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Calling all coffee lovers! Brown butter and espresso powder make the perfect addition to big, chewy chocolate chip cookies in this espresso chocolate chip cookie recipe. Make the cookies with dark chocolate chips for an extra-rich touch. Be sure to let the cookie dough chill for 24 hours before baking for the very best flavor and texture.
It has been far too long since I shared a new chocolate chip cookie recipe with you all, and that is just unacceptable.
After running this site for nearly 20 years, I have tried nearly every style of chocolate chip cookie under the sun. I’ve made soft chocolate chip pudding cookies. We added fruit into the mix with my banana oatmeal cookies. There’s even been a big, chewy chocolate chip cookie cake.
But the New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe is still my very favorite dough base to work with. It makes big, chewy, cookies with rich, nuanced flavor that comes from letting the dough chill for 24 hours before baking. (Trust me, it’s worth the wait.)
This time, I’ve browned the butter and added instant espresso powder to the dough for an even deeper flavor. If you’re a frequent visitor at your local coffee shop like I am, you’re going to love these espresso chocolate chip cookies.
Jamie’s testing notes and tips
- Use an espresso powder you actually enjoy in the dough. Similar to when you are cooking with wine, don’t just grab the first jar of espresso powder you see at the store. If you don’t enjoy the flavor of the espresso on its own, you likely won’t enjoy the flavor it adds to your cookie dough. My personal favorite is the Nescafe Gold Blonde instant espresso powder.
- Have patience and chill the dough for a full 24 hours. I know it’s tempting to only let the dough chill for a couple of hours like other recipes, but I promise you. The flavor and texture of the cookies is noticeably better after the full chilling time.
- Save time later by scooping the dough before chilling. If you want to save yourself time before baking, scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined tray, cover, and chill. When you’re ready to bake, it’s easy to just transfer the dough balls to your final baking sheet. I do this all of the time and like to use a lidded half sheet pan for this.
Helpful resources
- Browned butter adds a rich nuttiness to the cookies that pairs perfectly with the espresso powder and chocolate. Learn how to brown butter (it’s easy!) if you’ve never done this before. Make sure to let the butter cool for 20 minutes before using it to make the cookie dough.
- A mix of cake flour and bread flour give these cookies their unique, irresistible texture. If you’re out of cake flour and don’t want to run to the store. learn how to make cake flour and whip up a simple substitute to use instead.
- When measuring the flour, be sure to use the fluff, scoop, and sweep method for the most accurate results. Learn more about how to measure flour.
- Brown sugar is another ingredient that adds to the flour and texture of these cookies. If you’re out, learn how to make brown sugar. If yours hardened in the pantry, learn more about how to soften brown sugar.
Storage and make-ahead tips
Espresso chocolate chip cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours before baking. You can bake the cookies over the course of a couple of days if you’d like.
You could also pre-scoop the dough as described above, but freeze the dough balls instead of refrigerating them. Pull out frozen dough balls whenever you’d like some cookies, adding an extra couple minutes of baking time as needed. Learn more in how to freeze cookie dough.
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups salted butter
- 2 cups cake flour minus 2 tablespoons
- 1 ⅔ cups bread flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup espresso powder I recommend Nescafe Gold Blonde instant espresso powder
- 1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 12 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, let the butter continue to cook, stirring or swirling the pan frequently. The butter will start to spit, then foam, as it cooks. When the butter is amber brown and smells nutty, immediately pour it into a bowl, making sure to get the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.1 ¼ cups salted butter
- In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt and espresso powder. Set aside.2 cups cake flour minus 2 tablespoons , 1 ⅔ cups bread flour, 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ cup espresso powder
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cooled brown butter and sugars together for about 3 minutes.1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until evenly incorporated.12 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for 24 hours or up to 72 hours.
- When ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Use a large (3-tablespoon) cookie scoop to portion the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving 3 inches between each cookie.
- If desired, sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt and bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes.flaky sea salt
- Allow cookies to cool on the pans for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough or reserve remaining dough in the refrigerator for baking remaining batches the next day.
Notes
Ingredients
- If you are out of cake flour, you can make an easy cake flour substitute.
- You can find the Nescafe Gold Blonde instant espresso powder in the coffee section of most grocery stores as well as on Amazon. It makes a really great iced coffee too!
- If you are out of brown sugar, use granulated sugar and molasses to make a quick brown sugar substitute.
- If your brown sugar hardened in the pantry, check out my tips for softening brown sugar.
Tips
- I do not recommend baking the dough prior to the full 24-hour chill time. This really does enhance the flavor and texture of the cookies.
- Dough can be scooped prior to chilling. Scoop onto a parchment-lined sheet pan using a large (3-tablespoon) scoop; you do not need to leave much room between the cookies. Cover (I like using a lidded half sheet pan for this) and refrigerate the dough balls for 24 hours or up to 72 hours. When ready to bake, simply transfer the chilled dough balls 3-inches apart onto lined baking sheets.
- To make your cookies perfectly round: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a 4-inch ring mold or large, overturned coffee mug to bring your cookies back into a perfect circle.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
