Cappuccino Cookies
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Tender coffee flavored cookies studded with creamy white chocolate chips.
I have a big problem, guys. A big one. I always say my “desert island dessert” (a.k.a. the one dessert I would take with me if I could only have one dessert for the rest of my life) is chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, but these cappuccino cookies may be my new favorite.
And I am shocked to the core! Move over, boring oatmeal raisin. Coffee-laden cookies are in the house!
Just kidding. I didn’t mean it, oatmeal raisin. Please don’t leave me! I mean “boring” in the best way possible, I promise.
Maybe I can take 2 kinds of cookies if I leave pizza (my “desert island meal”) behind? Ugh. I couldn’t do that either.
DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE! It’s a good thing I’ll probably never be forced to… I would clearly have this big problem I’m speaking of.
Enough about desert islands. Are you a coffee drinker? I love coffee, but I’m pretty particular about it.
For my morning cup, I like a dark, bold brew. A little sweetened creamer, preferring more cream than sugar. Plus, it also has to be ridiculously hot. I’ve turned into my father– pouring a cup and putting it right into the microwave.
If I’m stopping for coffee with a friend after work or having a cup at a wedding or party later in the day, I’m more likely to go for something that’s a little more interesting, like a cappuccino or a latté. I recently tried a flat white and I lovedddd it.
In conclusion, I feel very passionate about coffee.
This recipe came to me after I was looking for FAF fans to mail cookies to (seriously, I asked).
I got a comment from one of our wedding photographers, and I immediately thought she would enjoy something coffee flavored– just last week, she ‘grammed a picture in my favorite coffee shop from college, and when I asked if I could bring them anything on my way to visit their newborn baby girl last year, I was asked to make a quick stop at Starbucks.
Thus… Cappuccino cookies were born.
Although I’ve been known to use brewed coffee as an ingredient in the past, these cookies feature instant coffee grounds. I used Folger’s and I found them right next to the regular coffee.
You may also use espresso powder.
I like the instant coffee grounds because they end up speckling the cookies and giving nice color.
Espresso powder is much finer and will probably just blend into the batter.
Either way, cookies + coffee = winning.
No other fancy ingredients. Their base is a lot like my classic chocolate chip cookies. Simple and straightforward. Just please don’t use regular coffee grounds unless you’re into crunching on coffee grounds in your cookies (worse things could happen). They won’t dissolve quite like the instant grounds or espresso powder.
Side note, though… If you’re interested in cookies that are supposed to have coffee grounds in them, check out my compost cookies!
The cookie dough will need to chill for at least an hour, and I’ll tell you what… Longest hour of your life after you get a whiff of how good the dough smells.
Roll chilled dough into balls, pop them in the oven, allow them to rest on the baking sheet for a couple minutes, and you’re well on your way to cappuccino cookie heaven.
The cookies themselves aren’t overly sweet at all, and I love that about them. The sweetness comes in with every white chocolate chip bite, and those bites are ohhhhsoooogooooood with just the right touch of sweetness.
Not only that, but the creaminess of the white chocolate adds to the whole cappuccino-esque experience. You could certainly leave out the chips, but I think they’re what really bring the flavor profile full-circle.
I’m normally quite good at self control and can easily eat half a cookie and be done with the batch. After the first bite of one of these cappuccino cookies, I shoved the entire rest of the cookie in my mouth so fast and truly almost fainted from its insanely wondrous taste.
It was that good.
That’s exactly why I really did have to send them away. The boxes were all taped up and addressed shortly after snapping this photo, so there was no stealing of any more taste tests. But yes, there is one in the freezer for us to enjoy after our 12 weeks are over (only 11 more to go)!
If your cappuccino could magically transform into a cookie, this cookie would be it. Crisp edges and chewy centers, full of coffee flavors for your nose and your mouth, offset by the creamy sweetness of white chocolate chips.
They are a coffee cookie masterpiece, and I think you need to make them happen in your kitchen ASAP.
More coffee flavored recipes for your coffee loving heart (much like my own): how to cold brew coffee, coffee rolls, coffee Jell-O parfaits, tiramisu brownies, coffee brownies, and mocha cake.
Cappuccino Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (150g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons (12g) instant coffee granules or espresso powder
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature*
- 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (128g) white chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and instant coffee or espresso powder. Set aside.
