Vietnamese Coffee Marble Cookies

If you ever wondered what Vietnamese coffee would taste like in cookie form, look no further than these Vietnamese coffee marble cookies. Filled with sweet condensed milk and smokey espresso powder, these marble cookies are the perfect personification of not too sweet. Included in this post are tips on how to get that pretty marble effect and how to make sure your cookies are perfectly round, so it looks like they just came out of a bakery every time!

Ever since I made my strawberry matcha neapolitan cookies, I’ve been obsessed with marble cookies. They’re so easy to make, beautiful to look at, and allows for the most creative combination of flavors. These Vietnamese Coffee Marble Cookies are the perfect application of the marble cookie technique. They’re rich full of coffee flavor with a hint of condensed milk, giving you the experience of drinking Ca Phe Sua Da in the form of a cookie.

How I developed these Vietnamese coffee marble cookies

The development process for these cookies was very simple. I actually only did 1 test because I wouldn’t change anything about that first batch. I adapted my strawberry matcha neapolitan cookie recipe by replacing the freeze-dried strawberries and matcha powder with espresso powder and condensed milk. At first, I was hesitant about putting all 2 tbsp of espresso powder into the cookies because I thought it might be too strong, but after smelling the dough after adding 1 tbsp, I knew 2 tbsp would be the right call. The dough didn’t smell enough like coffee, and typically, Vietnamese coffee is made with strong coffee.

Key Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Unsalted butter – For this recipe, I used unsalted butter because I wanted the nuttiness of the butter without it coloring the cookie. I know I normally use browned butter in my cookies. The best way to get softened or room temperature butter is to leave the butter out for an hour or two. If you happen to forget like I usually do, you can also microwave it using the defrost setting for 30 seconds to a minute depending on how strong your microwave is. Additionally, you can use salted butter for this recipe, but I would not recommend it because you never know exactly how much salt they put into the butter. That’s why I always use unsalted butter, so I can control how much salt I put into my cookies!
• Granulated sugar – A key ingredient in these cookies. Typically I use brown sugar and white granulated sugar in my cookie recipes, but in this case, I used only granulated sugar because I wanted the sweetness but no color. I always get asked the question if you can reduce the sugar in the recipe, and unfortunately, I do not recommend it for this recipe. Reducing the sugar will throw off the wet/dry balance in the cookies, making them drier and tougher.
• Espresso powder – A great substitute for espresso powder is instant coffee. In my test, I first tried using 1 tbsp of espresso powder but after smelling the coffee aroma, felt that it needed more, so I doubled it to 2 tbsp. Feel free to use less espresso powder if you would like a weaker coffee flavor, but note that this will make the cookie a lighter brown color as well.

How to make Vietnamese coffee marble cookies

For a simplified version of this recipe, skip to the recipe card. Included in this section are all the tips and tricks to help you achieve the best results.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
2. Prep 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper.
3. Combine 1 ⅔ cup of all purpose flour, ½ tsp of baking soda, ½ tsp of baking powder, and ¼ tsp of salt in a small bowl. Mix and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together ½ cup of unsalted butter and 1 cup of granulated sugar until well combined.
   • Tip: Use room temperature ingredients for the best results. Butter and eggs don’t combine very well, especially at different temperatures, so using room temperature butter and eggs help the dough come together better.
5. Add 1 egg and 2 tsp of vanilla extract to the mixer. Mix until combined.
   • Tip: Make sure to mix very well until light and fluffy. This is your last chance to mix the batter as much as you want because once you add the dry ingredients, each subsequent mix will make the cookie tougher due to gluten formation.
6. Combine the dry ingredients from step 1 with the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
   • Tip: Be careful not to mix too much! As mentioned, this will make the cookies tough and chewy.
7. Scoop out 2/3 of the dough into a separate bowl. Add 2 tbsp of espresso powder and mix until the dough is completely brown. To the last 1/3 of the cookie dough, add 1 tbsp of condensed milk. Mix until just combined.
   • Tip: Don’t worry if the espresso cookie dough is not quite as dark as mine are in the pictures. As the dough sits, the color and flavor will mature, resulting in a dark dough and deeper coffee flavor.
8. Take 2 tbsp of dough from the espresso dough and 1 tbsp from the condensed milk dough, and combine them into 1 cookie dough ball. Each ball should be ~50 grams.
   • Tip: I like to use a #60 cookie scoop (~2 tsp) to scoop the cookie dough. I scoop the espresso dough then the condensed milk dough and then another scoop of the espresso dough. I like to place the condensed milk dough between the espresso dough to create the contrast between brown and white dough.
9. Add ½ cup of granulated sugar to a small bowl. Coat the dough ball in granulated sugar. Repeat this process until you run out of cookie dough.
10. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes.
    • Tip: Use a round biscuit cutter to shape your cookies after baking. Place it around each cookie and move in a circular motion to shape the cookie.
11. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

How do you store Vietnamese coffee marble cookies?

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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