Coffee Bean Cookies
I love things that are out of scale. By that I mean: things that are made in either a much smaller size than they really come in (anything miniature for like a dollhouse situation) or anything that is normally tiny but made HUGE. The latter is what I latched onto when this recipe floated across my screen one night. Giant coffee “beans” made of dense yet curiously creamy cookie dough.
These aren’t super sweet. While great on their own, I did find myself wanting a little richness and decadence only a blanket of dark chocolate could provide. If you make them you should know the dough is crumbly and takes some warming up in your hands to really form. You’ll notice the cracks in the picture - those were not intentional. I’m going to play with varying amounts of butter (the recipe called for 1/3 cup of unsalted butter, but I feel like a 1/2 cup will be perfect - more testing will occur).
What’s really cool about these is you can make them ANY latte-inspired drink flavor you want. Love a peppermint mocha? Press the melted chocolate end into some crushed peppermint candies. Into a toffee flavor? Make some chewy caramel and dip these bad boys in there then roll in crushed toffee bits. You could add cinnamon (my personal favorite with chocolate), chili pepper (for a Mexican hot chocolate vibe), or even dip in melted white chocolate. They would probably make stellar gifts alongside a pound of the receiver’s favorite coffee - or just eaten late at night while watching Schitts Creek.
Coffee Bean Cookies
THE COOKIES
2 teaspoons whole milk
1 tablespoons instant espresso granules
1 cup cake flour (if you don’t have cake flour, you can scoop 1 cup of all-purpose flour into a bowl, then remove 2 tablespoons of it and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the remaining flour)
2 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 or 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (the more butter the smoother they will be, but also more rich - you have been warned)
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
7 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
THE CHOCOLATE COATING (optional)
1/2 cup dark chocolate, roughly chopped (you could use dark chocolate chunks or morsels)
1 teaspoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
MAKING THE COOKIES
Microwave the milk in a microwave safe bowl of coffee mug for 20 seconds. Mix the instant espresso in with the hot milk, whisking with a fork until the espresso granules have completely dissolved.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cornstarch, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Place the room temperature butter in a another bowl (I like bowls and this recipe is full of ‘em) and whisk until creamy. Add the confectioner’s sugar and whisk again to incorporate, scraping down both the bowl and whisk as you go. Add the beaten egg yolk and whisk until pale and creamy.
Pour the espresso mixture into the butter-egg mixture and whisk until evenly distributed. It should turn into a light brown color.
Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Using a wood spoon or stiff spatula, mix until the dough looks like coarse crumbs. Then switch to using your hands to mix and press the dough until smooth. This may take a few minutes as the wet ingredients saturate the dry ingredients. If it’s a little crumbly, that is totally okay!
On a wooden cutting board, roll the dough into a long log. Divide the dough into 1/2 inch pieces. If you want to get really consistent, you can use a scale to weigh them. Each piece should weight about 16g (about 1 large tablespoon). Then, using your palm, roll each piece into an oval shape, resembling a coffee bean. Place each “bean” on a wax paper-lined dinner plate or cookie sheet.
To make the line down the middle of the bean, press the middle of each dough with the dull side of a paring knife or a toothpick (I ended up preferring the dull end of the paring knife, but you try it and see what you prefer). Place your cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Chill in the fridge for about an hour.
When your cookies have about 20 minutes left in the fridge, preheat your oven to 325℉ and make sure the rack is in the middle section.
Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator and move the beans to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes. The dough should be dry all the way around, have some resistance when you gently tape on it, and develop some cracks. Allow to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
If you are not dipping the cookies in chocolate, feel free to stop here and enjoy them as they are. If you are, keep going!
MAKING THE CHOCOLATE COATING
When the cookies have cooled, make the melted chocolate.
Put about an inch of water in a small sauce pot and set over medium-low heat, bringing the water to a simmer. Place a glass heat-proof bowl over the simmering water. Add the chocolate an the coconut oil to the bowl.
When the chocolate and coconut oil have begun to melt, give them a stir. Keep stirring until both the oil and chocolate have fully melted. Remove from the heat completely.
Dip each cookie halfway into the melted chocolate, then set on waxed paper to cool. To fully harden the chocolate, the dipped cookies can be then placed in the fridge until the chocolate has fully hardened. Kept tightly wrapped, these cookies will last in the fridge in perfect condition for 4 - 5 days. Enjoy!
