This past weekend, my parents headed out of town to visit my grandparents, so they asked if I could puppy-sit their 4-month-old golden retriever. “Sure, not a problem!” I thought, seeing as I used to dog-sit a couple of goldens down the street before we recently moved. Famous last words thoughts…
My parents are early birds. As in wake-up-before-5-when-it’s-pitch-black-and-freezing-outside early birds, and of course, their pup had gotten used to waking up at that insane hour too. So before the sun even hinted at rising, he started sighing and softly whining in his kennel, practically like a little kid on Christmas. “Can I get up now? Is it time? Is it time?”
Since I had turned off the lights after midnight the night before to finish up work, I groggily threw off the covers, let him outside to take care of business, and set down his big bowl of food for breakfast. By that time, the construction crew had arrived to continue the kitchen remodel. With their banging, joking, and singing along to the radio, no way was I going to get a nap in!
Needless to say, caffeine was a complete requirement. Coffee, tea, espresso—anything and everything—to make it through the day. Loaded up with a chai latte in the morning, iced tea in the afternoon, and these Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies as a sweet pick-me-up, I made it all the way ’til bedtime… And still managed to do it again the next 2 days!
I ate a lot of cookies.
So let’s talk about them!
You know how Oreos are crunchy and crumbly? These bad boys are the exact opposite. They still have the same deep dark chocolate flavor, but they’re soft and chewy and fudgy, practically as if you crossed brownies with cookies. That alone makes them absolutely addictive!
But then you add in the coffee, and the cookies skyrocket to another universe… They’re so rich!! Yet still perfectly balanced. Despite both having strong flavors, neither the dark chocolate nor coffee dominates the palate. The chocolate hits first, while the coffee notes stay in the background until you swallow, and then they linger a little longer on your tongue.
You’ll need instant coffee to make these, not regular coffee grounds. We need the kind that dissolves in water—or in this case, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Be patient when mixing it in! As soon as you begin stirring, the coffee immediately sticks to the fork and looks like a large lump of coal, but if you run the fork back and forth against the side of the bowl, that friction will help the coffee dissolve.
Hang in there! It takes a few minutes, but it’ll dissolve. I promise. And if you still have a couple of tiny granules after 5+ minutes of stirring, just discard those.
I mixed both regular and miniature chocolate chips into the dough. As almost the same color as the cookies, they’re camouflaged after baking, so it’s a sweet surprise every time you bite into one. Chocolaty magic happens every time you hit one of the bigger ones… Like a melty explosion of goodness in those bites! But I still want every bite to contain at least a little bit of chocolate, without too many extra calories from lots of big chips, so I tossed in the minis too.
When the time comes to bake, the cookie dough will still be very soft and somewhat tacky. Use two spoons and a spatula to drop and shape it into rounded mounds on the baking sheet. Flatten it ever so slightly too. Most low-fat cookies do not spread in the oven, so flattening the dough gives it a “spreading head start.”
Bake these cookies for 9-11 minutes—no more! The cookies will look and feel underdone when you pull them out, but we’ll let them sit on the warm baking sheet for 10 minutes. This allows the centers to finish cooking through without the outsides turning crisp and crunchy. It’s how we get their texture to be so fudgy and downright irresistible!
I know I just told you in my last post that I normally give away most of my baked goods, but… I saved every single one of these Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies for myself. I didn’t share any! I’m absolutely addicted to their fudgy brownie-like texture and extremely rich flavor. I’m already considering keeping a permanent stash on hand!
These fudgy cookies are a coffee lover & chocoholic’s dream! They’re soft, chewy & packed with rich flavors. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week—if they last that long!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter and instant coffee until about halfway dissolved. Mix in the egg and vanilla, continuing to stir until the instant coffee is mostly dissolved. (If a few small granules remain, discard them.) Stir in the brown sugar, smearing out any clumps along the side of the bowl. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in all of the regular and half of the miniature chocolate chips.
- Drop the cookie dough into 12 rounded scoops on the prepared baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: Don’t skip the cornstarch! It absorbs moisture in the dough and helps keep the cookies extra soft.
It takes a while to get the instant coffee to dissolve. I generally use a fork, and when it clumps onto the tines, I rub the fork back and forth against the side of the bowl. The friction helps it dissolve slightly faster.
{low fat, low calorie}
Soooo good!!! I think I’m addicted to this website… Not that that’s a bad thing right?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Kristina, and that’s the best compliment I could’ve asked for! Thank you!! 🙂
I’m looking for a good chocolate cookie to make for a friend, but she doesn’t eat eggs. Is there anyway I could make these eggless? She’d love these!
You’re so sweet to bake cookies for your friend Krithika! My favorite egg replacer is Ener-G. It’s a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages, and I use it all the time in baked goods for my brother because he’s allergic to eggs. Whisk 1½ teaspoons of Ener-G with 2 tablespoons of warm water, and let that sit for 3-5 minutes. (You can find it at most health-oriented grocery stores!) Otherwise, 3 tablespoons of applesauce would work, although that may slightly affect the texture. I hope both you and your friend enjoy the cookies!
Thank you for the reply Amy. I didn’t end up making it for my friend, but did make it for myself! :p Tried it with the egg replacer powder as you suggested. After mixing the dry and wet ingredients together, the dough seemed very dry, is resembled breadcrumbs. I added about 2 tablespoons of milk until it came together enough to roll into balls and baked it for 9 minutes. The cookies are really yum! I sprinkled some sea salt on some of them as well. Maybe if I’d used one large egg I wouldn’t have needed the extra milk? Either way, this recipe is definitely a keeper! And I love that it makes 18 wee cookies!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Krithika! 🙂 How did you measure the flour and cocoa powder? If the dough was really crumbly, then it sounds as if there was too much of one or both. They both should be measured using the spoon-and-level method because I’ve found that if I scoop either directly from the canister, I end up with 1.5 times as much, which would definitely cause the breadcrumb-like consistency! And I love your sea salt addition — I’ll have to try that sometime!
Super recipe Amy. Loved the taste and I have baked two rounds of these cookies with egg replacer powder. Adding instant coffee granules is such a brilliant idea that I felt it enhanced the flavour of the cookies. Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Lakshmi!
Hi Amy, I am so much in love with these cookies that I baked the fourth batch on Saturday. I added a handful of sunflower seeds and have been feasting on these cookies. My daughter Krithika (she has shared her views above mine) and myself simply LOVE these absolutely delicious cookies. Thank you once again for sharing such a simple and easy recipe.
I’m truly touched Lakshmi — I’m really glad you and your daughter love the cookies! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
These are so delicious! I made them last night and they are a huge hit– thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Courtney!
I made these to thank my letter of recommendation writers – they are TO. DIE. FOR. And they totally stay moist and fudgey for days! I’m curious, does that cornstarch trick work the same way in other cookies?
Another incredible recipe! I also love that it makes small batches 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies Rennie! Your letter writers are so lucky that you baked homemade treats for them. 🙂 The cornstarch trick works for many cookie recipes, but not all, so I recommend only using it in recipes where it’s specifically called for.