I like to think that these Espresso Cookies are my grown-up cookies. Rich, chocolatey and not overly sweet, they have the perfect balance of crispiness and chew. The espresso hit is strong, so use good-quality coffee – it makes all the difference.
As this recipe makes quite a few cookies I sometimes freeze half of my cookie dough. The best way to do this is to roll the dough into balls and place these on a parchment lined tray in the freezer until frozen.
You can then transfer them to a freezer bag and pull a few out whenever the urge for a cookie strikes. I would recommend allowing the frozen dough to thaw for about 20 minutes before baking.
Makes 34 small cookies
Ingredients:
– 350g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
– 250g spelt flour (plain white or gluten-free blend works too)
– 80g Dutch-processed cocoa powder or cacao powder
– 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
– ½ tsp sea salt
– 4 tbsp fresh finely ground coffee
– 250g butter, softened, or coconut oil
– 220g light brown soft sugar or coconut sugar
– 2 large eggs, room temperature
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
2. Chop the chocolate into roughly 5mm pieces – don’t worry about little shards and any very small flakes, these will melt deliciously into the cookies.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, sea salt and ground coffee. Set aside.
4. In a separate, large bowl, using an electric whisk, beat the butter or coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. If you are using coconut oil, beat it until just incorporated, otherwise you will melt the oil.
6. Beat in the eggs one by one, followed by the vanilla.
7. Pour the flour mix into the wet mix and gently fold in, adding the chopped chocolate halfway through. If your dough is very wet, transfer it to the fridge for 20 mins to firm up.
8. Roll the cookie dough using your hands into roughly golf-ball-sized balls and line them up on the baking sheets with at least 3cm between them.
9. Bake the cookies in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges are firm but the centres are just soft.
10. Remove and leave them to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
RECIPE FROM LAND & SEA BY ALEXANDRA DUDLEY
A celebration of real food and wholesome ingredients, Land and Sea brings sustainable eating to the table in true flavour and style. With advice on using the whole ingredient (no matter what it is); how you can make the most of leftovers; and how to be creative with herbs and spices, these recipes show you how to inject every mealtime with flavour and goodness.
Inspired by her Dutch and German roots, Alexandra’s storybook style recipes include family breakfasts of sweet-spiced, apple puffed pancakes – a traditional ‘Dutch Baby’ – warming lunches such as Hake, Prawn and Lemongrass Curry, and comforting dinners to share like Spatchcocked Persian-Spiced Peanut Butter Chicken.
Photography by Andrew Burton. Land & Sea is published by Orion. To buy the book visit www.orionbooks.co.uk.