These brown butter espresso chocolate chip cookies are made with toasty brown butter, tons of chocolate, and so much espresso flavor! These cookies have puffy & soft centers but crispier edges, making for the perfect cookie!
This post is sponsored by Amoretti. All opinions are my own - thank you for supporting the brands that make Sturbridge Bakery possible!
Adapted from my chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe, these cookies have toasty brown butter, melty pockets of chocolate, & so much yummy espresso flavor!
I used Amoretti's Natural Espresso Coffee Artisan Flavor in these cookies to give it that classic coffee flavor we all know & love. The concentrated flavor of espresso with melty chocolate, plus the caramel notes from the brown butter, make these cookies to die for!
Jump to:
Why you will love these espresso chocolate chip cookies
- Brown butter. These cookies (and any great chocolate chip cookie recipe) should have brown butter. The nuttiness, almost butterscotch, caramel-like flavor, that brown butter adds to the cookies is *mwah* chef's kiss.
- Soft centers & crispy edges. These chewy cookies have soft & gooey centers, but with thinner crisp edges, so you get the best of both worlds!
- Unbelievable flavor. The combination of brown butter, chocolate, & espresso makes for an incredibly flavorful cookie that is more & more addicting with every bite.
Ingredient notes
- Flour: all purpose flour is the flour of choice here for the best texture.
- Leavening agents: baking soda and baking powder are used to help the cookies rise. Baking soda lets them spread, while baking powder results in those puffy centers.
- Cornstarch: cornstarch is added to the cookies for a tender and soft texture.
- Butter: we use unsalted butter in this recipe to control exactly how much salt goes in. The butter is browned to perfection to add a depth of flavor to the cookies.
- Sugar: aside from adding sweetness, brown sugar adds flavor and moisture, while granulated sugar aids in the spread of the cookies and creates those brown edges.
- Egg: one egg is used to bind the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract: good quality vanilla extract is key for great flavor.
- Natural Espresso Coffee Artisan Flavor: I used Amoretti's Natural Espresso Coffee Artisan Flavor for the best coffee flavor in these cookies! If this is unavailable, you can sub with 1 tablespoon of instant coffee mixed with 1 teaspoon of water.
- Sour cream: a little bit of sour cream is added to replace the moisture lost from browning the butter to make super soft cookies! Yogurt can also be used as a replacement.
- Chocolate: I used mini chocolate chips for this recipe, but regular size works too! You can also use chopped chocolate in this recipe. Feel free to use multiple types of chocolate as well (milk & semi sweet, as an example).
See recipe card for the full list of ingredients & their quantities.
Recipe summary
- Brown the butter. Toast the butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Let it completely melt and crack/sizzle in the pan, then it will start to foam up. Once this happens, you should begin to see brown bits swirling around in the butter. Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, & espresso coffee flavor and whisk to combine. Add the egg and whisk to combine, then add the sour cream and whisk to combine.
- Mix in the dry ingredients. Add the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the flour and fold until almost fully incorporated.
- Add the chocolate. Fold in the chocolate until evenly incorporated and no more streaks of flour remain.
- Chill. Cover tightly and chill the dough for at least three hours.
- Bake. Preheat oven to 350F and bake the cookies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for 10-11 minutes.
FAQ
Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature if planning to eat within a few days. Put in the fridge/freezer for longer storage.
Absolutely! The dough can be made 1-2 days ahead of time by keeping it completely airtight and in the fridge. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough by forming the dough into balls & freezing until firm.
Cookies that spread too much are likely from measuring the ingredients inaccurately (aka too much liquid, or not enough flour), or not enough chill time. Cookies that did not spread at all are likely from too much flour. Make sure to use a kitchen scale for accuracy.
I used semi-sweet mini chocolate chips in this recipe, but you can use regular or chocolate chunks! Feel free to switch up the cacao percentages - using milk & dark chocolate, as an example!
