These espresso chocolate chip cookies are a one-bowl grown-up version of a classic chocolate chip cookie! Made with browned butter, and espresso grounds, and packed with chocolate, they are the best cookies for coffee lovers.
I never thought I would love an espresso-flavored dessert more than my coffee brownies and chocolate coffee cake, but these espresso chocolate chip cookies have become my newest obsession!
I started with my favorite toffee chocolate chip cookie as the base, added ground espresso, and they turned into these delicious coffee cookies! The browned butter and espresso bring a gourmet richness to the cookie dough that makes it super addicting and perfect for any occasion.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Espresso Cookies
- Chocolate and coffee are a match made in heaven! Coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor and also balances the bitter and acidic qualities it has, like in chocolate and raspberry cake.
- Every bite is buttery, chewy, chocolatey, and full of espresso flavor.
- No mixer is required! You can make espresso chocolate chip cookies with 10 simple ingredients and they come together without a stand mixer, similar to our chocolate miso cookies.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Espresso: Espresso powder is best for this recipe. You can also use the grounds from an espresso pod from your coffee machine! I tested these espresso chocolate chip cookies with coarsely ground coffee but the grounds left a gritty taste so I don’t recommend using them.
Butter: While this recipe calls for unsalted butter, salted butter can be used in equal parts. You may need to eliminate half of the salt from the recipe to prevent it from being too salty.
Chocolate chips: You can use milk, dark, semi-sweet chocolate chips (as used in this recipe), or a combination! You can also play with using chopped chocolate or chocolate chunks for big pools of melted chocolate.
Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below!
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Brown the butter. In a stainless steel pan, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat stirring constantly until browned.
Once the color is amber brown, scrape all of the butter into a mixing bowl, mix in the espresso, then set it aside to cool to room temperature (image 1 below). I have a detailed post on how to brown butter if you’re new to baking!
Step 2: Whisk in the sugars. Whisk in the light brown sugar and granulated sugar for one minute until well combined (image 2 below).
Step 3: Mix in the wet ingredients. Whisk in the room temperature egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until just combined (image 3 above).
Step 4: Mix in the dry ingredients. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, chocolate chips, and salt until just combined (image 4 above).
Step 5: Scoop and bake! Scoop the cookie dough onto one of the prepared baking trays. Chill the tray in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours, overnight is best (image 5 above)!
Bake the cookies spaced 2-3 inches apart (one tray at a time) for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with flaky sea salt if desired. Let the tray cool on a wire cooling rack before removing them.
I can tell you’re an espresso lover…which means you will LOVE my espresso tiramisu brownies. They are packed with espresso flavor!
Professional Baking Tips
- My top tip as a professional pastry chef is baking with a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the “metric” button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card.
- Chill the dough overnight. The magic happens overnight! The cookies will have a better texture and flavor with an overnight chill.
- Scoot the cookies after baking. Sometimes the cookies will bake lopsided. As soon as you take them out of the oven, place a round cookie cutter around the cookie and scoot the edges to make them perfectly round!
- Use good quality espresso/coffee. You will have the best results and cookie flavor with high-quality ground coffee.
Storage and Freezing
- Storage: Store the baked espresso cookies in an airtight container or ziplock bag for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Once scooped and frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to an airtight container or freezer bag. They will stay fresh for 1-3 months!
FAQs
Definitely! Make sure to stir it well into the hot butter so it dissolves properly.
Because these espresso chocolate chip cookies use espresso, they do contain a small amount of caffeine. Use decaf coffee beans if you are sensitive to caffeine!
Espresso powder is finely ground coffee beans that typically come in a jar in the baking aisle.
Yes! You can use a large 3-tablespoon scoop for about large 14 cookies. Add at least 1-2 minutes to the baking time!
I have not tested this recipe with instant coffee but would love to hear how they turn out!
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon ground espresso
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, *see notes for measuring in notes below*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a stainless steel pan, cook the butter over medium heat until the butter solids at the bottom are an amber brown color. (For me this takes about 10 minutes!) Scrape all of the butter into your mixing bowl.14 tablespoons (196 g) unsalted butter
- Stir the espresso grounds then set the bowl aside to cool to room temperature. (In my kitchen, this takes about 20-30 minutes!).1 tablespoon ground espresso
- Whisk in the sugar and brown sugar for one minute until combined.1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (128 g) light brown sugar, 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.1 (54 g) large egg, 1 (18 g) large egg yolk, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fold in the flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate until just combined.1 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (212 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup (76 g) chopped semi-sweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips
- Scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Then chill the tray in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours (overnight for the best flavor and texture!).
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Bake the frozen cookies spaced at least two inches apart for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden but the middle is still pale and puffy.
- Let the tray cool on a wire cooling rack and enjoy!
Notes
The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
I used instant espresso powder for mine and I felt like the brown butter flavor was more powerful than the espresso flavor. I am definitely making these again with the espresso powder to see if the espresso flavor comes through more.
Hi! Excited to try this recipe today. To clarify, do you freeze the dough overnight or refrigerate overnight? Thank you!
