Coffee Cookies Recipe with Brown Butter and Espresso

Coffee Cookies

If you love the flavor of a good mocha, these coffee cookies are about to become your new favorite afternoon treat. They take a classic chocolate chip cookie and give it a serious upgrade with nutty brown butter and instant espresso, so every bite tastes sweet, soft, and boldly coffee flavored.

The best part? You can mix and bake the whole batch in about 30 minutes. No chilling, no fuss, and no complicated steps.

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The recipe is also gluten free, which means more people at your table can enjoy it. Each cookie is scooped large with a 3 tablespoon scoop, so you end up with 10 generous bakery style cookies that stay soft and chewy for days.

I first made these on a slow Sunday morning, and honestly, one warm cookie dunked in a hot cappuccino was the ultimate pick me up. You are going to LOVE them.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There are so many reasons this recipe deserves a spot in your baking rotation:

• One bowl, no chilling. Everything comes together in a single bowl, and the dough goes straight into the oven. From start to finish, you are looking at about 30 minutes.
• Real coffee flavor with a kick. Instant espresso adds bold mocha flavor and a little caffeine, without any brewing or messy grounds.
• Allergy friendly. The cookies are gluten free and nut free, and they can easily be made dairy free or vegan with simple swaps.
• Flexible. The ingredient list welcomes substitutions, so you can adapt it to what you have on hand.

Browning the butter might sound fancy, but it takes just minutes and adds a caramel like depth that makes a simple chocolate chip cookie taste special. Trust me, it is worth it.

Ingredients

Here is what you need to make these coffee cookies, along with a few notes on why each ingredient matters.

• Salted butter, browned. Half a cup of salted butter, melted and browned, gives the cookies a nutty, caramel like flavor that pairs beautifully with espresso. If you are short on time, plain melted butter works too. If you only have unsalted butter, add an extra 1/8 teaspoon of salt to the dough.
• Brown sugar and white sugar. You will use 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar and 1/4 cup of white sugar. Using more brown than white gives you crisp edges with a soft, chewy, moist center.
• Vanilla extract and one egg. Two teaspoons of vanilla deepen the flavor, and one egg binds everything together.
• Gluten free all purpose flour with xanthan gum. You need 1 2/3 cups. A blend like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, the blue bag, works wonderfully because it already contains xanthan gum.
• Instant coffee or espresso powder. A quarter cup gives these cookies their bold personality. Make sure it is a very fine powder. If your instant coffee has large granules, grind it first in a coffee bean grinder or food processor so you do not end up with chunky bites of coffee.
• Baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Half a teaspoon of baking powder, half a teaspoon of baking soda, and a quarter teaspoon of salt give lift and balance.
• Mini chocolate chips. Half a cup of semisweet mini chips, folded in last, spread melty chocolate through every cookie. Chopped chocolate works too.

Each cookie comes out to about 288 calories, with 45.6g carbohydrates, 1.9g protein, and 14.4g fat, based on the source nutrition information.

Substitutions

This recipe is wonderfully forgiving. Here is how you can adapt it:

• Flour: Any gluten free all purpose blend with xanthan gum should work. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 is my favorite, but Robinhood is another good option.
• Dairy free: Use dairy free butter or coconut oil and dairy free dark chocolate. One important note: skip the browning step, because dairy free butter does not brown well.
• Add nuts: Chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds fold in nicely for extra crunch.
• Add extract: A little almond or caramel extract, starting with about 1/4 teaspoon, adds a lovely twist.
• Skip the coffee: Leave out the espresso powder and you get a chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookie instead. Still delicious!

Step by Step Instructions

Ready to bake? Follow these two stages and you will have warm cookies in no time.

Brown the Butter (optional but recommended)

This step takes a few extra minutes, and I promise it is worth every second. Brown butter makes these cookies taste rich, toasty, and a little caramel like.

1. Cube the butter and place it in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt, stirring occasionally.
2. Once melted, the butter will bubble, foam, and gradually turn brown. Keep an eye on it and keep stirring now and then.
3. When it reaches a warm amber color, pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping all those flavorful brown bits from the pan with it.
4. The whole process takes 6 to 10 minutes. Then let the butter cool for 10 minutes before you use it in the dough.

Make the Cookies

1. Prep the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 1 to 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted brown butter, both sugars, the vanilla extract, and the egg until smooth.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Add the gluten free flour, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the same bowl. Use a rubber spatula to gently mix the dry ingredients together first, then fold everything into the wet ingredients to form the dough.
4. Fold in the chocolate. Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips last so they stay intact and distribute evenly.
5. Scoop. Use a 3 tablespoon scoop or an ice cream scoop to form 10 dough balls. Place them on the baking sheets with enough room to spread.
6. Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The middles will still look soft when you pull them out, and that is exactly what you want.
7. Shape and cool. Wearing oven mitts, slam the baking sheet on the counter a few times to encourage spreading. Immediately swirl a large cookie cutter or a glass around each cookie to create a perfect circle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes until set, then transfer them to a wire rack. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

How to Serve

These cookies are delightful all on their own, but they truly shine dunked in cold milk or a hot cappuccino. The soft center soaks up just enough coffee to feel indulgent.

