Chewy Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chewy Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies have layers of flavor with browned butter, brown sugar, espresso powder, and chopped bittersweet chocolate. They are rich, have slightly crisp edges, and are soft and gooey in the middle.

The espresso flavor is present throughout each cookie, but it is not overwhelming or overpowering, and it pairs so well with bittersweet chocolate in a sweet cookie.

🧈 Brown Butter Technique

These cookies use a unique trick to ensure ultra-rich and gooey centers. Yet, the cookie dough does not require any refrigeration, making the whole baking experience simple and streamlined.

Here’s the trick: Use browned butter, but cool the butter down in the fridge and the freezer for 15 minutes total before getting started with the cookie dough. This allows you to get that extra depth of flavor from the browned butter (melted butter also means a dense gooey and chewy center), but you skip refrigerating the dough because you cooled the butter before incorporating it.

I use this same trick along with the pan-banging technique in Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies, which are crispy on the edges but soft in the center. For more tips and techniques see my Guide to Making the Best Homemade Cookies.

🍪 Other Chocolate Chip Cookie Variations

• Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Cookies: For a fun twist on a classic cookie, mix rice krispies into the batter for an extra crunchy, but still soft and gooey cookie.
• Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies: Made with rippled crispy edges, these are excellent dunked in milk.
• Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies: For a chocolate overload, these hefty cookies are coated in a layer of chocolate on the bottom.
• Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies: Oversized cookies that also use chocolate chunks. These and the crispy cookies above are my favorite.
• Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies: You can also make these cookies using regular chocolate chips.

Short on brown sugar? Here are some brown sugar variations you can try.

Don't have a mixer? Cookies can certainly be mixed by hand (and it's even easier with melted butter), I did so for many years, and sometimes I still do. See my Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment on mixing by hand or with a mixer.

🛒 Ingredients:

Below are the ingredients needed to make Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

• Butter: I use salted butter, but unsalted butter is fine too.
• Brown Sugar:  You can use either dark or light brown sugar.
• Granulated Sugar: This recipe uses more brown sugar than white sugar for a richer flavor.
• Egg and Egg Yolk: Use one large egg and one large egg yolk. Adding an extra yolk to the dough adds fat and richness.
• Vanilla Extract: This can be purchased in bulk at Costco or other wholesale stores for significantly less per volume than the small bottles at the grocery store.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: For leavening.
• Salt: To bring out flavor, which is particularly helpful with the espresso and chocolate notes.
• Flour: Use all purpose, unbleached flour. For a precise amount, use a kitchen scale. I use 140 grams per cup, see my approach to measuring flour.
• Espresso Powder: This can be purchased from King Arthur Baking Company via Amazon. If you plan ahead a couple of days, this is the easiest approach (rather than using espresso grounds or ground coffee).
• Chocolate: I recommend bittersweet chocolate bars, chopped into chunks, but semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate would all work well.
• Flaky Sea Salt: Using flaky salt is optional but it adds a nice touch. I use Morton’s Sea Salt Flakes. It’s expensive, but one box will last you at least a year, if not significantly more.

To learn more about these cookie ingredients, see my Guide to Cookie Ingredients.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

📝 How to Make Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Espresso Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 1. Brown Butter: Add the butter to a small or medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir occasionally until the butter is frothy, bubbly, and has browned, about 6-8 minutes.

Place the butter in the fridge for 5 minutes to cool down. I leave the butter in the saucepan but place it on a potholder in the fridge. Then move the browned butter to the freezer for 10 minutes. Set a timer as a reminder.

Step 2. Combine Butter and Sugar: Combine the now-cooled browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Step 3. Remaining Wet Ingredients: Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and combine.

Step 4. Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt: Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the mixture and combine.

Step 5: Remaining Dry Ingredients: Add the flour and espresso powder and combine.

Step 6: Chocolate Chunks: Add the chopped chocolate chunks to the cookie batter and combine.

Step 7. Bake: Shape 2 tablespoons worth of dough into a round ball and place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet or cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-9 minutes at 350°F. Remove and immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt if using. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with a glass of milk!

Because the espresso powder makes the dough darker in color than a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, it can be hard to tell when they are golden brown on the edges. Err on the side of baking them less, rather than more if you cannot tell from the coloring when they are done.

🪄 More Tips and Tricks

• Flaky Sea Salt: Flaky sea salt brings out the flavor of the chocolate and the espresso. Sprinkle the salt on after baking the cookies while they are still warm. The warmth of the cookies will help the salt stick and that way you can cover more real estate with the salt.
• Chocolate Chunks: Chocolate chunks melt into cookies, whereas chocolate chips are designed to keep their shape while baking. This allows the cocoa butter in the chocolate chunks (i.e. chopped chocolate bars) to distribute throughout the cookie dough. You also get the added bonus of having thin little shards of chocolate melt throughout the dough, and chocolate of different sizes for a more varied cookie.
• Test Cookie: I always recommend making a test cookie before tossing a whole baking sheet worth of cookies in the oven, especially when trying a new recipe. A test cookie will tell you if your cookie dough temperature is too warm (if so stick it in the fridge for 20-30 min) or if you need to increase or reduce the baking time by 1-2 minutes.
• Don't Overmix: Overmixing the dough can develop the gluten in the flour making the cookies tough (think like pizza crust), rather than soft and chewy.

❄️ Freezing and Storing

To Freeze: You can freeze either the dough or the fully baked cookies, but I recommend freezing the dough. There's not much better than a warm chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven. Shape into balls (you can use a cookie scoop if you have one), and place in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To Store: Store the fully baked cookies in an airtight container or wrap them in plastic wrap for up to 4 days. If at day 4 they are a little crumbly, microwave them for a few seconds before eating to soften them up.