these are baked at a lower temperature (300 F) than just about every other cookie recipe I’ve made. And then there was the espresso too – I tend to like its addition to baked goods, and I wondered how it would impact the flavor here. I baked the cookies just until the edges were barely set and the centers looked underbaked, and was rewarded with a really fantastic chewy cookie, my favorite kind π They also don’t spread much in the oven, so they’re on the thicker side, which is another must for me. All of the brown sugar in the recipe contributes to the chewiness, but it also gives these cookies great flavor. As for the espresso? It lends a bit of a speckled appearance to the cookies, and I could definitely smell it in the dough and even in the baked cookies. I guess it depends how sensitive you are to espresso, but I didn’t think it was a very noticeable flavor – instead, it just gave the cookies a little something extra that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. I liked these so much I even baked a few for myself without the chocolate (yes, I’m the weirdo who doesn’t like chocolate chips in my chocolate chip cookies) so I wouldn’t have to pick around the chocolate and could just savor every sweet, chewy bite!
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Food Network
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks (or chips)
Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder together in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, and beat just until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
You can bake the cookies immediately but I liked them better after refrigerating the dough for a few hours (or even overnight).
Portion the dough into 1-2 tablespoon balls (I weighed mine – each was just over 1 oz) and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them. Press the dough down to spread it into roughly a 1 1/2 to 2-inch circle (the cookies do not spread much during baking). Bake for about 14-15 minutes or until edges are set (the cookies will seem underbaked, but as they cool they’ll set and be perfectly chewy). Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for a few minutes before removing them to the rack.
Makes 20-24 cookies
i know exactly what you mean by the guys having to wait around for us to snap pictures!! haha, i always get the same comment too about how jason gets to eat so well.
i love the combination of chocolate and espresso together! these look like great cookies to have with a cup of joe π
Those cookies look so thick and delicious! I laughed at your anecdote about having to wait for photos to be taken before digging in.. I’ve annoyed my husband so many times with that!
“No! Don’t touch it – I have to style it first!”
Such is the life of a food blogger.
I’m not the only one who loves chocolate chip-less cookies – hooray! And I’m intrigued by this; I’ve made cookies with this flavor combo, but might try this recipe since you say it comes out wonderfully chewy.
Ooooh yum. I’ve never made mocha stuff in cookie form. Will have to try this out soon. I’m sure it’ll be divine!
LOVE. THIS. Espresso anything has me hooked. And my husband can totally relate to this. He has gotten used to waiting for dinner for me to photograph it!
I made your oatmeal cookies recently, and my husband loved them, he requested me to make chocolate chip cookies, this recipe is right for me, I will let you know how they turn!
I love chocolate chip cookies with chocolate covered espresso beans but I hate getting the beans stuck in my teeth (lovely picture, right?) – this will solve that problem! I can’t believe I didn’t think to do this! YUM!
thanks for the detailed reviews on these, i.e brown sugar, espresso, thicker, chewy…that hits all my requirements and thanks for the backlink to your fave go to recipe, the cooks illustrated one. That’s been mine lately, too.
My hubby can attest to those two downfalls of being married to a food blogger π BUT, they are pretty lucky! I love trying out new recipes. I certainly will give this a shot next time I decide to make some cookies. They look absolutely divine!
my husband can relate to yours 100% π
i can tell from the pictures that this is the exact texture i love in my cookies!
I’m the same way, I usually don’t try and make the same thing twice, just so I can have some variations and different recipes up my sleeve.
And I’ve always wondered, so you actually plate your food at night (when you’re ready to eat dinner)? Because if so, how do you get your picturs looking like you took them in the morning or afternoon? I’m trying to learn some lighting techniques because the only time my photos look good is when I take them a little after 9am.
P.S. you’re not weird for notwanting chocolate chips in your chocolate chip cookie. I’ve actually been wondering what a chocolate chip cookie would taste lik without the chocolate chips, so I might try that out some time.
love this cookiees….plz post me
Coffee and chocolate! Yum! They look gorgeous!
Ohhh so tempting…
Kisses,
Rita
I’ve been thinking a lot about that “always trying something new for dinner” thing. I made a repeat dessert last night, and I almost felt guilty that I wasn’t creating something new for the blog.
These cookies look fantastic!
I love adding instant espresso powder to chocolate recipes. These cookies look incredible! I can’t wait to give them a try! π
@Becca – Yes, I actually take a lot of photos at night. By the time we eat dinner it’s already dark about 5 months out of the year… The pictures I’ve taken at night I’ve shot using a speedlite for my camera (I think this is the one I have: http://amzn.to/zqQp2b). It’s an external flash that produces more natural, less harsh light than the flash on my camera. There’s definitely a learning curve involved in setting it up and using it, but I couldn’t live without mine now!
Oh, and chocolate chip-less cookies is where it’s at, give it a try! π
My aunt keeps telling me to add espresso in my CC cookies too! I need to get on this!
NEED THIS!!!!
These look delicious!! And my sister is also a weirdo who doesn’t like chocolate chips in her cookies ..
Oooh, espresso in cookies? Why haven’t I thought of that before? Espresso and chocolate is such a classic combo.
i had decided that i already had a favorite chocolate chip cookie until i saw these. espresso is such a good idea!
Husband’s need their own section on our blogs where they can complain about waiting for pictures and everything else we put them through!
I am not a coffee fan, but I always wonder about putting it in baked goods. I love a thick and chewy cookie, so I will have to try them!
All of my boyfriend’s coworkers say how lucky he is to eat all my baking. Little do they know that he gets the ugly rejects or the things that are several days old because I didn’t have time or the right light to take pictures immediately after baking! Can’t wait to try these cookies out!
These cookies were delicious! The smell draws you in and the flavor does not disappoint! I find myself wanting to keep going back for ” just one more”. Thanks for sharing with us!
These sound awesome! I love that my husband is so flexible with food – as long as there’s something to eat, he’s happy, and he almost always appreciates my experiments in the kitchen.
These cookies are delicious. After seeing your blog I decided that I must make the dough (started at 10:30 pm) after letting the butter soften and the egg come to room temperature- and then stuck it in the fridge overnight. They are yummy!!
These cookies are delicious!! I took your advice and made the dough before I went to bed and let it sit in the fridge overnight-absolutely yummy! Thanks for posting π
Oh 2 dozen please! We both love the flavor of chocolate and espresso.
Cheers β€
J & C
These look great! I am wondering though, how do they compare to the Cook’s Illustrated CCC that you mentioned is your favorite (and is my favorite as well)? Would you make these again, or would you go back to the Cook’s Illustrated cookie first? Thanks!
It’s true. There are very few repeats out there. There are too many recipes to try. These cookies look tasty.
The only recipe I seem to repeat is Nestles Tollhouse cookies…just b/c of the begging π The life of a food blogger’s family is so tough. I’ll definitely try these. And I almost hate to admit this, but I always pick the cookies with the least amount of chocolate, too!
@Jana – I think I slightly prefer the Cook’s Illustrated recipe because of the brown butter, i love that stuff! So, for flavor, I’d go with those. Texturally though, I loved these.
Tracey, I made these cookies last week, and I had so many people tell me that they were the best cookies they had ever tasted. Thanks for the recipe!
Made these on Friday, turned out great! I used a 5cm ice-cream scoop and made 13 biggies. Very very very sweet though, and I had problems creaming the sugars and butter due to the sheer amount of brown sugar. I’d probably reduce it to 3/4cup next time I make these, and I’m definitely going to double the coffee. I used mini choc chips instead of chunks, and I only used 3/4cup of those, which was the perfect amount. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!