Espresso brownie chocolate chip cookies – aka mocha brookies – made with a fudge brownie cookie dough and a brown butter espresso chocolate chip cookie dough.
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espresso brownie chocolate chip cookies
Hello hello! ☺︎ Today we’re putting a little spin on my classic brookie cookies and turning them into mocha brookie cookies. First we’ll brown the butter for the chocolate chip cookie dough which involves cooking the brown butter to toast the milk solids, giving the cookie dough more depth and some nice toasty notes. Then, we’ll make the fudge brownie cookies and add some espresso powder in them, which adds some coffee flavor (of course), but also brings out more of the chocolate flavor. Thennn we’ll mix together our espresso chocolate chip cookie dough and marble the two doughs together. After a quick chill (sorry, it’s necessary!), we’ll bake them off & enjoy. So let’s get into it!
why you’ll love these mocha brookies:
- Brown butter: brown butter is truly a cheat code to a more delicious, flavorful cookie.
- They’re the best of both worlds: because there’s no reason you should have to decide between having a cookie or a brownie.
- They’re super easy to make: no stand or hand mixer required.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
Mix the dough carefully:
When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Over mixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookies thicker and more tough in texture.
chill the cookies prior to baking
I know, I know – it’s frustrating to have to wait! However, because we’re using melted brown butter, we want to give the dough time to firm up. Letting the cookie dough chill just a little bit in the fridge means that the cookies will bake up thicker. This also gives the flavors a little bit of time to meld together.
Under bake for perfect cookies:
Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. Once the edges turn slightly golden brown, and the cookies look just a little wet on top still, they are ready to come out. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for an additional 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
The secret to perfectly round cookies:
Wanna know the secret to perfectly round cookies? It’s cookie scooting! Right when the cookies come out of the oven, take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is just slightly larger than your cookies and place it over one of the cookies. Gently swirl the bowl around the cookie to make the cookie perfectly round (and slightly thicker). And that’s all there is to it!
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients for espresso brownie chocolate chip cookies –
brownie cookies:
- Semi sweet chocolate chips: We will use these to melt into the dough for the brownie base.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cookies. You can use salted butter in it’s place, just be sure to omit the added salt.
- Light brown sugar: for moisture, flavor, and sweetness.
- Egg: for moisture and for binding the batter together. Also, the main contributor for the crackled top!
- Dutch processed cocoa powder: for flavor and lends a bit of structure to the cookie.
- Espresso powder: for flavor. I recommend espresso powder but instant espresso or instant coffee will work here as well.
- All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
- Baking powder: for making the cookies rise and be thick!
- Salt: helps to bring out and balance the sweetness of the cookies.
chocolate chip cookies:
- All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
- Baking powder & baking soda: for helping the cookies rise.
- Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cookies
- Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the cookies. We’ll also be browning the butter for some extra delicious toasty flavor.
- Granulated sugar & light brown sugar: a combination of both gives us cookies with crispy edges and soft and chewy centers.
- Egg: for binding and for moisture.
- Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract!
- Espresso powder: for flavor. I recommend espresso powder but instant espresso or instant coffee will work here as well.
- Semi-sweet chocolate: I recommend semi-sweet or dark chocolate. Please note that if you use all chocolate chips, the cookies will bake up a little thicker, and if you use all chopped chocolate, they will be a tad thinner.
how to make espresso brownie chocolate chip cookies
Here’s a little look into the process of making these mocha brookies. The full recipe is at the end of this blog post!
- Brown the butter for the espresso chocolate chip cookies and set it aside to cool while you make the brownie cookies.
- Make the brownie cookies. Start with melting together the butter and chocolate chips, then mix in the espresso powder, cocoa powder, and sugar, and vigorously whisk in the egg.
- Gently mix in the dry ingredients just until combined. Place the brownie cookie dough in the fridge while you make the chocolate chip cookies.
- To the brown butter, mix in both sugars, followed by the egg and vanilla.
- Mix in the dry ingredients.
- Scoop out ~2 tbsp. scoops of the chocolate chip cookie dough, and 1.5 tbsp. scoops of the brownie cookie dough.
- Split each ball of cookie dough in half, then layer the dough together.
- Roll the dough into a ball and chill for 30 minutes. Bake, serve, and enjoy!
espresso brownie chocolate chip cookies recipe q&a
What is brown butter?