Cookie baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. I cannot stress this enough - a kitchen scale is the only way to ensure accurate results. They are cheap and will make cleaning up SO much easier.
- Accurately measure the flour. One of the most common mistakes in baking is over-measuring flour. If you don't have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level it off with a knife. This will prevent the flour from being over-packed.
- Chill the dough. Chilling the dough controls spread and it gives the ingredients the chance to emulsify, resulting in a much deeper, caramel-like flavor.
- Use a cookie scoop. Cookie scoops are one of my favorite kitchen tools. It makes scooping the chilled cookie dough so much easier, and you don't have to get the dough all over your hands.
- Cookie scoot. "Cookie scooting" is taking something circular (a cookie cutter, as an example) and gently scooting the cookies after they are removed from the oven. This makes the cookies the perfect circular shape. You can also use a mug, a glass storage container, etc.
Baking in grams
I rely on gram measurements when testing recipes because they offer the highest level of accuracy (and less cleanup!). Unlike volume measurements, which can vary, grams provide a reliable and consistent standard. I carefully test all of my recipes using this kitchen scale, therefore I cannot guarantee the outcome when using volume measurements. However, volume measurements are available in the recipe card.
Other cookie recipes
Have you tried this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out! Leave a star rating & review below and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram so I can see photos & videos of your yummy bakes! Want to save this recipe for later? Tap the heart button on the right side of your screen!
This post may contain affiliate links.
Brown Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 211 grams (15 tablespoons) unsalted butter browned to 170 grams or ¾ cup*
- 150 grams (¾ cup) light brown sugar
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Amoretti Natural Espresso Coffee Artisan Flavor*
- 1 egg room temperature
- 20 grams (1 heaping tablespoon) sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 225 grams (about 1 ¾ cups + 1 tablespoon) all purpose flour
- 180 grams (1 cup) chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. It will start to crack and sizzle - let it do this while stirring occasionally. After a few minutes or so, the butter cracking/sizzling will subside and the butter will begin to foam up in the pan.211 grams unsalted butter
- Every few seconds or so, swirl the pan around until you can see that the butter is golden brown. You should also be able to see some of the brown bits swirling around in the butter.
- Once golden brown, immediately remove from the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl and put in the fridge to cool for 10 minutes.
- After the 10 minutes, remove the butter from the fridge and add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and espresso flavoring. Whisk to combine.150 grams light brown sugar, 50 grams granulated sugar, ½ tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon Amoretti Natural Espresso Coffee Artisan Flavor*
- Add the egg and whisk well until completely combined. Add the sour cream and whisk to combine.1 egg, 20 grams sour cream
- Add the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk until incorporated.1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the flour and fold it into the mixture using a rubber spatula until there are only a few streaks of flour remaining. Add the chocolate and fold until evenly incorporated and the flour is fully mixed in.225 grams all purpose flour, 180 grams chocolate chips
- Cover the bowl tightly and chill the dough for 3 hours. Once the three hours is almost up, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons or 45-50 grams) and space them 2-3 inches apart on your baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underdone. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then enjoy warm or transfer to a baking sheet to cool completely.
Notes
- We need ¾ cup or 170 grams of browned butter. The three extra tablespoons of butter in the recipe should account for the moisture that is evaporated during the browning process. After the butter is browned, make sure you have exactly ¾ cup or 170 grams.
- If you don't have the espresso coffee artisan flavor, you can sub it with 1 tablespoon of instant coffee mixed with 1 teaspoon of water. This can take the place of the flavoring.
Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!
Amanda
Wow these are amazing! Such rich flavor and the perfect cookie texture. My whole family devoured them within minutes… definitely adding to my must have recipe list.
Jess Italiano
Thank you!! I am glad they made the list 🙂
Giuliana
Would coffee extract work instead of the coffee flavoring?
Jess Italiano
Yes! 1 tbsp of instant coffee mixed with 1 tsp of water also works!