A rich dark chocolate espresso cookie with a satisfying punch of bitterness. This is a cookie for those of you who gravitate toward dark chocolate. Not for the faint of heart -- nor for those who like their chocolate on the milder side. This is an intense chocolate cookie.
If you love dark chocolate, you might want to check out my dark chocolate blondies (a bit of contradiction, but that is what makes them so special) or my dark chocolate pots du creme, pure, smooth dark chocolate and super elegant.
I have a thing for bitter dark chocolate. I am guilty of stealing morsels of dark chocolate 75% cocoa at least, right out of the pantry when no one is looking, 80%, 85% cocoa, even better.
I am also guilty of grabbing the chocolate cookies off the dessert platter. I see a dark cocoa-y cookie and I always grab it. I hope. And almost invariably I'm disappointed. I find most chocolate cookies are just too sweet and mild. Not rich. Lacking depth. Just not enough chocolate in my chocolate cookie.
I've realized that I am looking for a slight bitterness. I like my coffee on the bitter side too. So yes -- a good chocolate cookie needs a little coffee to punch it up. Espresso actually.
I've brought you dark chocolate crinkle cookies before, and here is a recipe that is also loaded with a variety of chocolate chips. So if you are not a coffee fan or more of a purist, you may want to head over there and check that recipe out.
But this espresso cookie is different. And I certainly did not want to add any extras -- chocolate chips, nuts or whatever. This is just chocolate and just espresso.
These chocolate espresso cookies are dark, and rich, with a bit of bitterness to highlight the cocoa. Honestly just perfect.
Fudgy Espresso Cookies
You have to chill the dough before baking. Chilling the dough will ensure the cookies don't spread too thin and stay a bit fudgy on the inside.
Molasses is a secret ingredient and adds to the fudgy-ness.
Each cookie is rolled in granulated sugar before baking which adds the best crunch to each bite and contrasts to the softer inside.
These cookies will crinkle and crack when baked. Do not overbake. Take them out of the oven as they rise and puff a bit and start to crack across the top.
You might also like these cookie recipes:
How to make fudgy espresso cookies
This is a one-bowl chocolate cookie recipe. For real. So easy. Mix by hand.
Start with a large microwave-safe bowl and melt the butter in this bowl. Once the butter is melted, stir it a few times to cool a bit then add the cocoa powder, espresso, molasses, and sugar. The warm butter will melt all this into a fudgy goodness.
Add vanilla and eggs. Mix until smooth.
My favorite tool for this, almost in all baking, is a flat whisk. A flat whisk is just the right tool to mix well, without too much effort, and still scrap the sides of the bowl, really getting into the corners.
Once the mixture is smooth and creamy, gently stir in the dry ingredients. I just add them to the bowl, one at a time, then mix it all in one go. Don't be afraid to be thorough. You don't want any dry spots in your batter. The batter should be smooth and creamy.
At this point you need you chill the batter for at least 30 minutes. A few hours or even overnight is fine. The batter will wait for you.
When you are ready to bake measure even balls of cookie dough. I find this batter is a bit sticky and my cookie scoops don't work well. So since I will be rolling them into balls anyway, I just use a tablespoon to scoop even amounts of dough into my hands, roll them into balls, and then roll each ball into sugar.
If you want to be precise about this - a kitchen scale is a super handy tool and makes easy work of making each cookie exactly the same size. Same-size cookies will bake consistently. I used my kitchen scale and measured each cookie at 25 grams, or just shy of an ounce.
Baked cookies will keep for several days in a covered container at room temperature. Cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.
📖 Recipe
Fudgy Espresso Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cups unsalted butter 6oz of butter
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 heaping tablespoon instant espresso or coffee
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir to cool. Then add cocoa powder, sugar, instant espresso, and molasses to the warm butter. Add egg and vanilla extract. Stir until creamy and smooth.
- Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture: flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine. Stir until combined and batter is smooth. Cover mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Feel free to make up to a day ahead.
- To bake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour the ½ cup of granulated sugar into a shallow bowl and set aside.
- Roll cookies into equal-sized balls using the palm of your hands to make smooth round balls. Then roll each ball in the granulated sugar to evenly coat and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.To make evenly sized cookies, I use a kitchen scale and weigh each dough ball to ensure they are approximately equal. For this recipe, I used 25 grams for each cookie, or just short of an ounce. You can also use a cookie scoop for consistent measurements.
- Bake cookies at 350 for 10-12 minutes.Cookies will puff and begin to crack when they are ready. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes so they are firm enough to move. Move to a wire rack to cool completely.
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