Coffee Cookies
Coffee cookies are what happens when a classic chocolate chip cookie gets a little caffeine and a whole lot of depth. Brown butter brings a nutty, caramel flavor, instant espresso brings a bold coffee punch, and mini chocolate chips melt into every bite. I think we can all agree that is a very good combination.
The best part? You can mix and bake these in about 30 minutes, and there is no chilling required. The dough is also gluten free, and everything comes together in one bowl, so the cleanup stays small.
This recipe makes 10 large cookies using a 3 tablespoon scoop. That size is deliberate. One cookie feels like a proper treat, which is exactly what you want with an afternoon coffee or a quiet moment after dinner.
They bake up soft in the middle with lightly crisp edges, and they taste wonderful dunked in cold milk or a hot cappuccino. If you keep instant espresso in your pantry, you are already most of the way there.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are a few reasons this one has earned a permanent spot in my rotation, and I think you will feel the same way after your first batch.
- One bowl, start to finish. You whisk the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients to the same bowl, and fold everything together. Fewer dishes, less fuss.
- No chilling. You can go from craving to cookies without waiting for the dough to rest in the fridge.
- Ready in about 30 minutes. Prep takes around 20 minutes and the bake takes about 12 minutes, which is a very friendly timeline for a weeknight.
- Real coffee flavor, no mess. Instant espresso gives you a strong, clean coffee taste without brewing, straining, or adding extra liquid to the dough.
- Gluten free and nut free. It is also easy to make dairy free or vegan with a couple of simple swaps.
I encourage you to play with the swaps below. This dough is forgiving, and it is a lovely one to make your own.
The texture is the real showstopper. You get a lightly crisp edge, a soft and chewy center, and a deep brown butter note that lingers behind the chocolate. It tastes like something from a good bakery, made in your own kitchen on a Tuesday.
Ingredients
Here is what you will need for 10 large cookies. The full amounts are in the list below.
- ½ cup salted butter, melted. Browning it first is highly recommended, and I explain how in the instructions.
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1⅔ cups gluten free all purpose flour with xanthan gum. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, the blue bag.
- ¼ cup instant coffee or espresso powder. I use Nescafe Gold Instant Espresso, and it needs to be finely ground.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt. Add an extra pinch if you use unsalted butter.
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
About the butter. Browned salted butter is the heart of this recipe. It adds a warm, caramel like flavor that pairs beautifully with espresso. If you are short on time, simply melted butter works, though you will lose some of that toasted depth. If you only have unsalted butter, add an extra pinch of salt to the dough.
About the sugars. The mix of white and brown sugar, with more brown than white, gives you crisp edges and a soft, chewy, moist center. Brown sugar also brings a molasses note that flatters the coffee.
About the flour. Use a gluten free all purpose blend that contains xanthan gum. That gum is what holds the cookies together, so check the label before you start. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour is my go to.
About the coffee. Instant coffee or espresso needs to be a very fine powder. If your granules are coarse, grind them in a coffee grinder or a food processor first, otherwise you will bite into little chunks of coffee. Nescafe Gold Instant Espresso is what I keep on hand.
About the chocolate. Mini chocolate chips distribute more evenly through the dough than full size chips, so every bite gets chocolate. Chopped chocolate works well too.
The recipe card lists nutrition per cookie at roughly 288 kcal, with 45.6 g carbohydrates, 1.9 g protein, 14.4 g fat, and 24.2 g sugar.
Substitutions
This dough is flexible, and here are some of my top tips for changing it up.
- Flour. Any gluten free all purpose blend with xanthan gum should work. Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, the blue bag, or Robinhood’s blend are both good choices.
- Dairy free. Use dairy free butter or coconut oil along with dairy free dark chocolate. Skip the browning step, because dairy free butter does not brown well.
- Add ins. Chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds are lovely here. So are flavored extracts such as almond or caramel, starting with about ¼ teaspoon.
- Plain version. Leave out the espresso powder and you have a chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookie.
Step by Step Instructions
Please use the recipe card below for the complete ingredient list and the full written instructions.
Brown the Butter (optional but recommended)
Cube the butter and place it into a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and let the butter melt, stirring occasionally. Once it has melted, it will begin to bubble, foam, and brown.
When the butter turns an amber color, pour it into a heatproof bowl and scrape in all the browned bits. The whole process should take 6 to 10 minutes. Then let the butter cool for 10 minutes before you continue.
Make the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare 1 or 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted brown butter, the sugars, the vanilla extract, and the 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 the dry ingredients together, then fold them into the wet ingredients to create the dough. Finally, fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Use a 3 tablespoon scoop or an ice cream scoop to form the dough into 10 balls. Place them on the baking sheet or sheets with enough room to spread. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The middles will still look soft, and that is exactly what you want.
