Coffee Butter Cookies are my husband’s favorite cookies – and they might just be your new favorites, too!
Sort of like coffee-flavoured shortbread, these cookies have no leavener, meaning they can be cut into any shape you desire, and they won’t rise or spread and lose their shape.
This recipe is adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s 2015 Christmas Cookie Magazine, but I’ve made them all year ’round ever since discovering these gems!
As a total coffee junkie, I just love the coffee flavor – and the decorative drizzle makes them so pretty; perfect to add to any cookie platter or dessert table.
The Coffee in Coffee Butter Cookies
These cookies use the easiest shortcut ingredient for infusing a strong coffee flavor: espresso powder! There’s no need for brewing and cooling coffee as espresso powder is inexpensive and easily available in the coffee aisle at any grocery store.
If you’re not a coffee fan, you can probably just skip the espresso powder, for more of a classic shortbread.
The Chocolate for Drizzling
I recommend using candy melts for the pretty finishing touch here. Candy melts are designed to melt easily and evenly, and set quickly. I once made these cookies in hot weather, and the regular chocolate I used refused to set! I had to keep them chilled to prevent smushing, which was a pain once I was at the party destination. Now, I always keep a bag of Ghirardelli dark and white chocolate melts in my pantry. Regular candy melts work great, too – and come in a ton of different colors, so you can get creative!
Can You Make Coffee Butter Cookies Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! Once rolled out and shaped, these cookies can be frozen for later baking. I like to freeze them on a parchment-lined baking sheet for a couple hours, then transfer to a Ziploc bag or freezer safe container. Freezing them separately ensures they won’t stick together in the bag or container, and the bag/container ensures they won’t dry out in the freezer! You can even bake from frozen – just add a minute or so to the bake time.
More Cookies You’ll Love:
- Coffee Chocolate Shortbread
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Dark Chocolate French Macarons
- Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter Cookies
Coffee Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 113 grams (1 stick) butter, at a cool room temperature (about 65°F / 18°C)
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) light brown sugar
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 7 grams (1 Tablespoon) espresso powder
- 283 grams (2 cups + 3 Tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, and espresso powder until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add salt and flour. Mix until almost combined. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula until the dough is smooth and just comes together. Do not overwork.
- Shape the dough into a round disk and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 300°F / 150°C.
- On a very lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4” / 3/4cm thick. Cut into desired shapes and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced at least an inch apart (the cookies shouldn’t spread much at all, but they still need the hot oven air to circulate thoroughly around each cookie!).
- Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cookies look set and just beginning to develop a golden brown color at the edges. Leave to cool on the baking sheet.
- Once cookies are completely cooled, melt the dark and white chocolates in separate bowls. I like to microwave in small microwave-safe bowls at half power, in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until completely smooth – but you can use a double-boiler if preferred. Spoon the melted chocolates into separate small piping bags. Cut a tiny hole at the tip of each piping bag, and drizzle evenly across each star.
- Allow the chocolate to completely dry before packaging or stacking the cookies. Store inside an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