- In another medium bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop mixer, add egg, and beat again until fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl, add vanilla and beat again until incorporated.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until everything is incorporated. Using a spatula, fold in white chocolate chips. Cover dough and chill at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Roll the chilled dough into balls (I use this #50 cookie scoop for all of my standard size cookies) and place 8 balls of dough per cookie sheet. If you like, you can press a few more chocolate chips on top/sides of the dough balls for aesthetic purposes.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until edges just start to turn brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies at room temperature, preferably in an airtight container, up to 7 days. Baked cookies may be frozen up to 2 months. You may also freeze rolled cookie dough up to 2 months. Bake frozen for 12-13 minutes.
These look SO good! I love the white chocolate and coffee combo, sounds delicious, and I adoreee your business cards!! So so cute. I need to finish designing mine!
Thank you so much, Rachel! I don’t normally love white chocolate, but with the coffee cookies… SPOT ON!
Hi… can I use while wheat flour or self raising flour instead of plain flour? Also, I would like to know if I can use douwe egberts coffee as,its not fine powder.
Thanks.
Hi Nisha– you can definitely use whole wheat flour, your cookies may just be a little more dense. As far as the coffee goes, you really want to use powder here, otherwise you’ll be eating coffee grounds, and that texture can be off-putting to some.
Lady, you have so much more self control than I do! I eat a test cookie, then another ‘writing cookie’ and probably at least one cookie worth of dough while I’m waiting for the dough to chill. Seriously, the TNL family needs to go on a little autumn diet methinks 🙂
And waiting there at the end will be a batch of these gorgeous cappuccino cookies! Chris and I don’t drink a lot of coffee (maybe one or two a week for me maximum) but I love coffee flavoured treats! These are sure to be a new favourite 🙂
My hubby and I are just like you. Hardly ever drink it but, boy oh boy, we could seriously binge on these cookies. We’ll be joining you in the autumn diet although we are trying to use some self restraint. I don’t think that’s going to work as I want one now and its only 7:00 am!! 😋
HAHA! Cookies for breakfast are my favorite!!
These cookies look seriously so good – chewy, delicious and soft.. just how I like them!
Best recipe ever! Though I changed to mini chocolate chips and now they are mocha madness. They drive me crazy happy! I’ve 2 already and I’m sure I will eat more before the day’s end.
Thanks so much, Felicia! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Came here searching for a recipe to replicate chocolate chip cappuccino cookies that I used to be able to buy. These are good, but I’m still not getting enough of the coffee hit – I’m going to have to “up it” to 3 tablespoons for the next go around. But glad I found this recipe; it makes a great starting point!
Let me know how they turn out, Rochelle!
Here’s what I did with my second batch… I measured out 3 T of Taster’s Choice Instant Decaf and ran it through a grinder to achieve a fine powder. All except a half tablespoon of this powder went into the dry mixture. The remaining half tablespoon was combined with a 1/2 t of water and used to replace the extra 1/2 t of vanilla that went into the wet mixture. After chilling and shaping, I flattened the dough into about 2” circles and baked them at 325 degrees – just a bit lower – for 15 minutes. I got the taste that I was looking for! Many thanks for the great “starting” recipe. 🙂
You’re welcome! Glad you found what you were looking for!
These look great! Any specific reason you decide to not use any brown sugar?
Thanks, Ellen! No super specific reason, but I usually choose brown sugar when I’m going for a rich, deep flavor. Since these cookies are flavored mostly with coffee, the sugar is there basically just to sweeten. Didn’t want to mess with that incredible flavor!
I have made these in the past and they were so so good, My coffee loving family, minus 1 loved them. I will be making them again for my mother in law and as part of her Christmas present, along with homemade cheez-its . I haven’t decided which of the cookies from 12 days of cookies to make yet though. Thanks again for another tasty cookie.
So glad you liked them, Courtney! They are a favorite of mine, for sure.
I just made these cookies and they turned out very nice. Thanks a lot for the recipe!
SO glad you liked them, Mai!
So I was looking to bake something coffee, and wanted a cookie, searched the web and landed on your site, a this recipe interested me. Me and my kid don’t really care for white “chocolate” chips, we actually just call them white chips, because their lack of chocolate, but I usually keep them on hand as I am an avid baker. Well I’m here to tell you they were a hit, the kid devoured them. The smooth white “chocolate” was great compliment to the coffee flavor, and I love that speckled look.
Thanks for the great recipe, I’m sure to try some of your others.
Hey, Marc! So glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Hi!
These sound perfect for the cookie exchange I’m doing this year. Just wondering if I chopped up skor bar(hard toffee coated in chocolate) and added that instead of white chocolate chips will it be ok? I’m obsessed with that flavor combo.
Hey, Jill– it’s hard to say since I haven’t actually tried it, but my guess is it would probably be ok. Let me know if you try it!
I love adding coffee pwd to my chocolate pudding, mousse, cake..really love the coffee chocolate combo, but never thought of adding it to white chocolate.Must try!