Brown butter is super simple to make so don’t worry! It’s just regular butter that is cooked on the stove until some of the moisture evaporates, allowing the milk solids in the butter to be toasted. The result is this butter with an amber hue and little speckles that has a toasted and slightly nutty aroma.
why is my brownie cookie dough so runny?
The batter for these cookies more resembles brownie batter than cookie dough. That’s because, essentially, I’ve taken my fudge brownies and added more flour to them and some baking powder to have enough structure to be a cookie, but not too much flour that it would resemble more of a chocolate cookie rather than brownies. So essentially, yes the batter is more runny than your standard cookie dough would be, but that’s completely normal so do not try to add in more flour!
can I double this recipe?
Definitely – I’ve tested this recipe up to quadrupling it with no problem. Please be sure to use grams for the best results.
can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Definitely – cookie dough really only gets better with time. You can keep the cookie dough tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking. For longer term storage, you can also freeze the cookie dough balls. Just be sure to take the dough out of the fridge at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before you want to bake, so that it becomes soft enough to scoop again.
How to store brownie chocolate chip cookies
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will taste the best 1-3 days after baking.
tools and ingredients:
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did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Espresso Brownie Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Brownie Cookies
- 90 g semi sweet chocolate chips (½ c.)
- 56 g unsalted butter (¼ c.)
- 12 g dutch processed cocoa powder (2 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. espresso powder
- 90 g light brown sugar (⅓ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 egg
- 80 g all purpose flour (⅔ c.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 113 g unsalted butter (8 tbsp.)
- 100 g light brown sugar (½ c.)
- 50 g granulated sugar (¼ c.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 tsp. espresso powder
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 160 g all purpose flour (1 ⅓ c.)
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 125 g semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped baking bar (¾ c.)
Instructions
- Make the brown butter. Add the 113g (8 tbsp.) of butter for the chocolate chip cookies into a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir the butter occasionally until it turns amber in color and develops little brown specks.
- Transfer the brown butter to a medium sized mixing bowl. You should be left with at least 90g of brown butter, if you have a little less (2-3g), just add in some water until you reach 90g. Set the brown butter aside while you make the brownie cookies.
Brownie Cookies
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt together the chocolate chips and butter, stirring every 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Then, add in the cocoa and espresso powder and mix until smooth.
- Add in the brown sugar and egg. Whisk the mixture vigorously for 1 minute.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients just until no flour streaks remain. Note that the batter will be more liquidy like brownie batter, not as firm as cookie dough – this is normal!
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to firm up while you make the chocolate chip cookies.
Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Whisk both sugars into the bowl with brown butter.
- Whisk in the egg, espresso powder, and vanilla until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture together just until a few flour streaks remain.
- Add in the chocolate and fold the mixture together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Scoop out 2 tbsp. portions of the chocolate chip cookie dough. Then, remove the brownie cookie dough from the fridge and scoop out 1.5 tbsp. scoops of that dough.
- Use a knife or your hands to split each ball of cookie dough in half.
- Alternate adding each half ball of flavor to your hand, for a total of four pieces of dough (for example – brownie: chocolate chip: brownie: chocolate chip)
- Roll the dough into a ball, and repeat with the remaining cookie dough. (Tip: for uniform balls of dough, you can gently press each cookie dough ball into a 3 tbsp. cookie scoop after marbling the doughs together.)
- Place the dough balls into an airtight container in the fridge for 30 minutes*
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
- Evenly space out the cookie dough balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and top them with extra chocolate.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to turn golden brown.
- Once the cookies come out of the oven, I recommend "scooting" them. This just means take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is slightly larger than the cookie, place it on top of the cookie, and swirl the bowl around to make the cookie a little more round.
- Let the cookies sit on the hot baking tray for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
These are 100% the best cookies I have ever made and possibly the best cookies I have ever eaten.
The best compliment ever!! Thank you so much Laura, I’m so happy you enjoyed them! ☺︎
I just made these mostly for my husband and he loves them!
They taste of espresso and brownie and arent overwhelming. The recipe was clear and easy to follow. I made my cookies slightly smaller and ended up with more than the 12 (not really a problem at all). Cooked for about 13 minutes and they were the perfect texture.
Thank you so much Laura, I’m glad you and your husband enjoyed them! ☺︎
These were genuinely so good and a hit when hosting my friends for a board game night!
Thank you so much Haley, I’m so happy everyone enjoyed them! ☺︎
Love to make coo,it’s. I am going to do this recipe. Thank you