Coffee Butter Cookies
Coffee Butter Cookies are buttery, crisp, flavorful shortbread-like cookies, infused with the perfect amount of coffee flavor, and drizzled with dark and white chocolate. Everyone loves these cookies, and they look so cute in a Christmas cookie box!
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.
Notes
Making Ahead: Once cut into your desired shape, these cookies can be frozen flat 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!
Chocolate for Drizzling: I recommend using candy melts for the drizzle. They are designed to melt easily and set quickly. I always keep bags of Ghirardelli dark and white chocolate melts in my pantry, just in case I need them, but regular candy melts work great, too - and come in a ton of different colors, so you can get creative!
Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s 2015 Christmas Cookie Magazine