A high altitude recipe for soft and chewy coffee cookies, flavored with espresso powder, and coated in espresso sugar. These cookies are easy to make, with a strong coffee flavor that coffee drinkers will love!
You might also love these high altitude recipes for a one layer coffee and walnut cake, coffee cupcakes, and coffee blondies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make. If you don’t have a stand mixer, an electric mixer will work just fine for today’s recipe. The dough comes together quickly, and then just needs to chill for a bit before baking the cookies.
Intense Coffee Flavor. There’s no mistaking the flavor of these coffee cookies. Instant espresso powder in the dough, and in the sugar coating, adds plenty of coffee flavor.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter. I bake with unsalted butter, but if you use salted, you should reduce the salt in the recipe.
- Sugar. A combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar adds sweetness, moisture, and a hint of molasses. The moisture in the brown sugar also makes a softer, chewier cookie.
- Egg. Gives the cookie dough structure and helps to bind the dough together.
- Dark Corn Syrup or Golden Syrup. The syrup gives these cookies their chewy texture, and adds a buttery, caramel flavor.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Instant Espresso Powder. The instant espresso or coffee powder is what gives these coffee cookies their strong coffee flavor.
- Flour. All-purpose flour adds structure and strength.
- Corn Starch. Tenderizes the cookie dough for a softer texture.
- Baking Soda. Leavens the cookies so they puff up as they bake.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, egg, syrup, vanilla and 3 teaspoons of espresso powder, for 2 minutes, until well combined.
- Separately, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir everything together with a spatula into a thick dough.
- Use a small cookie scoop with a release lever to scoop 24 balls of dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon espresso powder. Roll the dough balls smooth between your hands, coat them in the espresso sugar, and then flatten the balls into disks.
- Cover the flattened cookie dough balls with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, position a rack in the center of the oven, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Space the chilled cookies several inches apart on the baking sheet, and bake for 8 minutes. Cool several minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will initially look puffed when you take them out of the oven, but will settle and flatten a bit as they cool.
Recipe Variations
Buttercream Filled Sandwich Cookies
If you like your coffee a little sweeter, buttercream frosting makes a wonderful filling for coffee cookies. I think vanilla buttercream would be best, since the coffee with vanilla would taste like the most delicious cup of sweetened coffee with cream, or a vanilla latte.
Chocolate Ganache Filled Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate with coffee is just so good, and these coffee cookies would be fantastic sandwiched together with some creamy, dark chocolate ganache. For a ganache recipe and instructions, see these soft butterscotch sandwich cookies with ganache.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I buy espresso powder?
I use Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso Coffee, which I buy at my local grocery store (King Soopers).
Can I just use more sugar instead of the dark corn syrup or golden syrup?
If you leave the syrup out, the texture of the cookies just won’t be the same. The syrup contributes to the soft chewy texture, and you really need to use it.
How do I store leftover cookies?
Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3-6 months.
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High Altitude Chewy Coffee Cookies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
- Small Cookie Scoop with Release Lever (about a 1 tbsp capacity)
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp dark corn syrup or golden syrup
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tsp instant espresso powder or coffee powder, divided
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ tsp corn starch
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
Instructions
- With an electric mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, egg, syrup, vanilla and 3 teaspoons of espresso powder, for 2 minutes, until well combined.
- Separately, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir everything together with a spatula into a thick dough.
- Use a small cookie scoop with a release lever to scoop 24 balls of dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon espresso powder. Roll the dough balls smooth between your hands, coat them in the espresso sugar, and then flatten the balls into disks.
- Cover the flattened cookie dough balls with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, position a rack in the center of the oven, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Space the chilled cookies several inches apart on the baking sheet, and bake for 8 minutes. Cool several minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will initially look puffed when you take them out of the oven, but will settle and flatten a bit as they cool.
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