June 11, 2013

Double-chocolate espresso bean cookies

There's something truly comforting about making and eating homemade cookies.  It's like going back to basics and making a sure-thing.  So I always get the hankering to make a batch of cookies. Today, let's have some double-chocolate espresso bean cookies!  If you like the combination of chocolate and coffee, this one's for you.
The cookies are very brownie-like, with a crackly surface and a soft, moist, and even slightly chewy interior!  I add a touch of instant espresso powder to coax out the chocolate flavor but the real source of the espresso flavor comes from ground up chocolate covered espresso beans.  The beans perfume the entire cookie with an aromatic coffee flavor throughout.  It also adds an interesting bit of grittiness and texture to the cookies that I like.  With plenty of chocolate to balance it all, it's a combination that I can really get behind.
Some important components: chocolate chips and ground chocolate covered espresso beans
Not only is there melted chocolate in the cookie dough itself, there are chocolate chips mixed in as well (hence, the double-chocolate).  I used callets, or chocolate discs, made by Callebaut (60%-cacao) for the mix-in.  I find these callets super convenient since they make for easy measuring and eliminate the need for chopping.  I think they work really well in cookies.  The callets are really smooth and slightly flatter than typical chocolate chips; they also melt and don't sort of re-harden once cooled like the standard chocolate chips so it's similar to using chocolate chopped from a bar.
These cookies smell good, taste good, and make a great afternoon pick-me-up!  I like this recipe because you get a moist, rich chocolate-coffee brownie cookie but one that's not ridiculously rich or cloying.  I make them on the smaller side but since they're thick, even having just one is satisfying.  You won't even need coffee to go with it since it's practically built right in!


The first step to making these cookies is to grind up some chocolate covered espresso beans.  I happen to have a bag at home, another motivation for me to make these.  You'll need a food processor, or better yet, a small chopper like the kind that comes with my stick blender.  Grind it finely but not too finely, if possible, if you don't mind a little bit of texture in your cookie.
(Please note that I divided the recipe in half; that's why the amounts will look small.)  

After that, making the cookie dough just requires some bowls, a whisk, and a rubber spatula.  You won't be too surprised that making the dough is very similar to making brownies since these cookies really do resemble and taste like brownies in a lot of ways.  Whisking the eggs first with a bit of water and vanilla extract helps create that crisp, crackly crust typical of many brownies.
I think it's easier to mix the melted chocolate into the egg mixture before folding in the dry ingredients (you could also fold the it in after first adding the dry).  Just make sure to allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature since we don't want to cook any of that egg!  Once mixed in, stir in the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips.
The cookie dough is on the soft side so I recommend chilling the dough for at least half an hour or so.  I left mine in the fridge for about an hour.  It'll be easier to work with and I think they bake up a bit thicker that way, too.  
I generally prefer to make smaller cookies.  Mine are about 2-tablespoon rounds made using a small ice cream scoop.  They bake up on the small side but are nice and thick (benefit of chilling).  You can make larger cookies and adjust the bake time up a few minutes.  The cookies are done when they puff and the tops are just starting to crack.
I generally like soft cookies like these warm from the oven but these are  excellent at room temperature.  I find that the espresso flavor more pronounced then.  Warm, they're more chocolaty.
These cookies were still moist and fudgy - even more brownie like - after three days stored in an airtight container (warm temperatures might have helped).



Recipe:

Double-Chocolate Espresso Bean Cookies
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

- Makes approximately 20-22 cookies - 

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/3 cup chocolate covered espresso beans
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Place chocolate, butter, and espresso powder in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.  Heat and stir the mixture until chocolate is just melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

In a food processor or small chopper, chop the chocolate covered espresso beans until fine (some larger bits remaining are fine, particularly if you like a little texture in the cookies).  Place the chopped espresso beans in a medium bowl and whisk it together with the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

In another medium bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla extract together.  Whisk in the cooled chocolate (make sure chocolate has cooled to room temperature to avoid cooking the eggs!).  Stir in the dry ingredients.  Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover and chill the cookie dough for about half an hour or longer.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with racks positioned at the upper and lower thirds of the oven.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats.

Using a small ice cream scoop, drop roughly 2-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.  Bake until cookies are puffed and the tops are shiny and starting to crack, roughly 15-16 minutes.  (You can make larger cookies and adjust the bake time up a few minutes).  Remove the cookies and set the baking sheets on wire racks to cool.  Allow cookies to cool completely before removing them from the sheet.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.




