Do you know that dreamy smell when someone makes fresh coffee for you in the morning? That’s what these cookies smell like. And they taste like coffee, too, in the best way possible. Is there a better cookie to go with your cup of coffee?
The secret of real coffee flavor in coffee bean cookies
Most coffee bean cookies out there are just chocolate cookies with a hint of coffee. That’s where I started with this recipe, but one bite of such a cookie threw a wrench in my brain: this is a coffee bean, why doesn’t it taste like coffee? Dozens of batches later, here they are, full of REAL coffee flavor.
What do I mean by real? There is no trace of instant coffee or espresso powder in them: it does not taste like coffee to me, and I simply hate its taste (sorry, instant coffee lovers!). The secret and most important ingredient in these cookies is butter, which has been infused with real coffee beans. It may sound complicated, but it’s not: this butter is really easy to make, you just have to do it at least a day before you bake the cookies. And it’s well worth the extra effort, because you’ll be making the best coffee cookies ever.
There’s still some cocoa powder in the dough, but just a little bit to give the beans that nice light roast look, but not too much to overpower the coffee flavor. A bit of liquid coffee compensates for the water lost when the butter is heated, without diluting the flavor, and keeps the inside of the cookies soft and just a little chewy.
Video Instructions
Coffee Bean Cookies
Coffee bean-shaped cookies that also smell and taste like coffee in the best possible way.
- Prep Time20 min
- Bake / Cook Time10 min
- Rest / Chill Time1 hr
- Total Time1 hr 30 min
- Yield30-40 cookies
Ingredients
- 110 g | 3.9 oz coffee-infused butter (at room temperature)
- 120 g | 4.2 powdered sugar
- 1 large egg (50-60 g | 1.8-2.1 oz, shell excluded)
- 15 g | 0.5 oz strong black coffee (preferably espresso)
- 250 g | 8.8 wheat flour (plain or all-purpose)
- 10 g | 0.4 oz cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)
- ⅛ tsp salt
Directions
Make the coffee-infused butter at least one day before following this recipe. Allow it to fully solidify in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before making the cookie dough.
Combine the softened coffee-infused butter and powdered sugar in a bowl. Start mixing with a spoon to avoid a large sugar cloud when you begin to whisk.
Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar until combined and light in color. If the mixture looks crumbly at first, don’t panic, just keep beating.
Add room temperature egg and coffee. Beat again until emulsified.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, and salt until combined.
Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix by hand or with a mixer on low speed just until the dough comes together. It will be soft but not sticky.
Use about a teaspoon of the dough to form slightly flattened oval shapes with your hands.
Press an indentation in the middle with a toothpick or the unsharpened side of a knife. Don’t make it too wide, as it will widen in the oven.
Place shaped cookies on a flat surface, such as a cutting board covered with parchment paper, and refrigerate for at least one hour or until completely firm. This will allow the flavor to develop and ensure that the cookies do not deform during baking.
Preheat the oven to 180°C | 350°F and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet, leaving a little space around them (they will spread a bit).
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookie surface becomes matte and starts forming little cracks. They will be very soft right out of the oven, but will firm up as they cool.
Let them cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy.
Extra tips for success
- If the dough seems too soft and it's difficult to shape the cookies, your butter may have been too warm. In this case, let the dough firm up a bit in the refrigerator before shaping. Refrigerating the cookies after shaping is still a must.
- I like the cracked look, but you can shorten the baking time a bit and take them out of the oven just before they start to crack if you like. The cookies will also be softer in the middle. You'll have to test the exact baking time with your oven, of course.
- These cookies taste best when completely cooled.
How to store these cookies
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
