Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

These tasty espresso chocolate chip cookies combine the classic chocolate chip cookie with a pick-me-up of espresso. Notes of coffee and chocolate flow through in each bite.

Rich Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ditch the morning coffee and have one of these espresso chocolate chip cookies for a morning pick-me-up instead! I'm kidding — well, only slightly. The rich espresso flavor in these brown butter chocolate chip cookies will easily wake you up.

There's a lot going on in these espresso chocolate chip cookies. It's an overload in a good way. The cookies start with rich brown butter, creating a caramelized, nutty base for chocolate chip cookies. Then, three tablespoons of espresso powder is added to the batter for a strong coffee flavor. The cookies finish off with a cup of chocolate chips. You can use your favorite type of chocolate here, but I would recommend a dark chocolate chip for the best flavor.

Espresso powder is the signature coffee flavor in these cookies. It has been my secret ingredient when baking lately, so I decided to make it the star of the show in this recipe. The powder can be added directly to recipes, with no brewing required. See how the espresso powder helps bring out the chocolate flavor in these classic brown butter brownies.

Looking for more cookie ideas? My simple snickerdoodle and fluffernutter cookies are always tasty and simple to make.

Espresso chocolate chip cookies on a blue plate.

Why I Love These Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flavor Combination - The bold espresso flavor, plus the rich dark chocolate chips, make for an excellent bite.
Brown Butter - The rich brown butter flavor takes these cookies to a new level.
Freezer-Friendly - The cookies are great to make and keep in the freezer.

Ingredients Needed To Make Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

See below for all the details on what you'll need to make the full recipe.

Butter - Browned and slightly cooled
Cornstarch - Makes the cookies chewy and soft.
Espresso powder - Gives the cookies the signature coffee flavor.
Chocolate chips - You can use any flavor, but I recommend dark chocolate.
Eggs - An extra egg yolk adds to the richness of these cookies.

Directions For How To Make Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prepare.
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set to the side.
Brown the butter.
In a small saucepan, brown the butter. It will melt, turn foamy, then golden brown. Make sure to keep an eye on it because it will melt fast. Add the melted butter to a bowl and add the remaining two tablespoons of butter to cool it down.
Mix wet ingredients.
In the bowl with the brown butter, whisk in the sugars, followed by the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Mix until combined and smooth.
Add in the dry.
Fold in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder until there are no streaks.
Add the chocolate chips.
Add the chocolate chips to the batter and mix them to distribute evenly.
Bake the cookies.
Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared parchment paper, six at a time. Top the cookie dough balls with extra chocolate chips before placing them in the oven. Bake the cookies for 8 to 11 minutes.
Cool the cookies.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Serving Suggestions

These cookies are pretty great on their own, but if you want to take them up a level, turn them into ice cream sandwiches. Take two cookies and add your favorite flavor of ice cream into the middle.

Make Ahead and Storage

The espresso chocolate chip cookies can easily be made ahead of time. Make the cookies 2-3 days beforehand and store them in an airtight container until ready to serve. The cookie dough can also be made and frozen in balls. Take the cookie dough balls out of the freezer and place them directly on the cookie dough sheet. Since they were frozen, they might need a minute or two longer in the oven.

The cooked cookies can also be frozen. Store the espresso chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container for 2-3 months in the freezer.

A close up of an espresso chocolate chip cookies.

Tips and Variations

Lighter brew - If you want the coffee flavor in your cookies to be more subtle, add half of the espresso powder. It will still be present, but it won't be the main flavor.
Chocolate chips - If you want more chocolate chips all around, top the cookie dough balls with 3-4 chips before placing them in the oven.
Brown butter - Don't have time or not feeling the brown butter? Just melt the butter and continue on with the recipe.

FAQs

What does espresso powder do in cookies?

In these cookies, espresso powder adds a coffee flavor. In other baked goods, a small amount is added to highlight and bring out other flavors in the dish.

What is the best espresso powder for baking?

Most espresso powders can be used when baking. Look for an espresso powder for a fine grain so it won't be present in the final product.

Is instant coffee and espresso powder the same thing?

While the two powders look very similar, they are different. Instant coffee is a quick way to make coffee that can often be bitter and sour. Espresso powder has a smooth taste with a robust flavor.