Wearing oven mitts, slam the baking sheet on the counter a few times to encourage the cookies to spread. Then immediately take a large cookie cutter or a glass and gently swirl it around each cookie to create a perfect circle shape.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes until they are set, then transfer them to a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy them warm, or let them come to room temperature.
How to Serve
These cookies are wonderful on their own, and even better dunked in cold milk or a hot cappuccino. If you are building a coffee themed dessert table, they pair nicely with a pumpkin spice latte or a homemade peppermint mocha.
For a caffeinated spread, I also like to set them out next to gluten and dairy free tiramisu jars, pumpkin spice tiramisu, or chocolate espresso amaretti cookies. The coffee and chocolate thread runs through all of them, and the plate looks beautifully cohesive.
They also make a thoughtful little gift. Stack a few in a small box with parchment between the layers, and you have a homemade present that feels far more special than the effort it took.
Storage & Freezing
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. If you like them warm, about 10 seconds in the microwave brings back that just baked feel.
To freeze the dough, roll it into balls and press a few chocolate chips on top. Flash freeze them on a parchment lined baking sheet for 10 minutes so they do not stick together, then move them into a freezer bag or an airtight container. The dough keeps for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to bake, place the frozen dough balls on a prepared baking sheet and bake according to the recipe instructions, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes.
Baked cookies freeze well too. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil and store them inside an airtight freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a few hours, then reheat for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave if you like.
One small habit that helps: label the container with the date and the bake time. Future you will be very grateful when a craving hits and the answer is already written on the lid.
Expert Tips
Here are some of my top tips for getting these cookies just right.
- Watch the butter closely. Brown butter can go from beautifully nutty to burnt in seconds. Once it smells nutty and looks light brown, pull it off the heat, pour it into a heatproof bowl, and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Use a fine instant coffee. Nescafe Gold Instant Espresso is my favorite. If your granules are large, grind them in a coffee bean grinder or a food processor so you do not end up with chunky coffee pieces in the dough.
- Press extra chocolate chips on top. A few chips pressed onto each dough ball before baking make the cookies look bakery style and give you melty pockets right on the surface.
- Do not over bake. Take the cookies out when the edges are lightly set and the middle still looks a little underdone. They finish setting on the hot baking sheet.
- Shape them right away. Swirling a large cookie cutter or a glass around each cookie while they are still warm and soft gives you a neat circle.
- Eat them warm. Honestly, they taste best within the first hour, when the chocolate is still soft.
One more note if caffeine matters to you. Nescafe Gold Instant Espresso contains roughly 70 mg of caffeine per teaspoon, which works out to about 84 mg per cookie. If you are sensitive to caffeine, use decaf instant coffee instead.
More Gluten Free Cookies:
If you enjoyed these, there are plenty more gluten free cookie recipes to try, including Grandma’s Gluten Free Shortbread Cookies, Gluten Free Funfetti Cookies, Gluten Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten Free Edible Cookie Dough, Gluten Free S’mores Cookies, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies.
FAQs
Why use instant espresso powder instead of brewed coffee in cookies?
Instant espresso powder is the preferred ingredient because it provides a strong coffee flavor without adding extra liquid. Using brewed coffee would throw off the dough's moisture balance, causing the cookies to spread too thinly. The fine powder dissolves seamlessly into the batter for a smooth, consistent taste.
Are these coffee cookies gluten free?
Yes, this coffee cookie recipe is specifically formulated to be gluten-free. It relies on a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend with xanthan gum, such as Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour, to create the right structure. The recipe is also nut-free and can easily be made dairy-free or vegan with simple swaps.
Can you freeze coffee cookie dough for later?
Yes, the cookie dough freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Simply portion the dough into balls using a 3-tablespoon scoop, flash freeze them on a baking sheet, and transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. You can bake the frozen dough balls directly, just adding 1 to 2 extra minutes to the baking time.
How much caffeine is in a coffee cookie?
Each large coffee cookie contains about 84 milligrams of caffeine. This estimate is based on using 1/4 cup of an instant espresso like Nescafe Gold, which has about 70mg of caffeine per teaspoon. A decaffeinated instant coffee can be substituted if you are sensitive to caffeine.
Coffee Cookies
Coffee Cookies Coffee cookies are what happens when a classic chocolate chip cookie gets a little caffeine and a whole lot of depth. Brown butter brings a nutty, caramel flavor, instant espresso brings a bold coffee punch, and mini chocolate chips melt into every bite.
- Total Time: 32 min
- Yield: 10 large cookies 1x
Ingredients
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, I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour (blue bag)
¼ cup instant coffee or espresso powder, I use Nescafe Gold Instant Espresso, ensure it is finely ground.
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup mini chocolate chips
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.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Method: bake
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
