Give Cookies A Caffeine Kick With Your Favorite Coffee

There's nothing quite as comforting and nostalgic as the aroma of freshly baked cookies. It's incredible how a simple blend of flour, sugar, and butter can stir up such a wide gamut of emotions just by scent and taste alone. But even our favorite classics can use a fun twist now and then. If you're one of the billions of people who can't start their day without a dose of caffeine, what could be better than enjoying not just a great cup of joe but also coffee-flavored cookies?

These cookies deliver precisely what you'd expect when you hear "coffee-infused cookies." They begin with the familiar sweet, buttery base of classic cookies, followed by a powerful burst of rich, tannic coffee flavors. Even if you haven't had your morning coffee, snack on one of these cookies and you'll experience that familiar caffeine kick all the same. It's the perfect choice for those mornings when a single cup of coffee just won't cut it, and a lovely mid-day snack for coffee enthusiasts, as well.

Adding coffee to your cookie dough is incredibly simple. Let's say, we're baking a batch of Tasting Table recipe developer Catherine Brooks' toffee chocolate chip cookies. It starts simple enough: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Use an electric mixer to combine butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract. At this point, add a quarter cup of instant espresso powder, and you'll see the mixture turn into a lovely chocolatey color. In a separate bowl, mix all-purpose flour with baking soda and add it to your wet mixture. Stir until it forms a thick dough. Gently fold in toffee and chocolate chips. Shape the dough into your desired cookie shapes. Bake at the pre-set 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and your coffee-infused toffee chocolate chip cookies will be ready in 10 to 15 minutes.

The same incorporation technique will also apply to other chocolate chip cookie recipes, including vegan chocolate chip cookies or brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Simply add your chosen coffee powder with the dry ingredients while mixing the batter and bake as usual, and you'll get the coffee-infused version of each recipe.

Speaking of coffee powder, to get the most flavor, go for instant espresso powder. It should give you flavor equal to a fresh shot of espresso. If you prefer a milder coffee note, regular instant coffee will do the trick.