You should freeze it!
My home sits at an elevation of 4,700 feet. Are the ingredients in this cookie recipe based on a sea-level baking environment?
Hi Trish! You will need to make some adjustments for that level of elevation. My go-to resource is King Arthur’s post on elevation baking!
These are really delicious! I might try doing different chocolates like white chocolate and semi sweet next time. I found my dough to be really wet but I followed all of your steps and they turned out pretty much identical! Thank you for the recipe. 5 stars from me <3 Can't wait to try out more of your recipes 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Love the idea of mixing in different chocolates, I bet white and semi-sweet would be amazing together. Can’t wait for you to try more recipes!
I found the batter to be dry, and yes, I know how to measure flour. I omitted the extra tbs of flour and added the omitted egg white. If I make them again I would use a full cup of butter (extra 2 tbs) and only use 2 1/2 cups of flour. Have not baked them yet, so not sure how they will turn out.
Hi Joanne, thanks for the feedback. The dough should be soft but not dry, so it’s possible the flour measurement was still a little off if you weren’t using a scale. That said, I’d love to hear how your adjusted version turns out once they’re baked!
Can I use instant espresso powder instead of ground beans?
Yes!
I love nuts in my cookies! Have you tried adding any? If so, how much and what kind?
I haven’t! Love the idea though, I’d start with about ½ cup and adjust to your preference. Just fold them in with the mix-ins at the end. I think pecans or walnuts would be divine!
What size are you making these cookies? And do we just roll them into balls? Can you be more clear on that please? Would a 1.5tbsp scooper work?
Great question! I roll them into 2-tablespoon-sized balls (about 35–40g each). A 1.5-tablespoon scooper would make them a bit smaller, but it can work. Just watch the bake time since they’ll finish a little faster.
I made these cookies today with my medium scoop which holds the same amount that you have. My dough ended up making 31 cookies, and I baked them at 350 for 10.5 minutes. You may want to keep a closer eye on yours after 9 mins
Cambria girl you never miss. These were SO good. I think it’s a pretty forgiving recipe, too. I accidentally mixed my brown butter with ground coffee instead of instant espresso, so it didn’t dissolve. I got creative and strained the butter through a V60 coffee filter twice. I probably ended up than a lot less butter than what I started with, but still these are amazing cookies. Perfect coffee flavor, too.
Oh my gosh, I love the dedication! Straining brown butter through a V60 is next-level creativity. 😂 So glad the cookies still turned out amazing!
These cookies were so soft and in my opinion is my favourite cookie recipe i’ve tried. I only let my dough sit for one hour so the next time i make them i’m going to let them sit overnight so they can taste even better
Yay! I’m thrilled to hear that 🙂
Excited to make these! Just a quick question about the butter measurement—should it be 196g of already browned butter, or do I start with 196g of butter before browning (knowing it’ll reduce in weight)? Looking forward to your reply!
Hi Sandy! You will start with 196g of butter before browning 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
These are phenomenal! They’ve been in my freezer consistently for 3 months now so I always have them on hand fresh to bake. So naturally, I figured I should write my first review on a recipe now.
I early baked a small batch one time and then coffee flavor was very robust so we left the rest to chill overnight as suggested. She was right — magic happened. I never skip the overnight chill with these! I also found when I was down an extra egg one time, you can swap the egg yolk for a tablespoon of heavy cream in a pinch.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I plan on keeping it in my kitchen forever!
This made me so happy to read—thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Love that you found a quick egg yolk sub! So glad this one earned a forever spot in your kitchen! ❤️
Question – can’t wait to make these!
How much of an espresso flavor do these cookies have? If I want to strengthen it, do I simply add more espresso powder, or decrease one of the other ingredients to make up for the added espresso powder?
Also curious what your thoughts are on replacing the semi-sweet chocolate chips with dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Thanks so much for your insight!
Hi Becca! The espresso flavor is pretty forward, but you can definitely add more espresso powder to it! I love the idea of using dark chocolate chips or chocolate covered espresso beans, I think either one would be delicious and will work just fine. Looking forward to hearing what you think of them! 🙂
So good and easy to follow! Also 10/10 scoopability texture
That’s wonderful to hear! This recipe is one of my personal favorites—I’m so glad you enjoyed it too!
Great recipe! I made a small tweak. I replaced 1 tbsp of flour with 1 tbsp of cocoa powder for extra chocolate flavor and it was delish! Will definitely make these again.
The flavour is amazing but after following the recipe to a tee, my cookies were FLAT. So disappointed as these are intended as part of my goodies box for my neighbors.
Hi Chris, I’m sorry to hear that! If the recipe was followed correctly, it may come down to your oven temp running cooler than what it’s set to. I would try slightly increasing the heat!
hello i really cant find espresso powder i only have instant coffee powder will that work? pls and thank you 😊
That will work! 🙂
Can these be made with espresso shots/the liquid itself instead of powder? 🙂
Hi Jess! I don’t recommend using liquid espresso, the cookie dough won’t be able to handle all of the extra moisture!