They also pair beautifully with warm drinks like a pumpkin spice latte or a homemade peppermint mocha. Want a full caffeinated dessert spread? Serve them alongside gluten free and dairy free tiramisu jars, pumpkin spice tiramisu, or chocolate espresso amaretti cookies. Your guests will not know where to start!

Storage & Freezing

Good news: these cookies stay delicious for days, and both the dough and the baked cookies freeze well.

• Room temperature: Keep the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Pop one in the microwave for about 10 seconds to bring back that fresh baked warmth.
• Freezing dough: Roll the dough into balls and top them with chocolate chips. Flash freeze them on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10 minutes so they do not stick together, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months.
• Baking from frozen: Bake the frozen dough balls as directed in the recipe, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes.
• Freezing baked cookies: Wrap the cookies tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil, place them in an airtight freezer safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thawing: Let frozen baked cookies come to room temperature for a few hours, then reheat for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave if you like them warm.

Expert Tips

After many batches, here are the tips that make the biggest difference:

• Watch the butter closely. Brown butter can go from perfectly golden to burnt in a heartbeat. Once it smells nutty and looks light brown, transfer it to a heatproof bowl and let it cool briefly before continuing.
• Grind your coffee fine. The instant coffee or espresso must be a fine powder. Nescafe Gold Instant Espresso is a great choice, and if your granules are large, grind them in a coffee bean grinder or food processor first so no chunks end up in the cookies.
• Press chips on top. Press a few extra chocolate chips onto each dough ball before baking. It keeps the chocolate visible and melty, and it makes the cookies look bakery worthy.
• Do not over bake. Pull the cookies when the edges are lightly set and the centers still look slightly underdone. They finish cooking on the hot baking sheet, which is the secret to a soft middle.
• Shape while warm. Run a large cookie cutter or the rim of a glass around each cookie immediately after baking for perfectly round edges.
• Eat them warm. Honestly, these are at their absolute best straight off the rack, still a little melty.

One more thing worth knowing: Nescafe Gold Instant Espresso has roughly 70mg of caffeine per teaspoon, which works out to about 84mg of caffeine per cookie. If you are sensitive to caffeine, simply use decaf instant coffee and enjoy the same great mocha flavor without the buzz.

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Coffee Cookies

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Coffee Cookies If you love the flavor of a good mocha, these coffee cookies are about to become your new favorite afternoon treat. They take a classic chocolate chip cookie and give it a serious upgrade with nutty brown butter and instant espresso, so every bite tastes sweet, soft, and boldly coffee flavored.

• Total Time: 34 min
• Yield: 10 large cookies 1x

Ingredients

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½ cup salted butter, melted, see instructions for how to brown the butter-highly recommended
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup white sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1⅔ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum
¼ cup instant coffee or espresso powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup mini chocolate chips

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Instructions

Brown the butter (optional but recommended)
1-Cube the butter and place it into: Cube the butter and place it into a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and allow the butter to melt, stirring occasionally. Once melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown. When the butter is an amber colour, pour it into a heatproof bowl, scraping all the brown bits with it. This whole process should take 6-10 minutes. Allow the butter to cool for 10 minutes.

Make the cookies
2-Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare 1-2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
3-In a large bowl, whisk together the: In a large bowl, whisk together the melted brown butter, sugars, vanilla extract, and egg. Add the gluten-free flour, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the same bowl. Use a rubber spatula to gently mix together the dry ingredients, then fold into the wet ingredients to create the dough. Finally, fold in the mini chocolate chips.
4-Use a 3 tablespoon scoop or an: Use a 3 tablespoon scoop or an ice cream scoop to form the dough into 10 balls. Place on the baking sheet(s) with enough room to spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes, the middles will still look soft.
5-Wearing oven mitts, slam the baking sheet: Wearing oven mitts, slam the baking sheet on the counter a few times to encourage the cookies to spread. Immediately take a large cookie cutter or a glass and gently swirl it around each cookie to create the perfect circle shape.
6-Allow the cookies to cool on the: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes until they are set, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy warm or allow to come to room temperature.

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 12 min
• Method: stovetop

Nutrition

• Calories: 288kcal
• Sugar: 24.2g
• Sodium: 166mg
• Fat: 14.4g
• Saturated Fat: 7.4g
• Carbohydrates: 45.6g
• Fiber: 1.7g
• Protein: 1.9g
• Cholesterol: 40.8mg