Chocolate Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies
First off, I have to apologize. These are probably my most favorite cookie, dare I say ever, and I’ve been making them all spring and summer but am only getting around to blogging about them now. Has the screaming stopped? Can I take my fingers out of my ears yet? Sorry, sorry, sorry!! It’s really inexcusable, I know. And what’s worse, is that I actually thought that I had posted them. I only figured it out when I went to go look up the recipe because I wanted to make them again and well… chalk it up to brain I-don’t-know-what but you have them now and glass half-full kinda thing, the day is definitely getting better, right?!!
Everything about these destroys my willpower. They are deeply, deeply chocolate. There’s nothing remotely semi-sweetness about these babies so be forewarned—these are for bittersweet chocolate lovers only! And not only are there melty bittersweet chips studded throughout the cookies, but there is also cocoa powder in the batter, so that literally every bite is filled with (you guessed it) chocolate. YUM!
And to those of you who fear the mixing of chocolate and coffee and I totally get it because I don’t even drink coffee, I beg you to give these a try because while the coffee flavor is there, it’s subtle, keeps these from being too sweet and somehow just makes the chocolate more chocolate-y!
Also, I should probably say sorry again because somehow when I was going on and on earlier about how chocolate-y these cookies are, I neglected to mention the other thing that makes these so irresistible. These are also chewy! In a heavenly way! Need I say more?
And though I don’t and probably shouldn’t, except to say sorry again and tell you not to procrastinate in whipping up a batch of these as much as I did in sharing them with you, I will also tell you that another huge draw (and saving grace) for me is that you can make a batch of these and then chill the cookie dough in ball form, all ready to be baked for at least a week, which means you can just make one or two per night and at least exercise some measure of self control!! Aargh!! The life of a cookie monster!!
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen
Prep Time: About 20 minutes, plus at least one hour of chilling time; Bake Time: 11-12 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch-processed)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (use a good quality-I like Ghirardelli)
The Recipe
1. Beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed with an electric mixer for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat on high speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat together on medium-high speed for another minute or so, until well blended.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and espresso powder together. Add to the batter and beat on low speed, just until the ingredients are incorporated. Remove from the mixer and stir in the chips by hand. The batter will be thick and stiff.
3. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with either parchment or wax paper and portion out 36 balls (each about 1 1/2 oz or 46 grams, basically a rounded tablespoonful of dough) placing them on the sheet. Use your hands to kind of make them ball-shaped and the cookies will turn out very neatly. It’s messy but totally works. Chill the sheet for at least 1 hour or until the cookies are very firm.
4. Now you can decide to either bake the whole batch or just bake a few. If baking a few, place the dough balls you are not baking in a resealable bag or airtight container and store in the fridge for up to one week. For the cookies you are baking, preheat oven to 375ºF. Line another rimmed sheet with parchment paper and place the cookies evenly spaced apart on the sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes, turning the sheet in the middle of the baking time to insure that they cook evenly. When these are done, they look kind of undercooked, but take them out anyway because the cookies will continue to cook as they sit on the trays on a wire rack. Let cool completely (if you can) and store any remainders in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Alexandra’s Kitchen. I changed some of the techniques a bit and subbed in espresso powder for finely ground coffee beans.
