Description
Midnight chocolate espresso cookies deliver rich, intense flavors from deep cocoa and bold espresso notes. Coffee-loving bakers will savor these sophisticated dark chocolate treats with complex layers of sweetness and depth.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup (150 mL) packed brown sugar
- 4 oz (125 g) semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup (60 mL) butter
- ½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (60 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tsp (20 mL) instant espresso coffee granules
- 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) milk
- Pinch of salt
- Icing sugar, for dredging
Instructions
- Creaming: Utilize a stand mixer with paddle attachment to whip butter and brown sugar into a fluffy, light consistency. Seamlessly integrate egg, then fold in cooled melted chocolate until homogeneous.
- Dry Ingredient Preparation: Sift flour, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, baking powder, and salt through a fine-mesh strainer, ensuring even distribution and eliminating potential lumps.
- Dough Formation: Merge dry ingredients into wet mixture at low speed, creating a slightly tacky dough. Incorporate milk and mix until ingredients are thoroughly integrated, developing a smooth texture.
- Chilling: Form dough into a compact disk, wrap securely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes to enhance flavor development and facilitate easier handling.
- Oven Preparation: Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside a plate with icing sugar for coating cookies.
- Shaping and Coating: Roll chilled dough into uniform 1-inch balls, generously coating each in icing sugar to create a dramatic white-on-dark crackled appearance.
- Baking: Arrange sugar-dusted balls on prepared sheets, maintaining 2-inch spacing. Bake 12-15 minutes until cookies expand and display distinctive surface fractures, revealing rich chocolate undertones.
- Cooling and Storage: Delicately transfer baked cookies to a wire rack. Allow complete cooling before storing in an airtight container, maintaining freshness for up to one week or freezing for extended enjoyment.
Notes
- Chill Dough Properly: Refrigerating for 45 minutes helps prevent spreading and intensifies flavor development, ensuring a rich, compact cookie texture.
- Sugar Coating Technique: Roll cookies completely in icing sugar for a beautiful crackled appearance and delicate sweet exterior that contrasts with intense chocolate espresso profile.
- Espresso Powder Impact: Use high-quality instant espresso powder to enhance chocolate depth without adding excess liquid, creating sophisticated flavor complexity.
- Baking Precision: Watch cookies closely during final 2-3 minutes of baking to prevent overdrying; surface cracks should look distinct but not burnt for optimal texture and taste.
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg