
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.
More of a cafe au lait person than a mocha fan? It’s true that instant coffee does go great with chocolate, but it’s also a fun addition to less chocolate-forward desserts too. It adds a depth of flavor to chocolate chip cookies, blondies, and ice cream you’ll love. Not sure what to do with the rest of that container of instant coffee? Check out our coffee dessert recipes for inspiration. We’re ALL about our coffee cookies 'n' cream ice cream, trendy Dalgona coffee, and Frappuccino pancakes, and bet you will be too.
Have you made these yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp.
instant espresso
- 2 Tbsp.
whole milk
- 2 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup
unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp.
baking soda
- 3/4 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1 cup
(2 sticks) butter, melted
- 1 cup
packed light brown sugar
- 2
large eggs
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup
semisweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Directions
- Step 1Adjust 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.

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