WEEK 19: YOUR BEST CHOCOLATE COOKIE

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Photography by Sarah Shatz

    BY KELSEYTHENAPTIMECHEF | MAKES 50 TO 55 COOKIES

A&M: Two warnings about these cookies: don’t give them to young children before bedtime and don’t leave them lying around, if you want any left for yourself. These cookies are crisp on the edges and have a chewy middle strewn with pockets of soft chocolate. The espresso powder, as KelseyTheNaptimeChef noted, amplifies the chocolate, but not the sweetness, making it a grown-up cookie. When making any cookies, make sure to cream the butter really well—this aerates the cookies and integrates the sugar—but be conservative with your mixing once the dry ingredients are added.

    18 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

    1 cup sugar

    1 cup light brown sugar

    2 large eggs, at room temperature

    2½ cups all-purpose flour

    ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    1 teaspoon kosher salt

    2 tablespoons instant espresso powder, like Medaglia D’Oro, or similar

    12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, mixing after each addition to make sure they are well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. I use a whisk to make sure they are well blended.
4. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully combined, but do not overbeat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper. Using a 1 ½-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded teaspoon, drop the dough on the sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops look dry. Do not overbake, or the cookies will not be chewy. Cool on a wire rack and serve.

    TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

    Kelsey said: “If you don’t have instant espresso, you can use instant coffee. Add a little more coffee than the 2 tablespoons of espresso powder in the recipe, since it is not as strongly flavored.”

        Readers recommended various additions, including cacao nibs, coarse salt, peanuts, and white chocolate chips. Have fun, kids!

        Maryvelasquez said: “I froze the remaining double chocolate espresso cookie dough—I formed it into a log shape, wrapped it in freezer paper, and then put the whole in a Ziploc freezer bag. I hack off a chunk of the log every now and then and bake a small batch.”

    ABOUT THE COOK

    Learn more about KelseyTheNaptimeChef and see her recipe for Zucchini-Lemon Cookies; see her Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe.

    WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID

    HSP: “A true adult treat, so refined, but so good you’ll swear you were a kid again.”

        Oui, Chef: “These are amazing! Made a triple batch (no easy feat, mind you) of these lovelies to add to our holiday goody bags this year. Keeping a nice little tin for myself, thank you very much.”