These Chocolate Espresso Shortbread Cookies are buttery, crisp, loaded with dark chocolate and will give you a little extra pep in your step!
Let’s make this quick.
I’m busy. You’re busy. It’s the week before Christmas and EVERYONE IS BUSY. I don’t have the time to write a whole story and you don’t have time to read one (if you do, see my last post. That’ll keep you busy for a while).
But you do hopefully have some time set aside to make cookies, and if you don’t, you better make some. These bad boys are a cross between a chocolate chip cookie and a shortbread, but they have the most incredible addition of espresso. That means they’ll satisfy your sweet tooth AND they’ll give you the energy needed to make it through the rest of the season without totally losing your mind.
These cookies are nice and crisp, which makes them ideal for milk dunking, an essential cookie quality according to Mr. Gaffney. They’re also a lovely pairing with coffee, but that probably goes without saying. They’re loaded with tons of bittersweet chocolate that’s been chopped into bits of all different sizes, so some will melt into the dough while some will melt into big drippy pools.
And if that hasn’t convinced you, they’re made in the slice and bake style, which means that they’re E-A-S-Y.
Make the cookies, enjoy the season, and tell me about it later. <3
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These Chocolate Espresso Shortbread Cookies are buttery, crisp, loaded with dark chocolate and will give you a little extra pep in your step! Just mix, roll, slice and bake!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature*
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bits
Instructions
- Using an electric or stand mixer, cream the butter until soft.
- Add both sugars, espresso powder, salt, and vanilla extract, then beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix on low until just incorporated, then mix in chocolate. Do not overmix.
- Scrape the dough on to a large piece of plastic wrap and form it into a log about 3 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly, then chill for at least 2 hours. (The dough can be made up until this point and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.)
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Slice the cookies into 1/2-inch rounds, then place them on the pans one inch apart. Bake until they just start to turn golden around the edges, about 18 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
*These cookies turn out best when made with a European butter with at least 82% butterfat, and even better if the butter is cultured. If using salted butter, omit the added salt.
Keywords: christmas, cookies, espresso, chocolate, shortbread
Nicole Gaffney, aka Coley, is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, tv host and food writer.
Hi these are amazing, I have a homebased baked goods business and I would love to make these if that is alright, I never give recipies out thank you!
of course you can! thank you so much for asking. I’m flattered! 🙂