Espresso Shortbread Cookies

5 from 10 votes

These easy, homemade espresso shortbread cookies are made with espresso powder, powdered sugar, and butter and then dipped in dark chocolate.

Prep Time20

Cook Time13

Resting Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Asian

Keyword: earl grey shortbread cookie recipe, espresso shortbread cookie recipe, espresso shortbread cookies

Servings: cookies

Calories: 359kcal

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!

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.