36 comments:

  1. wow, these look super rich and chocolatey! Chocolate and espresso go so well together, so I bet these cookies are nothing short of amazing. Now if i only had one... ;)

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    1. I really liked these (more than I expected)...the chocolate covered espresso beans are key, I think. And it really is very chocolaty but it's all about using some good chocolate, not a lot of other fillers.

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  2. Replies
    1. Thanks, Katrina. It was a good late-night treat for me for a few days. : )

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  3. Oh my...these look so decadent. I love a good old homemade chocolate cookies. And how wonderful that you jazz them up with espresso! I can probably eat half a dozen in one sitting. :P

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    1. Am I weird when I think that 6 oz. of chocolate and 2 tbsps of butter isn't all that "bad" at all?! Anyway, it's absolutely worth it and tastes richer than the ingredients suggest, I think. It was hard eating just one.

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  4. These cookies look heavenly Monica! Love soft and moist cookies and these sound amazing! Chocolate and espresso are such a great combination. There's nothing like enjoying a perfect homemade cookie like these :)

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    1. Thanks, Kelly. I'll definitely be making these again.

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  5. These look SO good, Monica. I love the combination of chocolate and espresso, and these look so moist and decadent! Great job!!

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    1. Thank you, Marie! They came out even more brownie-like than I expected and the bonus was that kept in a real airtight container in fairly warm room temperature, they were moist and even fudgier on day 3!

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  6. I love fudgy, brownie-like cookies! I can eat the Callebaut callets by the handful but no doubt, they are better in these cookies!

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    1. So true...those Callebaut callets are good! Need to re-order soon!

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  7. Espresso and chocolate always go so well together!

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    1. I've come to realize that in recent years!

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  8. I can see what a lovely fudgey texture these would have! And even though I don't really drink coffee, I love using it in cooking! :D

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  9. Me me me!!! I LOVE chocolate and espresso combination. It's out of this world! And look at all that chocolate-y gooey goodness oozing out --it looks so good! A big glass of milk for me please. :) This is going on my to-bake list. Pinning! Have a lovely week Monica. :)

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    1. Thanks, Anne! I hope you try it. I really enjoyed it!

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  10. Chocolate and coffee ALWAYS sound good to me, separately or together. And in cookie form they are truly the best! These look so fabulously moist and delicious!

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    1. Thanks, Joanne. I love myself a good moist fudgy cookie. : )

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  11. A luscious and chocolatey treat! I love the add of espresso!

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    1. Thanks, Angie. Hope you're having a good week and there are cookies involved.

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  12. Yum! This cookie sounds like the perfect indulgence for the coffee-lover (:

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  13. Your recipes always have me drooling, my god these look perfect!

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  14. WOW, okay: i would have to hide these from myself. Nice job with the espresso bean grinding! I have one of those stick blender attachments also, so great tip (rather than getting out my big processor). My husband's stepdad loves coffee/espresso; like more than life itself i think. his birthday is this coming monday, so i may have just found my thing to make him. win/win, because then i can make them AND have somewhere to go with them which isn't directly in my mouth. well, most of them. :)

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    1. It's funny you mention the stick blender. I used to haul out my food processor just to chop half or a cup of nuts and one day, a light bulb went off and I remembered the attachment! I now use it all the time for these small chopping jobs. Hope your hubby's stepdad has a great upcoming birthday - he shares the same day as my son!!!

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  15. Of course there's nothing comforting like making your own cookies and chocolate and coffee both sounds good together. Your last picture tells all about these indulgent round brownie bites.

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    1. We all need a little indulgence everyday. Dark chocolate is definitely a part of my diet. : )

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  16. These look super rich and decadent. Expresso always gives such a depth of flavor to sweets with chocolate in them. I tend to like my cookies warm from the oven too, but these look like they would be amazing at any temperature.

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    1. Thanks for the comment! These were definitely good at room temp...perfect when you can't bake them fresh or a microwave isn't nearby : )

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  17. The dome on them is awesome! Definitely helping with the brownie look.

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    1. I think chilling the dough helps keep that dome.

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  18. This is a great 3pm pick me up snack. And yes with a big mug of delicious coffee... :)

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    1. I so need a snack right around that time. You'd think I'd gone to school all day, not my son!

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