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These coffee cookies are truly the best! They are crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle, and flavored with a hint of cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla. They’re one of my go-to recipes for holidays, game nights, or casual dinner parties. If you’re a coffee person, you need to make these ASAP!

A round cooling rack topped with coffee cookies on a grey speckled table next to a dark green linen, cup of coffee, and Chemex.

“This is by far the best recipe for coffee cookies I have found. Easy and available ingredients and a very detailed instructions that really help for success in baking these wonderful cookies.”

Here is your friendly reminder to just go ahead and set a couple of sticks of unsalted butter on the counter. It’s cookie season, and you’re probably going to need it. I have to say, as a trained pastry chef, I have tested many a cookie in my lifetime. But this recipe is one of the few contenders that made it past the initial testing stage. They are so. damn. good.

Also, they’re the kind of cookie that is best around Christmas but can be made any time of the year. I’m into this, because yeah December is cookie season, but sometimes you need a cookie in July and gingerbread will just not cut it. But coffee will! Coffee is always a good idea.

(Is that line probably on a vinyl-scripted wood sign from Home Goods? Perhaps. But let’s roll with it anyways).

Like my coffee crème brûlée, creamy coffee crumble ice cream, and fluffy coffee cupcakes, these have a hefty dose of toasty flavor. They’re basically like if a cappuccino and a Snickerdoodle had a baby. I also really wanted to make a version that didn’t have chocolate, cause I just think it overpowers the coffee flavor (pls don’t hate me). So I added cardamom instead per usual.

Instant coffee

Various white bowls filled with baking ingredients on a grey speckled table next to two sticks of butter, an egg, and a bottle of vanilla.

Let’s get this out of the way – I am a loud and proud, self-proclaimed coffee snob. But, as much as I usually detest instant coffee, it does have its place in the world. It’s in baked goods. Brewed coffee, and even coffee concentrate, will have far too much liquid and will ruin the texture. Also, since it’s our main flavoring agent, you want good quality instant coffee!

The rest of the ingredients you’ll need are pretty basic. Grab some all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, Morton’s Kosher salt, cinnamon, cardamom, unsalted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, an egg, and vanilla extract.

Let’s make cookies

Three steps to mixing dough. In photo 1, a hand uses a whisk to mix a white bowl of flour and spices. In photo 2, a hand is pouring espresso powder into a white bowl of butter and sugar. In photo 3, a hand is pouring a white bowl of flour in a white bowl of butter and sugar.
To start, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Next, cream the butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and instant coffee. Add the dry ingredients and mix the dough just until it comes together.

Don’t over-mix the dough! Otherwise, you will add too much air to the dough which will leave you with crispy, flat cookies. You want to mix the dough just until there are no more streaks of flour.

Three steps to baking cookies. In photo 1, a white bowl is full of dough. In photo 2, a hand uses a scoop to scoop cookie dough. In photo 3, a hand rolls cookie dough in sugar.
Next, use a #40 cookie scoop to scoop the dough into balls. Roll the balls into some granulated sugar, and set them on a parchment-lined sheet pan a few inches apart.
Two steps to baking coffee cookies. In photo 1, cookie dough balls are on a sheet pan. In photo 2, hands are gripping a pan of cookies.
Bake the cookies at 350°F (177°C) for about 7 minutes. Using oven mitts, bang the pan on the oven rack until you have ripples on the edges and the air escapes from the cookies. Rotate the pan and bake the cookies for another 1-2 minutes, until the edges are just lightly golden brown.

The cookies may look a tad underdone in the centers. That’s ok! When I was testing this recipe, I found that underbaking them just a tad helps keep the cookies nice and chewy.

Two overhead images; on the left a woman's hands are grabbing a white cup of coffee and a cookie on a white and black plate placed on a speckled gray table next to another cup of coffee, Chemex, tray of coffee cookies, and dark green linen. On the right, rows of cookies with one cookie that has a bite taken out of it.

To chill or not to chill

I tested these cookies multiple times – sometimes, I chilled the dough and sometimes I didn’t. Overall, I preferred the chilled cookies because the color was darker and they were more flavorful. But, if you don’t chill them, the texture and flavor is still absolutely delicious!

Storing & freezing the cookies

Once the cookies are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

To freeze the cookies, place them in a single layer in an airtight container. Place a piece of parchment paper in-between each layer of cookies so they don’t stick. Freeze the cookies for up to 2 months.

A very closeup overhead photo of various coffee cookies stacked together.

If you make this recipe, I would love if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!

A very closeup overhead image of coffee cookies stacked together.
4.92 from 23 votes

Chewy Coffee Cookies

Yield: 26 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
If you're a coffee-lover, you're going to want to make these cookies ASAP. They're mixed with cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla for a little warmth and extra flavor. And, they're super chewy and great any time of the year!
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Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white sugar, divided
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons instant coffee

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Adjust the rack to the middle position. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, table salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of white sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and instant coffee until thoroughly mixed.
  • Add the flour mixture in two batches just until the dough comes together. Avoid overmixing or you will end up with tough cookies. At this point, you can cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or up to two days to let the flavor and color develop. This is totally optional!
  • Roll the dough into 1 1/2-2 Tablespoon balls. I use a #40 cookie scoop. Roll each dough ball in the remaining 1/4 cup of white sugar. Place 6 balls on each sheet pan, leaving 3-4 inches between each ball (they will spread out quite a bit).
  • Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes, until the cookies are puffy in the center. Using oven mitts, grip the sides of the sheet pan and give the sheet pan a few firm taps against the oven rack until the edges are wrinkly and the centers of the cookies fall and flatten. Flip the pan and bake the cookies for another 1-2 minutes, until the cookies are spread out, the edges are golden brown, and the centers are just slightly underdone. Remove the cookies from the oven, and give them another tap against a counter or another firm surface until the edges are wrinkled the centers are flat and crinkled.
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pan for about 5-10 minutes. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients are key to making evenly-mixed dough. Make sure to bring the unsalted butter and egg to room temp for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Adding the instant coffee straight to the dough will leave little bursts of coffee flavor! If you don’t want those little chunks, mix the instant coffee with 2-3 tsp. of water just until the coffee is dissolved. Avoid adding too much water or it will affect the texture of the cookies.
You definitely do not have to chill the dough if you don’t want to. The cookies will still come out amazing! But, if you want to develop the flavors and color a bit, letting them chill for a few hours or up to 2 days will just deepen the flavor a bit. Plus, it’s a great make-ahead option!
Don’t worry about slightly underbaking the cookies, because the residual heat from the sheet pan will continue baking them. Underbaking them just slightly will create a chewy flavor!
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 143kcal, Carbohydrates: 18.3g, Protein: 1.4g, Fat: 7.4g, Saturated Fat: 4.6g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 125mg, Potassium: 34mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 9.9g, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 1mg
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