Oh my dayssss! These turned out SO good! Incredibly indulgent and the perfect pairing with morning coffee for an extra perk.
I will note I used your recipe as a base recipe and doctored them up a bit with a dash of cinnamon, Sea Salt Caramel Chips instead of White, and stuffed them with Cream Cheese to be more like a Caramel Macchiato :D.
My housemates ate them up in a day! Thank you for the inspiration. 🙂 Happy baking!
I love that, Arianna! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
These turned out amazing!! I’m not sure if I overworked the dough, but they turned out super fluffy and cakey for me? Still delicious, but I’m going to add an extra egg and swap out the sugar for brown sugar next time I make these. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Do you weigh your ingredients? It sounds like you may have had a bit too much flour in there. I’m glad you liked them, though!
These just showed up on my Pinterest feed and look great; I love anything with coffee in it and will be making them soon. In your response to Lynn in September, you mention weighing ingredients but the recipe doesn’t have them listed that way. I have seen different weights for a cup of flour from various sources; maybe you could add the gram count for these? Thanks.
Hey, Marlene– I’m slowly working my way through and converting to metric. I just updated this one for you– enjoy!
These tasted very good – would definitely make them again!
Thanks, Anest! One of my most favorite cookies on my whole site!
Great recipe! Very easy to follow along.
Thank you so much, Niv!
I’ve made two batches of these cookies already and they were amazing, I used them within a week of baking them! I’m planning on making another batch and freezing them after they’re baked. By any chance, after they are baked, can you just wait for them to defrost and eat them automatically? or do you have to rebake them? I’m new to baking and this recipe was really easy to follow along! Thank you so much!!!
Hey, Caitlin– you can just let them thaw and eat them. No need to rebake! You can also roll the dough into balls, freeze them that way, and then bake frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the bake time. That way to can have fresh baked cookies!
Okay thank you so much!!!
Made batter last night. Easy and straight forward. Used espresso powder. Batter had just enough coffee flavor with the 2 TBS. Refrigerated over night. Just baked them in two batches. 12 mins for first one, cut back to 11 on second. They are delicious cookies. I am going to add more white chocolate chips next time as that is the ingredient that must not be skipped. It makes them. Thanks for this fun recipe. As a coffee lover, you should check out the 3 ingredient coffee fudge on howtomakeeasyfudge.com. I add the hydrated espresso powder to our taste…a little more than the recipe. I top the hot fudge with lightly ground Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips and press in slightly so they melt. It is awesome as are these cookies! I have found out my hubby is addicted to coffee desserts hence my reason for making your cookies! He almost never drinks it nor do I. Funny! 🤔
Thanks so much, Sue! I’m so glad you liked these. And thanks for sharing the fudge 🙂
I added cinnamon glaze to change some up a bit. They are delicious that way. Simple powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and just enough half and half to make thick drizzle. The more I ate these cookies the more I loved them. They really grow on you!!
I love that, Sue! Thanks so much for sharing!
Best cookies ever! WOW! WHAT A COOKIE!! I’ve made a lot of cookies because we love them instead of a big cake or elaboration dessert. From homemade Oreo cookies using black cocoa powder and an embossed rolling pin to 3 ingredient peanut butter. Your recipe for cappuccino cookies is by far the most delicious cookie my hubby and I haver ever eaten. Incredible recipe….great job! I used Frank’s espresso powder and over did it after reading comments first and I used 3 TBS….way too much. I turned my 1x batch to 2 so I used 1-1/2 TBS per batch. Perfect! I also added a small amount of mini semi sweet chocolate chips because we are chocolate addicts and a sprinkle of granulated sugar before they baked because we like the little crunch that creates This recipe could be used with other flavorings as the texture and the way they bake is wonderful. I’m going to try a strawberry one next. GREAT JOB in creating this easy, delicious recipe. Can’t wait to try more of your creations! Thank you!!
Thank you so much, Sue! I love this cookie recipe and always get excited when people make it because it’s such an underdog!
Its funny, Lynn, but by the coffee fudge comment, I am the Sue in the above comment. I guess my age is really telling on me…at this stage of life, I guess that’s my new reality! So happy I was reminded of your recipe. These are the best cookies I have ever tasted. Did you ever try the coffee fudge? I need to make it again since I just reminded my own self about it and how I did chocolate layer! Ha! Old age can be a real….I won’t even say it!! Guess I should be happy I can still cook. 🤔 😀
HA! Look at that! No, still no coffee fudge. My list of “must try” recipes gets longer and longer every year! I can’t even keep up!!!