Description

This recipe is an adaptation from my favorite soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie with some of the flour replaced by cocoa powder and the addition of two teaspoons of finely ground coffee.

Notes:

Plan ahead: For best results, make the dough ahead of time: after mixing the dough, portion it into 48 g balls and refrigerate the balls in an airtight container for at least 1 hour but ideally 12 to 24 hours.

Espresso powder: Most recently I popped open one of my Nespresso pods, and used two teaspoons of the finely ground beans. It worked beautifully.

Cocoa Powder: I have used both Dutch-processed cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder here with success. Typically when a recipe calls for baking soda, you should use natural cocoa powder, but I don’t find it makes a difference in terms of the leavening here, so I prefer to use a cocoa powder that I really like: I’ve been using this Dutch-processed Cocao Barry Extra Brute, which I learned about from Stella Parks. Any Dutch-process cocoa powder you like will work as will natural cocoa powder.

Final note: Upon embarking on a quest to make shiny brownies, which led to learning about lead levels in cocoa, many of you Readers wrote in to share your favorite brands of cocoa powder. Here they are:

Ingredients

1⅓ cups (305 g) unsalted or salted butter, softened or melted (see recipe below, I always use salted butter)
1½ cups packed (300 g) light brown sugar
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups (384 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup (28 g) Dutch processed cocoa powder, see notes above
1.5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or half as much if using Morton)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons finely ground coffee beans or espresso powder, see notes above
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
flaky sea salt for sprinkling, optional

Instructions

Method 1: Softened Butter

Cream butter and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl, beat again on high for one minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended, about another minute on medium-high speed. Whisk flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and ground coffee beans together in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture and combine with a spatula or wooden spoon (or very briefly with paddle attachment) until just blended. Add the chocolate chips and stir till combined. The dough will be stiff.

Method 2: Melted Butter | One Bowl

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Place the sugars in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter over the sugars and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Whisk in the salt, baking soda, espresso powder, and cocoa powder. Add the flour, and use a spatula to incorporate it into the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Portion and Bake:

Portion the dough into 48-gram sized balls. This is a tedious task, but it makes for beautiful and uniform cookies that bake evenly. If you have a digital scale, this is easy; if you have no scale, use a small ice cream scoop or some other uniform measuring device. Chill the portioned balls for at least one hour but preferably 24 hours. Keep portioned balls in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for months.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place six of the balls nicely spaced on an ungreased or parchment-lined sheet pan. Press down gently on the balls to secure them in place. Bake for 11 minutes. Keep a close watch. You want to remove the cookies from the oven when they still look slightly raw—you will think you are removing them too early. The cookies will continue cooking as they sit on the tray out of the oven. Sprinkle with sea salt if using. Let cookies cool completely on the tray before removing. I find these cookies taste best once they are completely completely cool — several hours after baking. They really firm up and taste, well, just so darn good. When they are warm, they are still a little too soft for my liking (though others disagree).

Prep Time: 24 hours minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Category: Cookie
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American