This week’s recipe is inspired by the Vietnamese people and the country where my parents come from. Pretty much all the Vietnamese people in my life are not necessarily big fans of desserts, but they seem to have an obsession with coffee, specifically Vietnamese coffee. I love using this flavor in desserts like for tiramisu or mochi donuts. The espresso flavor balances out sweet flavors so well, and when combined with chocolate, it’s absolutely mind blowing. Honestly, that’s what’s so mind blowing about these espresso shortbread cookies. The combination of chocolate and espresso make these cookies taste out of this world, and they’re honestly so simple! It’s crazy how a few simple ingredients can result in such a tasty cookie.
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Powdered (confectioners) sugar – Powdered sugar is a combination of fine sugar and corn starch. This ingredient is a must for these cookies because it makes them soft and tender.
- Unsalted butter – I used unsalted butter for this recipe. It’s important to use unsalted butter because it helps you control the amount of salt in your recipe. Make sure your butter is at room temperature before using it.
- Espresso powder – This gives the cookies their coffee flavor. If you don’t have espresso powder, you can grind up instant coffee into a very fine powder and use that. Instant coffee is weaker in flavor, so I would use a teaspoon more if you use it as a substitute.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract adds flavor to the cookies. A better substitute would be vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean because they have better flavor. Substitute vanilla paste in a 1:1 ratio – 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste.
- Salt – Brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Flour – I used all purpose flour for this recipe.
- Dark chocolate and coconut oil – Espresso powder brings out chocolate flavor. That’s why I chose to coat these cookies in chocolate. Coconut oil adds a nice sheen to the chocolate. I would highly recommend using high quality chocolate for the best flavor. I used Baker’s Semisweet Chocolate for my cookies.
Making my espresso shortbread cookies
First, combine butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth. Add espresso powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until smooth. Lastly, add all purpose flour and gently fold it into the mixture until it just comes together into a soft dough. On a floured silicone mat, roll the dough out until it is 1/4 inch thick. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Prepare 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper. After 30 minutes, take the dough out from the fridge. Use a cookie cutter that is 2.5 inches in diameter to cut out your cookies. After you cut out your first batch, combine the remaining dough, and roll it out to cut more cookies. Repeat this process until you run out of dough. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). While the oven is preheating place the cookies in the fridge to cool. The colder your cookies are, the less they will spread.
Bake cookies for 13-15 minutes until the edges start to brown. Cool cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (~5 minutes). Combine the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave in 20 second increments until the chocolate melts. Mix the chocolate and coconut oil together until a smooth chocolate dip forms. Dip half the cookie into the chocolate. Repeat this process for all the cookies. Let the chocolate set for 10 minutes before serving. Or you can enjoy them right away!
Tips on how to make the perfect espresso shortbread cookies
Can I use instant coffee instead of espresso powder?
Yes you can! Since it is weaker in flavor than espresso powder, I would use a teaspoon more to compensate.
Don’t over mix the dough
As you mix the flour into the wet ingredients, gluten forms, and too much gluten formation will make the cookies tough. That’s why it’s important to only mix until the dough comes together.
Roll out the dough prior to resting it in the fridge
The reason I rolled out the dough first before resting it in the fridge is because the dough is easier to work with before it goes into the fridge. In addition, these cookies hold their shape better if you punch them out while the dough is cold.
Why I use a silicone mat for these espresso shortbread cookies
I used a silicone mat because it’s easy to roll out the dough on the surface, it makes it easy to transfer the dough onto a baking sheet for resting, and the cookies don’t stick when I transfer them onto another baking sheet for baking.
What to do if your dough gets too warm
When I was cutting the cookies, there were moments when the dough got too warm. Like I mentioned, the cookies bake better when they’re cold. If this happens, put the cookies back in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing to work with it.
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Espresso Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 16 oz dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Combine butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth.
- Add espresso powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
- Lastly, add all purpose flour and gently fold it into the mixture until it just comes together into a soft dough.
- On a floured silicone mat, roll the dough out until it is 1/4 inch thick. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Prepare 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper.
- After 30 minutes, take the dough out from the fridge. Use a cookie cutter that is 2.5 inches in diameter to cut out your cookies. After you cut out your first batch, combine the remaining dough, and roll it out to cut more cookies. Repeat this process until you run out of dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
- While the oven is preheating place the cookies in the fridge to cool. The colder your cookies are, the less they will spread.
- Bake cookies for 13-15 minutes until the edges start to brown.
- Cool cookies for 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (~5 minutes).
- Combine the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave in 20 second increments until the chocolate melts. Mix the chocolate and coconut oil together until a smooth chocolate dip forms.
- Dip half the cookie into the chocolate. Repeat this process for all the cookies.
- Let the chocolate set for 10 minutes before serving. Or you can enjoy them right away!
Notes
- Roll out the dough prior to resting it in the fridge – The reason I rolled out the dough first before resting it in the fridge is because the dough is easier to work with before it goes into the fridge. In addition, the cookies hold their shape better if you punch them out while the dough is cold.
- Don’t over mix the dough – As you mix the flour into the wet ingredients, gluten forms, and too much gluten formation will make the cookies tough. That’s why it’s important to only mix until the dough comes together.
- Why I use a silicone mat – I used a silicone mat because it’s easy to roll out the dough on the surface, it makes it easy to transfer the dough onto a baking sheet for resting, and the cookies don’t stick when I transfer them onto another baking sheet for baking.
- What to do if your dough gets too warm – When I was cutting the cookies, there were moments when the dough got too warm. Like I mentioned, the cookies bake better when they’re cold. If this happens, put the cookies back in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing to work with it.
- Can I use instant coffee instead of espresso powder? – Yes you can! Since both are weaker in flavor than espresso powder, I would use a teaspoon more to compensate.
I’m planning to make these cookies as one of the desserts for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Can you please let me know what the final garnish is on the cookies shown in the picture? My gut thinks coarse sugar but it might also be flaky salt? Thanks so much!
Hi Kelly. It’s flaky salt! I love salty chocolate. Let me know how it goes!
This recipe was awesome. The tips were really helpful too. I originally found this recipe while on coffee break when a Reddit user on the r/Baking subreddit posted their attempt. Mine was definitely not as pretty as theirs or Becca Du’s; luckily looks don’t impact taste! The only modification I made was to use a 10 oz bag Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate wafers instead of the dark chocolate and coconut oil to dip the cookies since I’m a newbie baker, and I don’t trust myself enough to not burn the chocolate even with the recipe instructions!
Hi Alysha. Thank you so much for making them! I’m sure yours looked amazing! 🙂
you forgot to add the chocolate in your recipe… to fold it in after the flour.
Hi Karen. The chocolate is used as a dip for the shortbread cookie. I included that in step 11. Maybe I misunderstood your comment? Thanks for the feedback either way!